Christmas
Carnival
Five amusement park rides. Five Christmas songs. Five years. Announced as a five-part series from the start — each ornament a different festive ride that transports you to Santa's magical wonderland. Connect all five to the Keepsake Power Cord and the whole carnival comes to life together: light, sound, and motion, one ride at a time.
Step Right Up — Santa's Magical Amusement Park
The Christmas Carnival Keepsake series was announced at Hallmark's 2018 Ornament Debut — the 45th anniversary of the Keepsake line — as a five-part series, fully planned from day one. "Each ornament in this new, five-part series will feature a fun and festive amusement park ride," the packaging stated. The concept was precise and complete before the first ornament was even released: a Christmas carnival, one ride per year, five years to visit every attraction. There would be no open-ended collecting uncertainty — the series had a destination, and it was the Ferris wheel in 2022.
The rides chosen trace the full vocabulary of a festive amusement park: the sleigh ride that opens the carnival in 2018 (three reindeer-drawn sleighs named "Comet Chaser," "Star Dancer" and "Sky Prancer" spinning around a starry sky with fluffy white clouds), the toy train in 2019, the Christmas tree spinner in 2020, the candy-themed train in 2021, and the Ferris wheel that closes the carnival in 2022. Each ornament connects to the Hallmark Keepsake Power Cord to activate continuous light and motion. Press the button to hear that year's ride play its own Christmas song — "Jingle Bells" for the sleigh, "Good King Wenceslas" for the Tannenbaum Twirler, "Jolly Old St. Nicholas" for the Festive Ferris Wheel finale. Connect all five and the interactive performances expand: additional animations unlock as each new ride joins the carnival.
"A day at the amusement park can't get much better — unless each ride transports you to Santa's magical world! Features a sleigh ride like no other, with three reindeer-drawn sleighs (named 'Comet Chaser,' 'Star Dancer' and 'Sky Prancer') spinning around a starry sky with fluffy white clouds."
— Hallmark packaging, 2018 Journey to the Stars · Christmas Carnival #1 · Artist: Ken Crow
Journey to the Stars — 2018 (#1)
The carnival opens in 2018 with the most magical ride imaginable: three reindeer-drawn sleighs — Comet Chaser, Star Dancer, and Sky Prancer — spinning around a starry sky with fluffy white clouds. Artist Ken Crow, 4.4" W × 5" H × 4.4" D, Storytellers interactive light, sound and motion, plays "Jingle Bells" when you press the button. Connect to the Keepsake Power Cord for continuous light and motion. Ken Crow's first memory as an artist is drawing at the kitchen table of his grandparents' farmhouse, striving to produce a smile like the one on his grandmother's face when she asked "Kenny, did you draw that out of your own mind?" The Christmas Carnival #1 is an ornament designed to produce exactly that smile — four years before the carnival closes with the Ferris wheel in 2022.
Shop Journey to the Stars — First Ride in the Carnival →Ken Crow & Robert Hurlburt — The Carnival's Creators
Ken Crow's first memory as an artist is drawing at the kitchen table of his grandparents' farmhouse. Today, with every ornament he designs, he strives to create smiles like the one on his grandmother's face when she asked, "Kenny, did you draw that out of your own mind?" He is the sculptor behind Christmas Carnival's opening ride and the series' primary voice — the artist who established the carnival's visual language of spinning mechanisms, starry nights, and festive motion.
For Robert Hurlburt, Hallmark began as a family affair — his brother helped bring him into the company. "He and I knew that we wanted to do something creative rather than what our family traditionally did, which was working in an industrial trade." What Robert brought from that background is the technical eye he applies to each of his creations — exactly the precision required to sculpt a functioning Ferris wheel ornament that spins, lights up, and plays "Jolly Old St. Nicholas" to close the five-year carnival.
How the Storytellers Feature Works
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1Connect any Christmas Carnival ornament to the Hallmark Keepsake Power Cord (sold separately). The continuous light and motion effect activates immediately.
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2Press the button on any ornament to hear that ride's Christmas song — "Jingle Bells" for the sleigh, "Good King Wenceslas" for the Tannenbaum Twirler, "Jolly Old St. Nicholas" for the Ferris wheel — while all connected ornaments respond together.
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3Connect additional Christmas Carnival ornaments to the same Power Cord. The more rides connected, the more interactive performances unlock — the carnival expands as it fills.
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4Connect all five ornaments to activate the complete Christmas Carnival experience — every ride spinning and lit simultaneously, the full interactive show running. One Keepsake Power Cord powers up to 7 Storyteller ornaments. No batteries required.
Tips for the Collection
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01Connect all five to the same Keepsake Power Cord for the full carnival experience. The Christmas Carnival series was designed as a Storytellers interactive collection — the ornaments are designed to work together, not just hang on the tree. Connect all five to unlock the additional interactive performances that only activate when the complete carnival is assembled. One Keepsake Power Cord powers up to 7 Storyteller ornaments, so a single cord handles the complete set with room for two more from other Storyteller collections.
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02Display the series in order from #1 through #5 to trace the carnival's progression. Sleigh ride (#1), toy train (#2), Christmas tree spinner (#3), candy express (#4), Ferris wheel (#5) — arranged in numerical order, the five ornaments read as a tour through Santa's amusement park, from the opening sleigh ride to the closing Ferris wheel. The progression was planned from day one: Hallmark announced this as a five-part series in 2018, knowing exactly how it would end.
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03The 2022 Festive Ferris Wheel (#5) is the series' most technically impressive finale. Robert Hurlburt's Ferris wheel is the ornament that benefits most from being connected — the spinning Ferris wheel with continuous light, "Jolly Old St. Nicholas" playing, surrounded by the other four connected rides, is the Christmas Carnival at its most complete. Display it as the collection's centrepiece when all five are connected.
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04All 5 Christmas Carnival Storytellers ornaments, 2018 through 2022, are at Already Christmas. The complete carnival — from Journey to the Stars through the Festive Ferris Wheel finale — is in the collection. Connect all five and the carnival opens.
Every Christmas Carnival Keepsake — 2018 to 2022
Storytellers interactive · light, sound & motion · connect all five to unlock the full carnival. Click any ride to shop.
Announced at Hallmark's 45th anniversary Ornament Debut in 2018 as a five-part series — the carnival was complete before the first ticket was sold. Comet Chaser, Star Dancer, and Sky Prancer spinning around a starry sky in 2018. The toy train in 2019. The Tannenbaum Twirler in 2020. The Rock Candy Express in 2021. The Festive Ferris Wheel to close the carnival in 2022. Five rides. Five songs. Connect all five — the carnival opens. All five here.
Step right up.
✦ Part of our Collection: Hallmark Storytellers Series, Explored ✦