Hark!
It’s
Herald

Herald the Elf and His Holiday Band

The Hark! It’s Herald series launched in 1989 with an elf named Herald playing a xylophone and chimes — the percussive, melodic opening note of a four-year musical performance. Sculpted by Julia Lee, the series ran for four consecutive years through 1992, with Herald picking up a new instrument each Christmas: a drum in 1990, a flute in 1991, and in 1992 the series finale — a baritone tuba, the most improbable and most delightful closing instrument an elf could possibly choose. The 1992 box text confirms both the series’ conclusion and Herald’s signature: “Handcrafted, Dated 1992, Fourth and Final in the Hark! It’s Herald Series. Oom-pah-pah is Herald’s way to celebrate the holiday!”

The instrument progression moves from delicate percussion (xylophone and chimes, #1) through driving rhythm (drum, #2) and lyrical melody (flute, #3) to the full-bodied, booming finale of the tuba (#4). It is — unintentionally or not — a four-year arc through the categories of orchestral music: pitched percussion, unpitched percussion, woodwind, and brass. Herald the elf covered the whole ensemble in four years. The complete band is here.

Tips for the Collection

• 01
  Display in numbered sequence — the four instruments tell a complete musical story in order. From the delicate xylophone and chimes of 1989 through the driving drum of 1990 and the melodic flute of 1991, the series builds to the magnificent oom-pah-pah of the 1992 tuba finale. In sequence the four entries trace Herald’s four-year musical journey through percussion, rhythm, melody, and brass. Display them together where all four can be seen and the progression appreciated.
• 02
  The 1992 Baritone Tuba is the series’ most memorable instrument choice — give it a starring position. An elf playing a tuba is the single most joyfully absurd image in the Hark! It’s Herald series. “Oom-pah-pah is Herald’s way to celebrate the holiday” — and the tuba’s scale relative to Herald makes the visual joke work perfectly. As the final entry it deserves the most prominent position in any display of the four.
• 03
  All 4 Hark! It’s Herald Hallmark ornaments — the complete 1989–1992 series — are at Already Christmas. The xylophone, the drum, the flute, and the tuba. Herald’s complete holiday band. All four here.