The 25 Baubles of Pop Culture! Advent 2022 Day 15

The franchise selected today from that pop culture random generator is a subject of which I could again devote an entire 25 day Advent to! It's the tree decorations that honor the comic book heroes of the DC Universe!

There's no argument- I am a DC person. I love Marvel. I have a lot of Marvel books and favs. But my heart belongs to DC Comics! My dad had a huge collection of DC books that I was enthralled by as a lad. And while my devotion to DC Comics drives my Marvel loving students crazy, I think deep down, my wife and cats are DC people too. 

While my being a DC person is something you can't debate, just who my favorite character is could be argued for decades. It's got to be one of the members of the Superman family. I just can't decide who. My hair has a natural curly-cue just like the Man of Steel. So I cut my hair and wear glasses to resemble Clark Kent. Then there's the fact that I used to own a copy of Action Comics #252, the first appearance of Supergirl (which was eventually stolen) and I am just such a fan of her's because of that connection. Since I cannot make up my mind, here are a pair of Hallmark ornaments. First is a video of the 1995 Magic Clark Kent/Superman phone booth ornament. I'll let the video reveal the surprise. Then up next is a 2018 representation of the Maid of Might from the DC Superhero Girls animated series of Cartoon Network.

Now for a set of ornaments from my childhood. It's a set of 4 plastic (or resin?) ornaments of Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman and Robin from 1979. Made in Korea, I had these as a kid but over the years, they got lost or broken or thrown away. I really enjoyed these because the characters were in their regular costumes but with holiday touches, like a sack of presents or a wreath. I would be willing to bet money that my mom bought these at Roses or K-Mart.

Out of researching this post, my favorite ornament is this one from Hallmark. The 2020 decoration seems to be one of the few highlights of that sucky year. It has classic look Aquaman astride his trusty seahorse, Storm. My runner-up is also from Hallmark. It's a 2018 representation of the Batboat from the 1960s Batman TV show that starred Adam West and Burt Ward. I'm sorry. I am wrong. The Batboat was from the 1966 live action film. NOT the TV series.

From the Etsy and other similar website department, I selected a really cool one based on my favorite villain/anti-hero. This beautiful mixed medium bauble has Harley Quinn in her traditional jester costume. I love the sliced effect that makes the complete image along with that black yarn. Just perfect Harley!

And now from my growing favorite part of the Advent: the DIY ornament. I selected this project that I saw on Pintrest. You will need a Styrofoam ball, some hot glue and fabric starring your favorite DC characters. You cut the fabric into rounded strips, like ovals or something similar to a baseball cover. Adorn the edges with ribbon trim and hot glue colorful bows and a satin loop on the top of the ball. I particularly like this pattern as it's very similar to a pillow I have and it features artwork by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez and Dick Giordano, the main artists for DC's commercial line of the 70s and 80s.

For today's Advent gift, it's an animated short starring Batman, villain Solomon Grundy and several members of the Justice League, including Plastic Man and Green Arrow; two characters that deserve the ornament treatment. 

Enjoy!