With the spirit of a child and the heart of a toymaker, Ken Crow has a true passion for all things mechanical. Growing up in Southern California, he tore apart every toy he ever had to see how it worked. He even made other toys out of the spare parts. For Ken, Keepsakes Ornaments kept him forever connected with that inquisitive child inside.

Description

1st in a three-part series.

Miniature

Features a miniature carousel with Santa in his sled inside it. Turn knob (on bottom) to see center turn and see the characters go up and down.

  • Artist: Ken Crow
  • Released: 2017 (Ornament Premiere)
  • Retail Price: $9.95 USA
  • Material(s): plastic
  • Dimensions: 1.2" w. x 2.2" h. x 1.2" d.
  • SKU: QXM8565
  • Produced in: Sri Lanka
  • Production Date(s): 

A Carousel of Smiles

It was obvious to Ken Crow what the first miniature carousel in his new three-part series should be.

“I thought, ‘What would make the best Christmas carousel?’ It’s a natural to have Santa and his reindeer because they fly!”

Ken’s carousel is mechanical, so as you hold the cage and twirl the knob, the center core turns and the characters go up and down at different times like a real carousel.

“This is about as small as we could possibly make it. I’ve looked at the molecular structure of this thing, I’ve looked at it so close.” he jokes. “And I want to give a lot of credit to the engineer because this isn’t just me sculpting something. A big part of the fun is working with an engineer and he’ll say, ‘You know, you can’t do that,’ and I’ll say. ‘Let’s find a better way,’ and quite often you’ll come up with something you never even dreamt you could do.”

Ken’s inspiration has always come from the desire to make people smile, and that started early.

“I’m still trying to please my grandma. When I was five years old and I made something, my grandma would ask, “Kenny, did you make that all out of your own mind? And I would look up at her and say, ‘Yes, Grandma, I did.’ Grandma’s been gone since 1984, and I’m still trying to make her smile. And that’s the same feeling I get when anyone smiles. I’m getting assurance that what I’m doing is worthwhile and it’s bettering someone’s life or it’s giving a little bit of happy to them.”

As for working in miniature form with complex designs, Ken says he loves the intricate stuff.

“To me, they’re not really complex; they’ve just dream-weaving a smile. How do you put things together that make a happy end result? I’m more of a happy-maker than a sculptor or an artist, because there are a lot of better artists than me in the world. I’m just the fortunate guy who gets to work on these things.”

So, what comes next in Ken’s miniature carousel series?

“They’re going to be more traditional, in some ways, but these things evolved as they go.”

Then he pauses and smiles.

“I honest to goodness, kind of know, but you’re just going to have to wait to see.”

“A Carousel of Smiles” 2017 Dream Book, 2017 Keepsake Ornament Club Edition: 96

 

 

Alternate Versions

Christmas Carousel
Event Exclusive
Miniature




Related Ornaments

Each ornament features a detailed miniature carousel that actually spins when the knob is turned!

Description

1st in a three-part series.

Miniature
Features a miniature carousel with Santa in his sled inside it. Turn knob (on bottom) to see center turn and see the characters go up and down.

  • Artist: Ken Crow
  • Released: 2017 (Ornament Premiere)
  • Retail Price: $9.95 USA
  • Material(s): plastic
  • Dimensions: 1.2" w. x 2.2" h. x 1.2" d.
  • SKU: QXM8565
  • Produced in: Sri Lanka
  • Production Date(s): 

A Carousel of Smiles

It was obvious to Ken Crow what the first miniature carousel in his new three-part series should be.

“I thought, ‘What would make the best Christmas carousel?’ It’s a natural to have Santa and his reindeer because they fly!”

Ken’s carousel is mechanical, so as you hold the cage and twirl the knob, the center core turns and the characters go up and down at different times like a real carousel.

“This is about as small as we could possibly make it. I’ve looked at the molecular structure of this thing, I’ve looked at it so close.” he jokes. “And I want to give a lot of credit to the engineer because this isn’t just me sculpting something. A big part of the fun is working with an engineer and he’ll say, ‘You know, you can’t do that,’ and I’ll say. ‘Let’s find a better way,’ and quite often you’ll come up with something you never even dreamt you could do.”

Ken’s inspiration has always come from the desire to make people smile, and that started early.

“I’m still trying to please my grandma. When I was five years old and I made something, my grandma would ask, “Kenny, did you make that all out of your own mind? And I would look up at her and say, ‘Yes, Grandma, I did.’ Grandma’s been gone since 1984, and I’m still trying to make her smile. And that’s the same feeling I get when anyone smiles. I’m getting assurance that what I’m doing is worthwhile and it’s bettering someone’s life or it’s giving a little bit of happy to them.”

As for working in miniature form with complex designs, Ken says he loves the intricate stuff.

“To me, they’re not really complex; they’ve just dream-weaving a smile. How do you put things together that make a happy end result? I’m more of a happy-maker than a sculptor or an artist, because there are a lot of better artists than me in the world. I’m just the fortunate guy who gets to work on these things.”

So, what comes next in Ken’s miniature carousel series?

“They’re going to be more traditional, in some ways, but these things evolved as they go.”

Then he pauses and smiles.

“I honest to goodness, kind of know, but you’re just going to have to wait to see.”

“A Carousel of Smiles” 2017 Dream Book, 2017 Keepsake Ornament Club Edition: 96

 

 

Alternate Versions

Christmas Carousel
Event Exclusive
Miniature




Downloads

Related Ornaments

Each ornament features a detailed miniature carousel that actually spins when the knob is turned!