Kim Krum's 2012 Animated North Pole Village: Music in the Air

Kim Krum's Christmas village delighted my blog readers last year.  And this year Kim has done it again.  She has picked and plucked penguins and bears, Barbies and soldiers, Mickey and Goofy, and fashioned them into a moving, clicking, flowing, shining North Pole Village.

And what are the people and creatures of the North Pole doing?  They are making music...

Oh how they pound,
raising the sound,
o'er hill and dale,
telling their tale.

Gaily they ring
while people sing
songs of good cheer,
Christmas is here.

From Barbie's elegant ball to a teddy bear jam, Christmas music is in the air. 

Bear jammin'.  Note the Dept. 56, North Pole Village, "Naughty or Nice Detective Agency," to the left;
"North Pole Porcelain Building Works" is back right, while the "Teddy Bear Training Center"
is back middle, and in the foreground is the "Nettie's Mistletoe Manor."

As usual, Kim audaciously pairs Department 56 scale buildings with toys twice the size, then she adds globes, and ice cubes, and tiny carousels, and a juke box.  And then she plops in the the dollop of creative magic that makes it all work!

Reigning over the Kim's North Pole Village are Barbie and Ken, who make a glamorous entrance through the snow in their oversized horse and sleigh.  They arrive in time to join in the outdoor ballroom dancing in front of her own Barbie Boutique.  It is so appropriate that the Twinkle Toes Ballet Academy is nearby, so all the little ballerinas can witness Christmas dancing magic.  Those who want a breather can take a spin on the carousel!

Nearby are the pulsating rhythms of the penguins a-playing.  Surrounded by ice cubes, these little guys are dashing in their black and white tuxedoes garnished with red hats, and red and green scarves.  Bet the music of these little hipsters makes you want to shake, rattle, and roll.

Bear Boy Band, with Dept. 56, North Pole Village,
"The Christmas Candy Mill," "LEGO Building
Creation Station" behind the band, and
"Countdown to Christmas," at front and left. 

The little Bear Boy Band at the xylaphone conjures up some Christmas Souza.  Dressed in marching band attire, these bears tower over the "Christmas Candy Mill" and the "Acme Creation Station," and it looks perfectly normal.  Creating candy and cubes is so much easier with the steady beat of bear music.

Dept 56, North Pole Village, with
"Acme Toy Factory," "Poinsettia Palace," "Cocoa Chocolate
Works," and "Santa's Tailor Shop."

Mickey on the tuba and Donald on the sax join Goofy on the horn, and we've got jazz with the Christmas pudding.  They jam in a forest of Christmas trees, all different.  One tall tree has a snowman head base and polka dot Christmas balls. Other trees are short and dappled with frost, some have layers of snow pasted on, and one evergreen in the background has tiny village pieces nestled in its branches.

Toy Soldier Band

No Christmas is complete without toy soldiers, but in Kim's village, their occupation has been mellowed by their music.  The five wooden soldiers are tight in their rhythm, following the lead of the lead xylophonist, standing out in the center with his feathered red hat.  I hear the "Little Drummer Boy," as clearly as the Christmas Even night.  Behind the tin soldiers are "The Peanut Brittle Factory and "North Pole Express Depot," while the "Rubbery Duck Factory" is front right.

No town, North Pole or West Village, would be complete without a jukebox jivin' club, and Kim has included this as well.  On the play list I see Louis Armstrong's "Winter Wonderland," Brenda Lee's "This Time of the Year," and the Andrews Sisters' "Jingle Bells."  But to me, it plays, "Jingle Bell Rock."

Thanks, Kim Krum, for another note of holiday cheer!