Happy the Hedgehog

Happy the Hedgehog is a new clip on style Christmas ornament from the 2011 Animals on Parade Collection.
We haven't had a lot of animal style ornaments at Trendy Tree from Inge-Glas so I'm really anxious to see the new styles coming in for this year. And a hedgehog is very different! Not something you're likelyl to see at your favorite department store Christmas section))

According to Wikipedia: A hedgehog is any of the spiny mammals of the subfamily Erinaceinae and the order Erinaceomorpha. There are 17 species of hedgehog in five genera, found through parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and New Zealand. There are no hedgehogs native to Australia, and no living species native to North America; those in New Zealand are introduced. Hedgehogs have changed little over the last 15 million years. Like many of the first mammals they have adapted to a nocturnal, insectivorous way of life. The name 'hedgehog' came into use around the year 1450, derived from the Middle English 'heyghoge', from 'heyg', 'hegge' = hedge, because it frequents hedgerows, and 'hoge', 'hogge' = hog, from its piglike snout.Other names include 'urchin', 'hedgepig' and 'furze-pig' .

Hedgehogs are a food source in many cultures. Hedgehogs were eaten in Ancient Egypt, and some recipes of the Late Middle Ages call for hedgehog meat^. In the Middle East and especially among Bedouins, hedgehog meat is considered medicinal, and thought to cure rheumatism and arthritis. Romani people supposedly still eat it, and also use the blood and the fat for its supposed medicinal value. One method for killing the animal suggests holding it up by one of its hind legs and cutting off the tip of its nose when it unrolls, which kills it and drains the blood at the same time. The animal is then cleaned and boiled or roasted.


During the 1980s, "hedgehog-flavour" crisps were introduced in Britain, although the product did not in fact contain any hedgehog.

Wikipedia Image of a Hedgehog

Interesting material from Wikipedia!

Think I'll just stick with the Hedgehog Christmas Ornament)))  Isn't the likeness of the ornament to the real thing remarkable)) Visit us at Trendy Tree to see more ornaments from the Animals on Parade Collection by Inge-Glas of Germany.