This is a very handsome 14 inch tall Nutcracker. He is wearing a gold crown with blue plastic jewels and red cap, red and gold jacket, yellow trousers and black boots. His sword is connected to his left side. Select this link to view our Wooden Nutcracker Soldiers.
The Story of The Nutcracker
The combination of a useful tool and a figural form with a human appearance was well accepted by the mid 18th century. In the toy making center of Sonneberg, in the Thuringian Forest, there was mention in 1735 of nut biters that operated according to the principles of leverage. These nut biters were described as sturdy, energetic forms with large heads. Two moving arms on the back of the head allowed the lower jaw to push the nut against the upper jaw. In a carnival parade in 1783, students from Freisingen, Germany presented large models of Berchtesgaden wares, including a nut biter in the form of a little man whose mouth and stomach were one and the same. Select this link to view our Superman Collectible Nutcrackers.
The literary career of the nutcracker began with the 1816 publication of E.T.A. Hoffmann's fairy tale Nussknacker und Mausekönig, a children's book that helped bring the nutcracker into broader popularity. In the spirit of a time when the importance of the family and children was beginning to be emphasized, Hoffmann vividly depicted a sympathetic soul, Under the Christmas tree a very excellent little man became visible that stood there still and modest. He waited as if they would all come to him. The job of the nutcracker was to work hard for the children of the family by biting open the nuts. Select this link to view our Slender Drummer Nutcrackers.
Thirty five years after the publication of E.T.A. Hoffmann's classic, the nutcracker reappeared as a central character in Heinrich Hoffmann's story King Nutcracker and the Poor Reinhold 1851. In this story the poor Reinhold becomes acquainted with the Nutcracker King in a dream. Select this link to view our Slender Nutcracker with a Sword.
The nutcracker did not always play the role of the good-hearted fairy tale king. More often he wore a monk's robe or was made into the form of a mean-looking policeman, a Turk, master of the watch, a cavalry man or some other grotesque helmeted figure with a long nose. He appeared, for example, as a caricature of Napoleon on a 1813 Parisian picture-sheet. By the end of the 19th century he appeared almost consistently in the catalogs of the toy wholesalers as a representative of the contemporary authorities. What started out as a practical tool often ended up as an expression of light irony and a social critique by the common people. Select this link to view our Rifleman Wooden Nutcrackers.
The Tradition of Birthdays.
Birthday is the name given to the anniversary of the day we were born. It is celebrated by a party with friends and family bringing gifts for the person who’s Birthday it is. It is also customary to treat people especially well on their Birthday. Select this link to view our Unique Nutcracker King.
Birthday Celebrations are not universal. Some people prefer name day celebrations instead. There are some who do not celebrate either because they consider the origin of such festivals as Birthdays, Christmas and Easter to be pagan. Then there are some of us who just don’t like to be reminded that we are getting older. Select this link to view our U.S. Marine Corps Soldier Nutcracker.