Dynamic Nutcracker Figurine.
Item Number: EB11 C0900a

The Dynamic Nutcracker Figurine is 15 inches tall. This Dynamic Nutcracker Figurine is wearing a black, fez type black hat with a red and gold ribbon on the side and a red feather in the front, a red and gold uniform jacket with gold tassel epaulettes on the shoulders, blue trousers and black boots. The Dynamic Nutcracker Figurine is playing a red snare drum that is hanging around his shoulders from a gold cord. This Dynamic Nutcracker is a must for any Nutcracker Collector. Select this link to view our wooden nutcracker toy 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. 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. 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. 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 an 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 Wooden Nutcracker Soldiers. Nineteenth Century The ornamental peak of the military uniform was reached in the early 19th century in Western Europe. Sometimes the Napoleonic Wars are identified as being the acme of colorful and ornate uniforms, but actually the several decades of peace that followed were a time of much more decorative styles and embellishments. The Napoleonic soldier on campaign was likely to present a shabby and non-descript appearance as unsuitable peacetime dress quickly deteriorated or was replaced with whatever local substitutes were available. Until later on in the century dyes were primitive and different batches of uniforms worn by the same unit might present differing shades, especially after exposure to rain and sun. The white uniforms popular amongst many armies through the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries soiled easily and had to be pipe clayed to retain any semblance of cleanliness. Green as worn by Jager and Rifle regiments proved particularly prone to fading until suitable chemical dyes were devised in the 1890s. British soldiers were known for their striking red clothing (hence the name “Redcoats”). This was actually a fairly dull shade of madder red until the general adoption of scarlet for tunics in the 1870s. Select this link to view our Christmas Nutcracker Village People.
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