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Our Clock Maker Nutcracker Decorations are 6 inches tall. The Clock Making Nutcracker is wearing a red shirt with white buttons, gold collar and cuffs, green pants, black boots and a red hat with black brim. The Clock Making Nutcracker is sitting on a wooden keg. There is a table in front of the Clock Making Nutcracker with some of his handy work for all to see. The Clock Maker Nutcracker Decorations are sitting on a red and gold rectangular wooden base. Select this link to view our Christmas nutcrackers village people.
How Nutcrackers Came to America
Nutcrackers have always been enjoyed for their whimsical expressions, authentic costumes, and enigmatic charm. However, nutcrackers also possess a rich history that goes back about 300 years. Nutcrackers carry with them a sense of tradition as well as an abundance of stories and legends of the past. Although nutcrackers have been around forages, they were not always the collectible items as we know them today. In fact, nutcrackers only became popular in the United States about 50 years ago.
The practice of collecting nutcrackers in the United States began in the early 1950’s. Many of the GI's who were in Germany during World War II visited open air fairs or markets in Germany. It was there that they discovered a sturdy and intriguing companion in the nutcracker. When the soldiers returned home after the war, a new comrade accompanied them. Strengthened by the nutcracker’s ability to ward off evil from its owners, the soldiers brought a figure of power and protection to their families and loved ones. So, the nutcrackers with their rich heritage arrived in the United States.
When Tchaikowsky’s ballet, The Nutcracker Suite premiered in St. Petersburg in 1892, the popularity of nutcrackers grew tremendously. The ballet became very popular in the United States in the early 1950’s and ignited the passion for these fascinating creatures. The strong following of this classic production greatly increased the popularity of collecting nutcrackers in America. Select this link to view our wooden nutcracker toy soldiers.
The History Of Nutcrackers
A nutcracker is a device for cracking nuts. It works on the principle of moments derived from Archimedes' discovery of the lever.
Nutcrackers as wood carvings of a soldier, knight, king, or other profession have been known since at least the 15th century. These nutcrackers are carvings of a person with a big mouth that is opened by pressing a lever in the back of the figurine. Originally one could insert a nut in the big-toothed mouth, press down and thereby crack the nut. Modern nutcrackers in this style are mostly for decoration.
The carving of nutcrackers as well as religious figures and cribs developed as a cottage industry in forested rural areas of Germany. The most famous nutcracker carvings come from Sonneberg, Thuringia, also a center of doll making, and from the Ore Mountains. Wood carving was usually the only income for the people living there. Today their income is supplemented by the travel industry bringing visitors to the remote areas.
Nutcrackers have become popular in the United States as well and a recreated "Bavarian village" of Leavenworth, Washington even features a Nutcracker Museum. Many other materials were used for the decorated nutcrackers, such as porcelain, silver, and brass, and can be seen at the museum.
Carvings by famous names like Jungbanel, Mertens, Karl, Kolbe, Petersen, Ulbricht and especially the Steinbach nutcrackers have become collectors' items. Select this link to view our wooden nutcracker ornaments.