The Nutcracker Suite Miniature Ornaments Set
are 2.5 tall. These Christmas Ornament Sets include Clara, Heir Drosselmeir, The Mouse King, The Prince an Arabesque Ballerina, Oriental Dancer, Sugar Plum Fairy and a Russian Dancer. Clara is wearing a white Tutu with ruffled pantaloons and red bows, red toe shoes that lace over her ankles and a red bow in her hair. Clara is holding her Nutcracker Prince. Heir Drosselmeir is wearing a black top hat, red jacket over a beige shirt with a white cravat, black trousers with long white socks and black slip on shoes and he is holding a small nutcracker prince. The Mouse King Nutcracker Ornaments are wearing a gold crown with a red cap in the center and white fur like cuff. His uniform jacket is white with gold epaulettes and gold decorations down the front, black belt, red trousers and black boots with gold buckles. He is holding a silver sword in his hand. The Prince is wearing a gold crown with red cap, red jacket with white and gold down the front, black belt, white trousers with red stripes down the sides and black boots with gold cuffs. He is holding a silver sword in his hand. The Arabesque Dancer is wearing a dark gold top and pants with a gold and red crown on her head. The Oriental Dancer is wearing a long sleeved oriental shirt with gold frog buttons, black pants and black ballet shoes. The Sugar Plum Fairy is wearing a white sugar plum ballet costume with a pink tutu, white stockings and pink ballet slippers. Select to see a complete listing of our Christmas Decorations Ideas.

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 Wooden Nutcrackers Soldiers.
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 Christmas Nutcrackers Village People.
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.