Dan's Papers - December 14, 2007

Nutcrackers are colorful, whimsical and said to bring good luck. Originating in Europe over 300 years ago, nutcrackers were traditional goodwill gifts given as keepsakes to protect the receiver's family from evil sprits and danger. These fantastic wooden sculptures are said to represent power and strength.

The earliest nutcrackers were simple and functional, but eventually nutcrackers evolved into beautifully carved brass and in the 15th and 16th centuries emerged as artistic, wooden, carved characters. The first wooden nutcrackers were carved into birds and other animals. Switzerland, France, Germany and England were the first countries to produce nutcrackers during the 16th and 17th centuries.

In Germany's Sonneberg and Erzgebirge regions near the Ore Mountains, many villagers worked in mines and during the winter when it was too cold to work they carved wood. The villagers were poor, worked long hours and endured many hardships especially when the fruits of their labors were taken by their superiors. Nutcrackers began to take on the faces of powerful people including kings, policeman and soldiers. The villagers loved to see these caricatures of their rulers at their service and performing the lowly task of cracking nuts. The nutcracker fast became a symbol of the region and was sold across Europe.

Soon every European holiday table setting had a bowl of nuts with a handsome doll standing next to it. Nutcrackers were part of the social setting and used as whimsical conversation pieces and played an important role during dessert course where sweet nuts like pecans and hazelnuts were served.

Nutcrackers were so popular that the Brothers Grimm included the term "nussknacker" in their first dictionary of High German in 1830 defining it as "often in the form of a misshaped little man, in whose mouth the nut, by means of a leaver or screw, is cracked open." Traditionally hand carved, in 1872 Wilhelm Füchtner, known as the "father of the nutcracker," made the first commercial production of nutcrackers using a lathe to create many of the same design.

Nutcrackers were also a popular children's toy because of the Germans coined phrase "God gives the nuts but we have to crack them ourselves" that intended to teach children that life is hard but rewarding.

Nutcrackers didn't become popular in America until the 1950s when American soldiers who had been in Germany during World War II discovered them in open air markets and fairs. They were intrigued by the little comrades and brought them home to their families.

When Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker Suite premiered in the United States in the 1950s, it ignited an even bigger passion for these sturdy little dolls. For anyone who hasn't seen it, The Nutcracker ballet is the story of a girl named Clara who receives a nutcracker doll for Christmas. Later that night she is awaken by a mice attack led by the Mouse King who tries to take her away to his kingdom. She is rescued by the Nutcracker who takes her to his sugarplum filled country. Clara wakes up the next morning with her doll and memories of her Christmas adventure.

The original 1892 production was not a success. It was popular in Russia but didn't appear outside the country until 1934 when it played in London. Since then The Nutcracker transformed into many versions, the most popular by George Balanchine performed in 1954. The growing popularity of the ballet has only increased the popularity of the nutcracker dolls.

Still need to know more about nutcrackers? There is an entire museum in Washington State dedicated to nutcrackers. The Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum exhibits over 5,000 characters from over 40 counties. Their impressive collection includes nutting stones from the Archaic period, a 2,000 year old Roman nutcracker, delicately carved 16th and 17th century figures, and brightly painted modern day creations. Perfect for every nutcracker enthusiast!