Iconic - Nutcracker

Welcome to the first post in the Iconic Series, where we look at how symbols of the Christmas season were born. Everyone has their favorite icons, but few people know why we hunt for pickles or wait for Santa Claus and decorate with poinsettias. Sure there are a few obvious things, like Manger scenes, but most are traditional, and their meanings are lost. In this set of articles, we will look back into the history of some of the most beloved Christmas symbols. So join us and get to know your favorite icons better.

Nutcrackers
Nutcrackers and Christmas haven't been around as long as you might think and far longer than you guessed. Confusing, isn't it? It took time and a little help for the traditional wood nutcracker to become popular at Christmas. However, the nutcracker has a long and exciting history that starts in the early days of humanity.

Nuts have been a staple of the human diet throughout history. Nutcrackers were an integral part of every household since nuts were an essential food in all homes. Manmade nutcrackers have been around since the 3rd century B.C., with carved wood ones dating as early as the 15th century. Most of these nutcrackers used a simple hinge method to crack nuts. The design of the nutcracker ranged widely from two simple pieces of wood with a strap to animal and people figures. The screw nutcracker offered a different way to open nuts and ranged from simple to decorative in style. Unfortunately, thanks to automated

Erzgebirge Region of Germany 1830
The wooden nutcracker figurine popular at Christmas came from Germany in the 1800s. In the Ore Mountains area of Germany, people settled the area for mining, and in the long winters, they often carved items from the local wood to sell. One of the items the villagers made was nutcrackers that stood upright and looked like soldiers, kings, and more. While these nutcrackers were not a new idea, they had a very different look and style from other wood nutcrackers of the time. In addition, the toys, candlesticks, and other wood objects made by the carvers may have influenced the nutcrackers' new design. But why were these nutcrackers shaped like people?

Folklore
There are several references to nutcrackers in German lore. The two most interesting that seem to relate to our story include the mention of nutcrackers in a Brothers Grimm story and a folktale about a puppet maker. In "Deutsche Mythologie," Jacob Grimm described how wooden nutcrackers were protective figures that could ward off spirits by baring their teeth. They were also considered good luck. So it is easy to see why a figural nutcracker would be sought after.

The folktale relays a story where a wealthy farmer found it took too long to crack nuts and offered a reward to whoever could come up with a better idea. A carpenter suggested sawing the nuts open, and a soldier said to shoot them. The prize-winning idea came from a puppet maker who built a strong-jawed, lever-mouth doll. It sounds like our Christmas nutcracker enjoys a long heritage of popularity in Germany. But how did it get connected to Christmas?

The Ballet
It all started with a story. A flight of fantasy written by E.T.A. Hoffman in 1816 about a nutcracker that came to life, fought the mouse king and whisked his lady away to a fantastical world filled with dolls. Sound familiar? "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" was adapted by French author Alexandre Dumas (of "The Three Muskateers" fame) in 1844. This led to the director of the Russian Imperial Theatres, Ivan Vsevolozhsky, commissioning a ballet from this story. The choreographers Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov worked with Pyotr Tchaikovsky to develop the music, script, and dance. The Nutcracker Ballet opened in 1892 in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and was unsuccessful. However, the music was an instant hit and remained one of the composers' most known works.

 

Various other productions were staged in Russia, changing some of the scripts to be more successful. The first performance of The Nutcracker Ballet outside of Russia occurred in England in 1934. Subsequent annual performances of the ballet began in 1952. The first complete production of The Nutcracker Ballet in America was in San Francisco in December of 1944. The ballet was a smashing success and has been performed annually ever since. However, it wasn't until The Nutcracker Ballet debuted in New York City in 1954 that the humble wood carved nutcracker became associated with the Christmas season. So how did Americans get German nutcrackers?

 

GI Joe
In 1870 an Ore Mountain carver, Friedrich Wilhelm Futchner, created the iconic nutcracker on a lathe, allowing for mass production of nutcrackers. So woodcarvers were able to produce nutcrackers quickly compared to the previous method. Futchners' nutcracker style became very popular in Germany, and many carvers began making similar-looking nutcrackers.

 

 World War II helped introduce Americans to German wood-carved nutcrackers. Soldiers stationed in West Germany would send the nutcrackers dolls home to loved ones as gifts. The charming woodwork and bright colors attracted them. American consumers loved the nutcrackers and started collecting them. German companies designed new styles of nutcrackers, trying to tap into the American market, thus the wide variety of styles we have today. Unfortunately, a booming American market has led to cheap imitations and knock-offs galore, as everyone wants a piece of the action. With an $8 billion a year Christmas decoration industry, who could blame anyone for wanting to get in the game? Not me, that for sure! 

Why We Love Nutcrackers
Nutcrackers are best known for The Nutcracker Ballet, and today most people fall in love with their whimsical nature. The massive number of choices offers people a chance to find a kindred spirit in their nutcracker. Long gone are the days of just kings and soldiers. Now we can choose from chefs, hunters, leprechauns, Santa, wizards, etc. Collectible nutcrackers come in traditional German styles from hallowed German designers to pop culture favorites and specially designed themes from teams like Hollywood Nutcrackers.

Americans have celebrated Christmas with the iconic nutcracker for almost 70 years, but they have been around for 150 years. So now you understand why we said they hadn't been around for very long at Christmas but were available much longer than you think. Do you have a nutcracker or two (or lots more)? Tell us about your nutcrackers and why you love them in a comment. We hope you enjoyed learning more about nutcrackers and their connection to Christmas. Next in our series is the cardinal. Care to make any guesses about why the cardinal is iconic to the holiday season?

Still want to know more about nutcrackers, The Nutcracker ballet, and the connections to Christmas? Here are a few resources:

The Nutcracker Museum, History of the Nutcracker

DW.com, A Brief History of the Nutcracker

Slate, In a Nutshell, a Brief History of Nutcrackers

Wikipedia, Nutcrackers

Wikipedia, The Nutcracker Ballet