Here a nussknacker, there a nussknacker, everywhere a nussknacker

As the countdown to Christmas continues, thought I share some Nussknacker factoids. I mean, they’re a Christmas tradition in Germany.

Beautifully crafted wooden nutcracker figures that crack nuts in their jaws have existed since at least the 16th century, when artisans in Switzerland, France, Germany, England, and northern Italy carved them in a variety of animal and human forms. By the mid-1700s, they had become a common product of the Erzgebirge region of eastern Germany and Bohemia, an area famous for toy making, and were sold at the Dresden Christmas fair (yes, I can confirm this occurs even today).



The nutcracker made his first significant appearance in Nussknacker und Mausekönig (Nutcracker and Mouse King), a supernatural tale written by the German author and composer E.T.A. Hoffmann in 1816. The original story was a bit more sinister than Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite. Both stories, however, center around the nutcracker hero, a prince-like figure who fends off an invading army of mice on Christmas Eve.



At the time the story was originally penned, the nutcracker was a toy given to German children of well-to-do families. Wooden nutcrackers shaped like soldiers, kings, and other figures of authority were especially popular gifts at Christmas.



In the first dictionary of High German, compiled by the Brothers Grimm in the 19th century, the nussknacker is defined as a tool “often in the form of a misshaped little man, in whose mouth the nut, by means of a lever or screw, is cracked open.”

The nutcracker did not always play the role of good-hearted prince or soldier. It was often given grotesque features and the long robe of a monk, a policeman’s uniform, or even the piked helmet and mustache of the Kaiser. By the end of the 19th century, most nutcrackers in toy catalogues were clearly caricatures of contemporary authorities. What started out as a practical tool became a medium for social commentary.

The village of Seiffen (Saxony) remains the heart of nutcracker production today in Germany. More than 75% of all nutcrackers created in the region find their way to the American market.