There are subsequent confrontations between the mice and the Nutcracker and Marie. We learn that the Nutcracker is a cursed prince, trapped in a misshapen form because his uncle created the traps that first killed the children of the Queen of the Mice. He was betrayed by the princess whom he strove to save from another curse issued Queen of Mice.
The princess declares him too ugly to marry and banishes him. Marie ultimately learns this story and vows to love and marry him despite his form. This breaks the curse and he transformed into a prince who whisks Marie away to the Doll Kingdom where she is eventually crowned as Queen.
At first glance, this story doesn't seem to really tie into the Christmas season other than its setting. But there are elements that seem to suggest a stronger connection. At its core, this is a story of the triumph of good, of acceptance, and goodwill.
The celebration of Christmas also contains these elements in the story of the Nativity: Christ is born in adverse conditions—it is a triumph in the face of the corruption and malevolence. The role of the Steinbach family in contributing to the rising popularity of nutcrackers can not be overemphasized. The first nutcrackers, created mainly in the Erzgebirge, depicted images of kings, military officers, and other prominent members of the upper classes.
Herr Steinbach, in his own unique way, altered this tradition and raised the nutcrackers to a different level.
The subjects of the nutcrackers were expanded to depict characters from German folklore and legend. Introducing nutcrackers representing characters from different areas of the globe was another Steinbach innovation.
The first limited edition nutcracker piece was King Ludwig II, which was limited to pieces. The idea of a limited nutcracker produced an overwhelming response because it contributed to the collectability of the nutcrackers and greatly increased their value. When Herr Steinbach crossed the Atlantic, he visited many collector shows and spoke to both existing collectors and those who were interested in starting a collection. His animated personality and sincere interest in each and every collector created instant electricity between the two.
His individual treatment of each nutcracker collector combined with the superb quality of the pieces, helped create a uniquely collectible product which has survived the test of time. The concept took hold and has expanded with collectors clubs, more limited editions and you, the collector who appreciates the beauty, quality and sense of exciting tradition that accompanies each individual nutcracker.
For most of two centuries the Steinbach family has been producing fine wood products. Karla Steinbach, who is Vice President, is being groomed to become the sixth generation to head the company after her father retires. The mettle of the family is evidenced in the quote: "If one does not work hard to earn the heritage, one will perish in the end or at best hold the stirrups for those who are on their way up.
At one time the curing and natural drying to the wood could take up to years depending upon the piece. The Cutting. Each villager drew on his own professional expertise—a carpenter advocating sawing them open, a soldier shooting the suckers. But it was the puppetmaker—a profession that seems to loom large in European tall tales —who won the day, building a strong-jawed, lever-mouthed doll.
German homes didn't typically have more than one of the dolls, and so, during rough economic times in the early 19 th century, the region's toymakers took to the roads, selling their stuff elsewhere—Russia, Poland, Norway.
Demand increased, and by the s, nutcrackers among other wooden toys had begun to be produced commercially in factories. Nutcrackers got what would turn out to be their biggest boost when Peter Tchaikovsky adapted an E. A Hoffman Christmas story called The Nutcracker and the Mouse King for the—eventually—famous and wildly successful ballet, first performed in The ballet wasn't immediately a hit though parts of its score were , so for years after its debut the German version of the nutcracker featured therein remained largely a regional phenomonen.
In fact, the most popular nutcrackers at the time of the First World War were probably wood-carved human and animal heads made in the Groden Valley of Northern Italy. The Nutcracker wasn't widely performed until the mid th century, when it became a distinctly American hit.
The war also played an important role in introducing Americans to the German way of cracking nuts, according to Arlene Wagner, who curates the Leavenworth Nutcracker museum. American G. Though there's something ancient and primal about the urge to display your felled enemy in some form or another, the popularity of these figurines probably had more to do with their charming woodwork, their bright colors, and the strength of the dollar than old-fashioned triumphalism.
Gift-hunting GIs helped keep the nutcracker-makers in business. When Germany splintered into East and West, the Erzgebirge region was behind the wall. Few in the East could afford to buy nutcrackers themselves, so East German woodworkers exported their goods to West Germany and its ready market of American soldiers.
But the mass-produced Eastern nutcrackers soon became less carefully manufactured, and the same designs—which had to be approved by the government—were used over and over. July 1, Share on facebook. Share on twitter. Share on linkedin.
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