Standing tall and dapper, attired in their finest military raiment—sartorial elegance in velvet and gold—nothing shouts “Christmas!” quite like giant toy soldiers standing at attention in front of decked-out homes or stores overflowing with holiday wares. They have become one of the iconic motifs of Yuletide festivities. Often referred to as nutcracker dolls or Christmas nutcrackers, their legacy goes back centuries. As we leaf through cherished Christmas tales this coming holiday season, let’s delve into the past and shine a light on Christmas toy soldiers and nutcrackers.
A Brief History of Giant Toy Soldiers
To get acquainted with our Christmas toy soldiers, we must first touch upon the origins of the nutcracker as a tool. Fashioned from durable materials like metal with the express purpose of cracking open hard-shelled nuts, these kitchen implements have been around for centuries. In fact, the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum in Washington State boasts a bronze nutcracking tool that was buried for over 1,800 years before being found in 1960. The museum also has an impressive collection of wooden nutcrackers that were made in the 15th century in France and England.
Between the late 1600s and early 1700s, in the mountainous region of Erzgebirge, Germany, wooden nutcrackers took on the shapes of soldiers and public figures. Many craftsmen fashioned their nutcrackers after unpopular royalty. The terse expression the nutcrackers wore was a silent protest of sorts by the populace against somewhat less-than-benevolent authorities.
Soon the life-imitating, tyrant-mocking German nutcrackers gained popularity by becoming part of home decor. A century later, a German woodworker by the name of Wilhelm Friedrich Füchtner (who later came to be known as the father of the nutcracker) became the first to use a lathe to mass-produce nutcrackers. As described by the German Weihnachts (“Christmas”) Museum in the historic town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Füchtner’s nutcrackers showcased in the Erzgebirge exhibit have a “clear basic shape and characteristic painting in red and yellow or blue and orange.” As it turns out, Fuchtner’s design was inspired by a character in the children’s book King Nutcracker and Poor Reinhold.
Which Brings Us to the Most Famous Christmas Soldier of All
In 1892, Tchaikovsky’s fairy tale ballet, The Nutcracker, gave center stage to the doll of humble origins. Based on a short story titled “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” by E.T.A. Hoffman, Tchaikovsky’s magnum opus tells the tale of young Clara who battles the evil Mouse King. Clara is assisted by a gallant nutcracker who comes to life on Christmas Eve.
If you have the time to spare, here is the full performance of The Nutcracker by the New York City Ballet.
And with that rich introduction, we finally meet our intrepid holiday-themed giant toy soldiers. Order one of our festive martial figures with batons this Christmas—or why not a whole regiment?!—as larger-than-life custodians of the holiday season. Towering at 16 feet, these fiberglass Christmas toy soldiers are perfect for outdoor displays and expansive indoor spaces. Prefer something closer to reality? A pair of our six-foot-tall life-size toy soldiers with trumpets will usher in the cheer factor like nobody’s business. If you exercise your imagination, you may even get the fanfare sound effects!
