For most people, Christmas nutcrackers that look like little toy soldiers bring visions of sugarplum fairies, and first trips to the ballet come to mind. 

But the Nutcracker, with its rich and fascinating history, actually originated from the Ore Mountains in Germany. The first wooden version appeared in the 17th Century, marking the beginning of a tradition that has endured for centuries.

In German tradition, they are symbols of good luck and are supposed to frighten away malevolent spirits. One popular origin myth holds that a wealthy but lonely farmer who found the process of cracking nuts detrimental to his productivity (efficiency even pervades German folklore!) offered a reward to whoever could come up with the best solution. Each villager drew on his own professional expertise—a carpenter advocating sawing them open, a soldier shooting the suckers. But the puppetmaker won the day, building a strong-jawed, lever-mouthed doll.

They became popular in the United States after the Second World War when American soldiers returning from Germany found them in Christmas markets and brought many of them back as souvenirs.

Further popularization came from Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker, which features a nutcracker that comes to life and leads a young girl on a magical adventure. This ballet, an adaptation of a story from 1816 called The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, was introduced to America in the 1950s and became a favorite Holiday tradition across the United States. It helped make Nutcracker dolls a seasonal icon across Western culture.

While nearly all nutcrackers from before the first half of the 20th Century are functional, a significant proportion of modern nutcrackers are primarily decorative and unable to crack nuts. However, these modern nutcrackers, with their artistic design and decorative appeal, have become famous for enhancing holiday displays and collections with their unique charm.