Nutcracker Museum

When referring to the wooden toy soldier nutcrackers so popular at Christmas time, and someone asks “What is the original nutcracker?”, I always direct them to the Füchtner  display.  Now in their 7^th generation, this family is still following the design of Wilhelm Friedrich Füchtner, known as the “Father of the Nutcracker”.  The traditional Füchtner King, in either red or blue, no doubt has the record of the most sold in nutcracker history.  And now, the Füchtner family is painting a fourteen inch king in Seahawks colors especially for the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum gift store.  These will be available soon, so have one saved for you as the supply will be limited.  Priced at $165.00, you will be delighted to show one of these to the Seahawk fans in your circle of friends.

The nutcracker chosen by the Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce for their Woody Goomsba promotions was produced at the Richard Glaesser workshops in Seiffen. Now that factory is producing it for the Nutcracker Museum gift store with a Leavenworth shield, making it a perfect souvenir for this Bavarian Village.  The nutcrackers will be arriving soon and will be in two sizes, ten and fourteen inches.  We will announce on our website and online store when it arrives and is available for purchase.

The Seiffener Volkskunst workshops decorated one of their nutcrackers especially for the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum with a traditional Bavarian “lebkuchenhersen”, the name for the heart-shaped gingerbread cookies which are a staple in German celebrations such as Oktoberfest or Christmas. These cookies are a little harder than most, and are decorated with designs or lettering with endearing or humorous messages, can be made to be as large as dinner plates, and many times they are on a string to be worn as a necklace.  This ten inch nutcracker, with shield decorated as a lebkuchehersen, is a popular item in the Museum store at the special price of $69.00. 

Helfried Heidenreich of Seiffen, is well known for his line of miniature five inch nutcrackers, many of which have been on display in the museum for many years.  Visiting him in March, he agreed to do two special nutcrackers for the Museum gift store---one as a souvenir for Leavenworth, and the other made especially for the museum.  These are now in stock and priced at $33.50 each.  A true German nutcracker small enough to tuck in your travel bag for your flight home!

The Nutcracker Museum in cooperation with the Christian Ulbricht workshop produced a soft cover book “The Nutcracker Lady’s Introduction to Nutcrackers” which gives an immense about of information for the nutcracker collector.   They also made for us a Wooden Toy Soldier, and the book shows many pictures taken of its production, from designer’s inception to finished product.  And to the delight of many, this nutcracker actually is strong enough to crack nuts!  Priced at $188.00 in-store or $215.00 with shipping and handling, this nutcracker is sold with the book included in the price.   

Arlene Wagner, The Nutcracker Lady

Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum
Email: curator@nutcrackermuseum.com