The Nutcracker in Department 56 Village Displays: Trivia, Trivia, Trivia!

I've been waiting all year to write a blog about the Nutcracker.  I knew I wanted to feature Department 56 buildings and accessories in the blog, and I wanted to tickle everyone's memories about this wonderful Christmas tradition.  Therefore, I have decided to present a Nutcracker Christmas  trivia quiz!  

Dept. 56, Snow Village,
"Nutcracker Playhouse," 808944

Question #1:  Who wrote the score of the Nutcracker, and who choreographed the original ballet?  


((The first is easy.  Almost everyone knows that the great Russian composer Tchaikovsky wrote the piece.  However, there is no certainty over who first provided the choreography.  The renowned and prolific French choreographer Marius Petipa probably started the work, and when he was unable to continue due to ill health, his assistant Lev Ivanov may have taken over.  Though their artistic styles were quite different, the Nutcracker’s style shows consistency, probably due to Petipa providing to Ivanov very detailed instructions.))

Dept. 56, North Pole Village,
"Nutcracker Delivery," #56842

Question #2:  What is the name of Clara’s mischievous brother who broke her nutcracker?

((The brother's name is Fritz.))

Dept. 56, Alpine Village,
"Nutcracker Vendor and Cart," #56183

Question #3:   Who is killed in the Nutcracker?  

((The Mouse King!  The mice and the soldiers are involved in a battle in front of the Christmas tree, and the Mouse King and the Nutcracker face off.  When Clara sees the Nutcracker is in danger, she flings her slipper at the Mouse King, killing him!))

Dept. 56, North Pole Village,
"Hand Carved Nutcracker Factory," #56753

Question #4:  What is the name of the mysterious toymaker who makes the Nutcracker and presents it to Clara?  

((Herr Drosselmeyer.))

Dept. 56, Snow Village,
"Nutcracker Ballerinas," #808953

Question #5:  When and where was the Nutcracker Ballet first performed? 

((In St. Petersburg at the Marlinsky Theater on Dec. 18, 1892.))

Dept. 56, Alpine Village,
"Nussknacker Werkstatt," #56217

Question #6:  Was the Nutcracker an immediate success?

((No, the original production was reviled by critics and newspapers.  The composer died of cholera less a year later, before the Nutcracker became an international triumph.))

Dept. 56, Alpine Village,
"Nikolausfiguren," #56223

Question #7:  What are some of the national dances included in the Nutcracker? 

 

((Spanish, Indian, Arabian, and Chinese dances are all included.  One of the most popular is the Russian Cossack dance called the “Trepak.”))

Dept. 56, Snowbabies,
"Christmas Nutcracker,"  #60029E

Question #8:  What musical instrument was first featured in Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker?

((The “celesta” was used for the first time in the Nutcracker.  The celesta is a keyboard instrument which produces a sound reminiscent of bells.  It is said that Tchaikovsky smuggled the instrument out of France and into Russia to prevent other composers from using it first!))

Dept. 56, Alpine Village,
"Christmas Market, Nutcracker Market Booth," #4017898

Question #9:  When was the Nutcracker first performed in the U.S.?

((In 1944 by the San Francisco Opera Ballet under the direction of William Christensen.))

Dept. 56, North Pole Village,
"The Little Ballerina," #799953

Question #10:  What did Tchaikovsky think of his Nutcracker Ballet?  

((Tchaikovsky believed the Nutcracker’s music was “infinitely poorer” than his Sleeping Beauty, which was finished two years earlier.))

2008 United States Postal Service Stamps,
featuring Nutcrackers based on carvings
by Glenn Crider of Richmond, VA 

Question #11:  When were U.S. Nutcracker stamps first issued?  

((The United States Postal Service issued four Nutcracker stamps, based on carving by Glenn Crider of Richmond, VA, in 2008.))