We are told that the story of the nutcracker is as follows: People in the Erzgebirge(mountains in southeast Germany) started carving them during the long hard winter months. They didn't like their king very much and carved his likeness to make fun of him. They were never intended to crack nuts. They carved other things too, to pass the time and make extra money in the winter.
This nutcracker is 2.5" tall.
A nice present for a fan of that ballet. It comes suspended from a bright red ribbon.