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By
Julian H. Betancourt |
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KURT S. ADLER : HOLIDAY MEMORIES
FOR MILLIONS
Since the
start of their successful business back in 1946 and
after changing direction from exporting to
importing, Kurt S. Adler, Inc. has been greatly
associated with Christmas, not only in our country
but worldwide as well. In the 1950's Christmas
ornaments were first offered by the company, finding
a welcoming audience in America. The rest is Holiday
history.
Kurt
S Adler and the Santa's World brand's dominant position
is the result of a unique mixture of quality, creativity
and service that translates into a valuable source for
all Holiday needs, offering a wide range of items
including ornaments, stockings, advent calendars,
wreaths, candles, decorative boxes, garlands
candleholders, ceiling/wall decor, light sets,
nativities, musicals, snow globes, stockings and
stocking stuffers/hangers, and more. The company's
increasing success, with products from some 200
factories in 15 countries, is in great part powered by
the gathering of talented designers and iconic licenses.
They are also responsible for injecting a European
flavor and sense of fashion into the warmth of the
American Holidays.
However,
it wasn't until more recently that this leading
designer opened its marketing doors even wider by
establishing a solid relationship with Lucasfilm and
introducing a product Line that is nothing short of a
fantastic crossover between fiction and
reality, incorporating into the Christmas and Holidays
decor the flavor of Star Wars characters. Such union
has captured the attention of Seasonal collectors and
Star Wars fans alike offering a Product Line that has
quickly gained best seller status worldwide.
Lucas' licensed merchandise takes another giant leap ahead thanks to this union that utilizes Kurt S Adler's strong presence in the marketplace and their broad range of retailers from mass merchants to fine specialty shops and everyone in-between, to bring Star Wars into maximum exposure. With wholesale showrooms and trade shows in the U. S. and Canada as well as offices in Taiwan, China and Hong Kong, Star Wars and the Holidays have found in Kurt S. Adler the perfect place for a memorable fusion of quality collectibles. Kurt S. Adler's Star Wars line offers a wide range of merchandise that includes porcelain ornaments, Polish precision cut Polonaise Heirloom Eggs, five-pack mini ornaments, vinyl and felt stockings with plush character heads, snow globes, Fabriche and Limited Edition world re known Steinbach nutcrackers. This exclusive Line of Steinbach Star Wars nutcrackers will be the focus of this Guide.
NUTCRACKERS: HISTORY OF A POPULAR IMPLEMENT Ever since the beginning of time, nuts have been an important part of our food supply and over the years, man has come up with ingenious ways to open the shells. A look into the evolution of the nutcracker, its shape, functionality and style is indeed a study of history itself reflecting innovations and cultural values of their times. Its evolution has depended on many factors dealing from the availability of materials to advances in production techniques, consumer demand and changes in the nuts themselves. To pay tribute to those earlier nutcrackers and their designers, let's take a quick trip back in nutcracker history up to its most recent development. We'll site the most significant aspects in numerical order: 1- Excavations of early civilizations in the U. S and Europe, dating as far back as the Archaic Period about 8,000 years ago, have shown that pitted stones were used to open nutshells that most likely were too hard for the teeth of these nomadic people to crack. 2 - It has been established that Greek philosopher Aristoteles possessed a nutcracker with a lever-age around 330 B.C.
3 - The existence of wooden nutcrackers dates way back to about 41/2 centuries ago. These were just two pieces of wood placed together with a metal hinge or leather strap. Wood carvers in France and England used boxwood and were creating wooden nutcrackers during the 15th and 16th centuries. 4 - Familiar looking nutcrackers in the form of wooden carvings of a knight, king or other profession were first made during the 15th century. These nutcrackers portrayed a person with a large mouth which opens by lifting a lever in the back of the figurine. One could insert a nut in the big-toothed mouth, press down and thereby crack the nut. 5 - During the 18th and 19th centuries countries such as Austria, Switzerland and Italy were making a variety of carved wood nutcrackers shaped as humans and animals.
6 - Some regions of Germany first showed standing wooden nutcrackers in the shape of soldiers and kings by 1800 and in 1830 the term Nussknacker was added to their dictionary, described as "misshaped little man, in whose mouth the nut, by means of a lever or screw, is cracked open.” 7 - The first commercial production of nutcrackers took place in 1872 in Germany by Wilhelm Füchtner known as the "father of the nutcracker" using a special tool to create a large number of the same design. He produced what became the prototype for many nutcrackers to come, what is known as the Erz Mountains nutcracker. 8 - During the Victorian era (1837-1901) nutcrackers became part of the Christmas tradition when children began to receive smaller versions of them in there Xmas stockings. 9 - The introduction of nutcrackers in the United States began in the 1950's. Many of the GI's who were in Germany during World War II discovered a sturdy and intriguing companion in the nutcracker as a messenger of good luck. When they returned home after the war, the new comrade accompanied them.
KURT S. ADLER: STEINBACH AND THE MAKING OF A NUTCRACKER
After a
30 year religious war fought in the heart of medieval
Germany piety and folk art mixed and “Rauchermen”,
a carving technique better known as woodturning was
born. Woodturning requires a special tool called a Lathe
which carves wood while the wood is turned, providing a
rounding effect.
Christian
and Germanic customs together with superstition made
people believe that the evil spirits of the “Raunaechte”
(longest nights of the year) could be driven away by
noise.
Over the
years all kinds and types of Rauchermen were designed,
including nutcrackers.
In legend,
the Nutcracker possessed miraculous powers, bringing
good fortune and protection from evil spirits. The more
elaborate their decorations, the stronger their powers.
The
Steinbach family, originally from Austria, moved to the
German mining Erzgebirge region in the 16th century.
When the metal supply dwindled, the region turned to
woodworking and nutcracker making. Steinbach has been
manufacturing German folk art for 6
generations, perfecting this medieval art and craft of
creating Rauchermen wood hand carvings in the most
interesting detail, earning a worldwide reputation as
the leading producer of collectible nutcrackers. Its
developer, Herr Christian Steinbach - King of Steinbach
Nutcrackers.
Steinbach's artists constantly dig into German history and pop culture to come up with new designs. Once a given design has been decided on, close cooperation with the production team gets worked out on its details. Every Steinbach nutcracker is made of numerous parts and pieces that are separately designed but fit perfectly together in the end. There's no room for sloppy work as one mishap could ruin the entire process. Once the design has been approved, specially selected woods left to curl and dry for up to 4 years, are cut and milled into dowels and boards in a variety of sizes. The rough wood is then turned into smooth shapes by the experienced hands of skilled master craftsmen and carvers, including the set up of the appropriate powered machinery for some of the smallest pieces to give special details. Using a unique selection of colors, blends and shading typical of the Steinbach style, larger wood pieces get spray painted. Once dried, holes are drilled into these larger pieces, rough areas are sanded off, pieces are put together and the tedious work of hand painting the details begins by expert artists, shaping what once was a plain piece of wood into a proud art creation.
KURT S. ADLER : STEINBACH NUTCRACKERS and STAR WARS Ushered in during the 1980's and 1990's, it has been an important part of Kurt S. Adler's merchandise to include an immense variety of Nutcrackers. The accelerated speed of product development that continued after the millennium and the welcoming reaction of mixed media ornaments by the public have given way for famous legends to become Nutcracker collectibles. Therefore, Star Wars characters were practically an obvious choice to get "nutcracked." Following this marketplace development and since 2005, Kurt S. Adler and Lucasfilm in association with world famous German-based nutcracker maker Steinbach began to offer a Series of Limited Edition Star Wars exclusive nutcracker ornaments that exhibit all the quality and attention to detail expected of its producers. Although expensive, having a MSRP that can go as high as almost $400.00, they are unique and treasured collectibles that are sure to be handed down to future generations to come. Here are the Limited Edition Steinbach Nutcrackers making up the Series: DARTH VADER: On July of 2005 Kurt S. Adler introduced their first Limited Edition Star Wars Nutcracker. Offered in conjunction with the movie theater release of Star Wars: Episode III, Revenge of the Sith, the handcrafted limited edition nutcracker was none other than the Sith Lord himself, Darth Vader.
The
edition size was made of 7,500 pieces worldwide and sold out
considerably fast. Perfect stitching was given to Vader's
ribbed trousers, girdle and boots which were made from
leather. The chest plate, system function indicator, primary
function box and belt clasp are made of separate wooden
pieces and hand painted in the appropriate colors. The
ominous black cape is made of a highly reflective vinyl-like
material on the outside and satin on the inside. It is
attached to the shoulders by silver pins disguised under the
shiny helmet. Vader is posed holding his red lightsaber
downwards in his right hand while Steinbach's name tag hangs
from his left hand. The nutcracker is placed on a
color-coordinated black base that features a gold name plate
with black letters that read: STAR WARS, DARTH VADER.
Serving
mostly as decoration, the nutcracker was made fully
functional. Its hidden mechanism could be found by lifting
the cape and exposing the moveable black lever on his back
that made Vader's chest area (between the lower part of the
helmet and chest plate) open and close allowing for nuts to
be cracked.
Measurements:
Despite the 18.5" height printed on the box the Darth
Vader Nutcracker measures approximately 17" in height x
6" in width x 4" in depth. The diameter of the base is 4
3/4" Found under the base is the Lucasfilm stamp, Steinbach
seal and numbered edition size.
Suggested Retail Price:
$399.95
MASTER YODA:
As with a great number of
Steinbach nutcrackers, Yoda was handcrafted and hand
painted in Hohenhameln, Germany where Plant
I, their main
factory is located. Following
on the footsteps of its
predecessor in the Series, the Yoda nutcracker
edition size was limited to 7, 500 pieces worldwide and
became a great seller among collectors of the genre.
Yoda is presented draped in his robe, leaning on his walking stick that features spiral-like carvings and which he holds in his right hand while Steinbach's name tag hangs from his left one. The robe is made of a strong weave-like tan fabric on the outside and a flannel-like fabric on the inside. The garment was secured to the nutcracker's body using two golden pins placed on each side of the chest almost at shoulder level. Yoda's white hair is made of long strands attached to a strap of synthetic material then glued to the lower back of his head. The eyes are separate pieces made of translucent plastic showing a some shine. Proper shades of green with a hint of yellow were given to the exposed skin areas such as the head, hands and feet. Yoda's pants are painted in an almost brown color contrasting with the lighter color of his waistband. Yoda's feet are interestingly carved exposing a set of three toes each.The nutcracker is placed on a color-coordinated tan base that features a gold name plate with black letters that read: STAR WARS, YODA.
While
meant as a decorative piece the nutcracker was made fully
functional. Its hidden mechanism could be found by lifting
the robe and exposing the moveable green lever on Yoda's
back that made his chest area (from end of chin to
waistband) open and close allowing for nuts to be cracked.
Measurements:
Despite the 10.5" height printed on the box
the Yoda Nutcracker measures approximately 9.5" in
height x 7" in width (from tip of ear to tip of ear) x
4" in depth. The diameter of the base is 4" Found under
the base is the Lucasfilm stamp, Steinbach seal and
numbered edition size.
Suggested Retail
Price: $290.00
Link of interest: http://www.kurtadler.com
KURT S. ADLER: FINAL THOUGHT We are sad to hear that Herr Christian Steinbach passed away on February of 2007. His work and that of his family was/is an admirable one. Karla Steinbach, his daughter, heads the company now and overseas product development and the manufacturing process.
Made of over 5000 pieces, it is here in our own backyard that the largest collection of Steinbach nutcrackers in the world can be found, owned by Claudia Davis from Hayden Lake, Idaho. Her love for nutcrackers is shared by thousands of other people worldwide and many collectors clubs have been created in Europe, Japan and the United States to gather folks immersed into this hobby. Steinbach Nutcrackers vary greatly in price, anywhere from $100 to over $1000, depending on specific collectible factor and availability. Significant trendy innovations in nutcracker collectibles originated with Steinbach. Here are some of them:
If you haven't taken a collectible Steinbach nutcracker home yet, one day perhaps your interest will drive you there and a new passion of collecting such figurines will have started. Rest assure you will not be alone. These are not a simple tool. As the old German legend has it, these are wrathful and bulky but still friendly looking kind companions, venerable and respectable figures representing power and strength and serving as fierce protectors, warding off evil from their owners. Kurt S. Adler's inclusion of Star Wars into their whimsical and exclusive variety of Steinbach nutcrackers and Christmas decor, has made it possible for this very popular Holiday art form to take shape and dress in the style of the characters from that far, far away Galaxy, helping crack open the shells of cultural barriers, uniting and attracting an international community by what seems to be the hidden love within the wooden heart of every nutcracker and the love for the films. Special thanks to: - My former employer, Kurt S. Adler's Santa's World in Manhattan. Thanks for the good memories. - My aunt Maria Garcia, Supervisor for Order Department, for allowing us to visit and photograph Kurt S. Adler's Santa's World showroom. - Jim AKA Jimsjedi, Sandtroopers.com staff member, for taking the pictures at Kurt S. Adler, Inc - Leavensworth Nutcracker Museum in Leavenworth, WA for some of the ancient nutcracker pictures. 
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