The Messed Up Origins of THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING

[@JonSolo]

Thank you all for watching this episode and making 2023 a GREAT year for the channel! Here's hoping your holidays are merry and bright! Looking forward to seeing your faces in 2024 :) 👕 Shop the Krampus Drop! 👉 meremortals.store

[@ViniFleur]

Your welcome, have good day!

[@elizabethescalante8114]

"A diabetic coma" 😂😂😂 I'll gladly join ya, Jon!!! And 9:10: JON!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 YA MADE ME CHOKE LAUGHING!!!!

[@yungxmic6680]

Merry Christmas

[@frankd4581]

Please make one of the new video of the upcoming year of 2024 on your channel be all about the British fairy tale titled Jack The Giant Killer which fun fact is the predecessor of the fairy tale Jack And The Beanstalk please

[@mecahhannah]

You're welcome thanks ❤

[@zyxw2000]

In the original story, the prince comes back when she's older. Jon says he's looking into the background, but skips parts. I recommend Maurice Sendak's book, which covers the whole Hoffman story.

[@PorcelainRequiem]

I adore that book! Sendak also made a ballet adaptation that is the most faithful to Hoffman's story.

[@RachelNichols-writer]

When I read Hoffman's story I assumed there was a long gap of time between Marie's journey to the Nutcracker's kingdom and her breaking the spell. Say 8 to 10 years. This would have made her 16 or 17 when she met him in his human form. Her mother yells at her for falling over. "A great girl like you." No longer a child of 7. This would also explain her family's irritation at her continuing to believe in talking dolls as a young adult.

[@tlgmc1908]

This sounds more likely, but weren't girls considered woman once they got their period? So a girl in those times could be a woman to them from 8-14 and probably the parents would see that as an age to be married, gross but not unexpected.

[@alara7777]

@tlgmc1908 menarche starting at 8-12 is a pretty modern phenomenon, at least in western societies. Around 1890, it was 14-18. In 1850, 16-17 was way more the norm. Extrapolating backward, by the early 1800s it likely would have been 17-19 for the average person to get their first period. Anyway, in the modern era (~1800 on) it wasn't menarche specifically that denoted a girl's readiness to marry, but more typically an age that a society agreed on; 16 to 18 was generally the usual.

[@tlgmc1908]

​@alara7777 probably rare back then but I'm sure i had read about girls marrying young in history sometimes. Honestly hard to remember all the eras so I won't say for sure until I look it up again

[@zyxw2000]

@@alara7777 It's always about age 11-13. It didn't increase over the centuries.

[@alara7777]

@zyxw2000 source pls? I'm not being a jerk, i remembered reading this and wanted to check my memory. I found a bunch of articles on pubmed that show a drastic decrease in the average age of menarche in western european girls from the ~1840s onward. (Since hoffman wrote his book in the 18teens this seemed a reasonably close time to look at). But if you have a different source, I'd genuinely be interested in looking at it!

[@alexiswelsh5821]

There are many different versions of the ballet. I’ve seen a bunch, each one adding its own spin. In the versions she’s “Clara”, she tends to be older, like a teen. If she’s “Marie”, then she’s a child. In some versions, she rapidly ages up to an adult while on her way to the Land of Sweets. Although those versions portray it as a dream sequence.

[@moonkissed5303]

The last paragraph, yes, especially Maurice Sendak's Nutcracker wherein she's a teenager. It's a ballet, yes, but it's also a coming of age tale. When she walks through the Rat King's garment castle cave she changes from child to adult.

[@zyxw2000]

Right. Tchaikovsky wrote the music, but each choreographer and set designer does their own take on the rest. They're rarely shown on TV anymore, so I catch them on YT.

[@tell-me-a-story-]

Randomly aging without noticing seemed to happen a lot for 1800’s literature. Like in “The Snow Queen.”

[@Anna-B]

The best adaptation of this is 100% the Barbie version

[@kitty2894]

100%!

[@nastaziamakri9480]

Yup

[@Musicplaylist-th2wi]

my fev.ver of the story

[@MrMrx123456789]

Agree

[@Jenkinscraftingco2.0]

Fun fact the voice of the nutcracker in the Barbie movie is also the English dub of miroku from Inuyasha and the voice of Scott Summers in X-Men evolution. Sadly he passed away in 2020

[@LRoseArts]

I think the most interesting part of the story is just how Mean the world is to the three main characters, harsh reprimands and punishments for stories or mistakes The original king and princess are cruel and shallow, the family berates Marie for just sharing a dream, the Rat king harassing Marie, The whimsy is mixed with this harsh cruelty

[@LuznoLindo]

That's original fairy tales for you.

[@kristenhanisch8508]

Also, there's some SERIOUS gaslighting! Marie even produced the seven crowns as proof and Drosselmeier said they were from his cufflinks or something (I can't remember exactly what he said they were).

[@juliabrnssr]

I remember back in Elementary school, we watch an animated version of the Nutcracker. I'm pretty amazed at how close it lines up with the original work. The main difference I remember, is when they go to the Doll Kingdom the first time, no one is there, leaving Marie all alone. Behind her she hears heavy Breathing. She turns around to find the Mouse king is still alive, but bleeding through the chest wound the Nutcracker gave him. With his dying breath he attempts to get revenge, but ends up collapsing. Here Marie wakes up, to find the nephew has arrived.

[@shelbysittig1047]

The Nutcracker Prince. By far my favorite adaptation.

[@anyathepanther7977]

Yes, i watched that one too! I rewatched it last year on KZbin and it still looks pretty.

[@MsCassidy23]

Was it the one where she tries to ward the rat king off by throwing cakes at him, but he's too furious to notice? I saw that one, too, when I was really little. It was surprisingly dark, despite not having the numerous heads and blood.

[@PinkSakuraBunnie]

I believe I've seen that one too and was also thinking wow that cartoon one I saw a few times on tv as a kid actually lines up pretty close to the original story. I liked that one a lot.

[@azadalamiq]

that adaptation is old.. sporting a don bluth style animation.

[@KeshiaMac]

"I gave your mother a similar experience." was my favorite part. Lol

[@cassiamcduffie4225]

I knew it! I had a feeling it was history between Drosselmeyer and Clara’s mother! 😂

[@supme7558]

I did your dad too ask him

[@PorcelainRequiem]

The Nutcracker Prince is a very faithful adaptation of the original story, and it even includes the Princess Pirlipat backstory. The only major differences are that the girl is Clara and her doll is Marie, and the Mouseking only has one head instead of seven. Maurice Sendak's ballet adaptation is the most accurate to Hoffman's version of the story, even down to the girl being named Marie and the Nutcracker fighting the seven headed Mouseking. (He's the one whose art is used in this video's thumbnail and his art is frequently cited in the video.)

[@elizabethescalante8114]

Ya know, Jon, there's an animated movie called The Nutcracker Prince that stays fairly faithful to Hoffmann's story. Including the Nutcracker's (Voiced by Kiefer Sutherland) backstory with Princess Pearlypant and the mouse queen (played by Phyllis Diller). It came out in the 1990's. It was a Christmas special that played on TV every year!

[@DragonSlayer1417]

Oh! Are you talking about the movie that starts off with Clara and Fritz running through the town delivering presents and visiting Drosselmeyer's shop? I loved that movie so much as a kid! I kept on renting it from the library and watching it a lot during the winter months.

[@elizabethescalante8114]

@@DragonSlayer1417 HELL YEAH!!! I did the same, even recorded it on tape back in the 90's! And now you can watch it for free here!!

[@mistingwolf]

Yes, this is my favorite version!

[@LauraPaules05]

There’s even a stop motion of the nutcracker called Nutcracker Fantasy. It’s close to the story and different.

[@elizabethescalante8114]

@@LauraPaules05 I heard that it is a lost works of Rankin Bass. Is that true?

[@PrincessDreamActress]

I love that you showed some of the illustrations from a few illustrated versions I've read/listened to. I always had a soft spot for Maurice Sendak's designs for the Nutcracker story and its ballet incarnation (I especially love how for the Arabian Coffee section of the ballet it was a peacock dance instead of the usual veil covered dancer. It's so hypnotic.). Also they interchange Clara and Marie's names for the lead in various ballet productions of The Nutcracker, one even had her named Masha instead. Some even portrayed the nephew and Marie meeting irl after the whole Land of Sweets song and dance (no pun intended) along with the nephew reuniting with Drosselmeyer. There was even a version called "Tchaikovsky by Arrangement," which was a re-telling of Hoffman's version narrated by Alan Cumming using not only some of the music from The Nutcracker ballet but other pieces by Tchaikovsky as well (some of the Act 2 ballet music was moved to chronicle Drosselmeyer's long 15 year journey to find the krakatuk nut. The story even told how he came to get the eye patch over one of his eyes and why he had a glass wig. It also had references to other stories in the first section of the story, which started with The Hard Nut before we got to the meat of it. Pirlipat also had a white beard along with her cursed looks (and as a baby had two rows of perfectly white teeth, which remained unaffected when she was cursed), and got karma in Hard Nut narrated by Alan Cumming by "reigning unhappily ever after and spending every day consulting her magic mirror and insisting on being the fairest one of all. But that is another story." And don't worry, that version made Marie older enough to marry Nathaniel Drosselmeyer aka The Nutcracker). We, as the readers, aren't told where the shoe hits, so I like that you said it hit him and made him fall on his dirty little butt; if it hit him in the head hard enough though, I bet the Mouse King would've died from blunt trauma to the head. We also get to hear Madame Mouserinks last words be her basically cursing us to die by the hand of her seven headed son before letting out a death "SQUEEEAK!" The moment the Mouse King threatens Marie with killing the nutcracker...that's blackmail, to break her spirit perhaps! I hated it when her own parents didn't believe Marie and that Fritz wasn't properly punished for breaking the nutcracker. If I were Marie/Clara, I would've just uninvited my parents to the wedding of me and my prince as payback for not believing her; And either that fate for Fritz or else someone would send him to his room as recompense for breaking the nutcracker (part of the music sometimes made me imagine him stomping about hollering or playing his trumpet). Have fun taking time off and happy holidays to you.

[@juliamavroidi8601]

I don't think Fritz needs to be punished, since he didn't break the nutcracker intentionally

[@PrincessDreamActress]

@@juliamavroidi8601 He did act a bit bratty after Marie/Clara took the nutcracker away from him by saying something along the lines of, "Hand it over, it's clear this nutcracker is no good at his job," in the book and he didn't even apologize. And he was even worse in some productions of the ballet, and in The Nuttiest Nutcracker so couldn't blame me for thinking this. Still, I understand where you're coming from since Fritz in another film version called The Nutcracker Prince had used a hard candy or marble to try to get the nutcracker to crack it and I think he did apologize for it. And he did help by giving Clara/Marie a sword for the nutcracker later on in the original story. So you made a good point, I guess him not joining Clara/Marie on her journey is punishment enough.

[@ThiccTropius]

The nutcracker prince is more than likely the most faithful adaptation of the story because it is the only one I can remember out of the adaptations I have seen that included the backstory with the princess. I only assumed it was not canon until this vid to confirm it is!

[@Zodia195]

Actually the most faithful adaptation I found (that also came out in the 90s) is Jetlag's version of it. The company created a handful of specials featuring famous stories like Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. This version is pretty much the same thing as the original, only with no blood, Louisa is missing, the family treats Marie much nicer, and I think the aged Marie and the nephew a bit because Marie definitely doesn't look like a 7 year-old (she looks like she's 11 or 12). Oh it's more comical too.

[@ThiccTropius]

@@Zodia195 I never saw it myself so I didn't know that existed!

[@bradyryan5105]

The Barbie version of Nutcracker from 2001 was pretty close to the original

[@PorcelainRequiem]

I had the book with the Maurice Sendak illustrations that he uses at times in this video (and it's the thumbnail), so I knew the backstory before I saw the movie. But I do love that movie, because it includes the backstory of Hans being cursed.

[@HavenlyCrafts]

Always so entertaining and interesting! Loved the subtle "your mom" joke towards the beginning 😂

[@ninachat1892]

DISGUSTING

[@spicybeantofu]

​@@ninachat1892 hay don't be like that, your mom needs love too.

[@precious_muse]

I’ve wanted you to do this episode since I first found your channel. Thank you! One of my favorite attributes of this story is how the girl is the hero, and I really liked the Princess Lea comparison. You don’t see that too often in fairy tales.

[@celticpoet21]

Excellent video. The animated film adaptation with Kiefer Sutherland as the voice of The Nutcracker, Hans is pretty good and it even includes a depiction of the princess backstory. My favorite stage version of the ballet is from The Royal Ballet (London) in 2001 with Anthony Doyle as Godfather Drosselmeyer. If you haven't watched that one, I highly recommend it. The production and designs are superb and has a brief pantomime of the nutcracker (named Hans Peter) "telling" his backstory in act 2. More importantly though, I think you'll like the ending; it's solid and isn't confusing or too surreal. Also, it doesn't end with the "was it all a dream?" feel. On the subject of "toy stories", similar to "the doll in the grass" E.T.A Hoffmann also wrote a story called "The sandman" about a man who falls in love with a life-size doll named Olimpia whom he mistakes for a real woman. "The sandman", alongside two other of Hoffmann's stories was adapted into an opera called "The Tales of Hoffmann."

[@Dij7897]

9:06 you can’t sneak in a joke like that 😂😂😂 that was *chefs kiss* wonderful lol❤

[@alara7777]

Thank you for doing this video! I had no idea people didn't realize nutcracker started a a book! Growing up, we had a lovely little green clothbound edition of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King that i believe was my grandmother's, or possibly one of my great grandparent's (point being it was OLD). I remember a few differences to the version told in the video: First, they go to the land of sweets via a staircase that the Nutcracker pulls down from the sleeve of a greatcoat hanging up (an insignificant detail but stuck with me anyway!) Second, when Marie wakens after visiting the land of sweets, she is scolded for telling tales, etc, except nobody can explain where she got seven crownlike bracelets out of "mysterious metal and scarcely comprehensible that human hands could have made them" (Herr Drosselmeyer is pointedly asked about them, and gaslights the heck out of everyone saying they were weights he used to have on his watchchain -- NOBODY remembers this but the adults decide it must be true and tell Marie to stop lying. Poor Marie!). Lastly, 8n our book there was a VERY CLEAR time jump at the end of about 10 years, where Marie never forgets these adventures and never forgets the Nutcracker, but learns that it distresses everyone when she still insists it all happened, so she stops openly talking about it. But thinking about it all helps her see magic and beauty everywhere. One Christmas when she is about 16 or 17 Herr Drosselmeyer arrives late and is very antsy (the illustrations show Marie now grown, with her hair up in the style of a young adult woman who has come out). A knock comes at the door Herr D. is at the door quickly, and introduces his nephew, who the Stahlbaums are very impressed with (he is handsome, well-spoken, and has a jewel encrusted sword, among other things), and then the story more or less finishes as before.

[@alexiaivan7708]

I read the book you described, and it said that while the Nutcracker did propose when they were still children, it said that the Nutcracker came 10 years later and then took her to the Wonderland and got married.

[@PorcelainRequiem]

Correct. I had the original book too, and they didn't become a couple until they were older. They loved each other innocently as children.

[@alexiaivan7708]

@@PorcelainRequiem perhaps it wasn’t mentioned in later editions or he avoided mentioning it for the shock factor.

[@gionnijohnson408]

It's about damn time he did a Nutcracker Messed Up origins video, The Nutcracker has to be another one of my most favorite Christmas Fairytale's of all time!

[@Chesh89]

Going to the ballet tomorrow with my son and sister! I love both versions, thanks Jon! Happy Holidays ⛄🎄

[@moonprincesst.s.h.4ever115]

Wow! This video is AMAZING! I don't think that anyone knows the whole story of The Nutcracker and The Mouse King! You did a wonderful job summarizing the novel, Jon. 👏🏽 Merry Christmas, happy holidays and happy new year of 2024 to you Jon, Lauren, Gunther and of course little Penny! 🎅🏻🎄☃🎉🎊💂🏻‍♀

[@meimei8718]

I used to watch 1990 version “The Nutcracker Prince.” It had the story within a story and although I didn’t understand where it had come from I really like the curse on the nutcracker thing it had going for it. Keifer Sutherland does a great nutcracker. I recommend it. (I’m sorry I’ve never seen the Barbie version.)

[@Geeky_Riley]

I actually saw a, not Barbie, animated adaptation of the book. It was very accurate except to be much less creepy the nutcracker, main character and the princess were all teenagers. I don't remember her name was in this movie. I just remember being captivated by actually being show the backstory. Oh. I just remembered. And the rat king did have only one head. Probably a combination of being less terrifying and ease for animators. I do remember their second duel ending up in the clockwork castle which was really cool.

[@yolman25]

The original story is so interesting! It would be nice to see a faithful adaptation of it. I guess the Barbie version will do. Also thanks for all the hard work you've done this year Jon. Merry Christmas to you and your family 🎅🏻🎄☃️💂🏻‍♀️

[@Nightman221k]

The one that came out in 1990 was pretty nearly the same as the story.

[@zyxw2000]

@@Nightman221k Not familiar with it. Was that a filming of Sendak's book? I also have Hoffman's original in a book of his short stories.

[@171QA]

I think they mean The Nutcracker Prince.@@zyxw2000

[@PorcelainRequiem]

​@@zyxw2000It was called The Nutcracker Prince. It was animated. Keifer Sutherland plays the Nutcracker.

[@PorcelainRequiem]

The Nutcracker Prince and the Maurice Sendak adaptation are very accurate and faithful to the source material.

[@DoubleDealingDisarray]

Awesome video! It always amazes me that the stories we grow up with have such vibrant backstories (pun intended). Happy Holidays to you and yours, Jon! And Happy Holidays to everyone too! ✨

[@emeraldeclipse9711]

9:11 WHAT!?😂😂TF😭 didn’t skip a beat

[@maryssalaurahartsgrove4887]

I grew up doing ballet and was told that Tchaikovsky version and ballet were a homage to his sister. She had died as a child and where the ballet and book split is her journey to the afterlife. The nutcracker is like a Christmas psychopomp

[@oklaclarinet]

From a musical standpoint, that's kind of right. His sister Alexandra, with whom he was very close, died at the age of 49 while Tchaikovsky was in the middle of a writer's block after having composed about half the music for the ballet. The emotions he felt after her death informed the mood of much of the music he wrote to finish the ballet, especially the opening Andante of the Grand Pas de Deux. The channel Listening In has an excellent video that goes into great detail about these events.

[@cherrina44.]

A yes your typical #1 'theory' were it was Aaaaall a dream and the main character is in coma or died Ty-pic-al

[@supme7558]

Never liked it

[@supme7558]

​@oklaclarinet 🤣 so not true at all

[@AnonYoBizness]

Been a while since I've been on the channel. i had a faze where i watched so much Jon Solo, I shot first LOL. Glad to still see you posting, hope you and the family are doing well. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, Thanks for all the content you've provided during some tough times!!. JON SHOT FIRST!!

[@porcelina956]

Merry Christmas Jon and Gunther and your family. I have seen and read several versions of the Nutcracker saw the ballet in music class and loved it as a kid. In the early 90s there was an animated Nutcracker I remember seeing with my family which did follow the "stories".

[@harrietlyall1991]

Excellent! Love your narration of this classic tale, with all its intricate twists and turns. Much of the story takes place in Marie’s imagination, a young girl’s idyll of travelling to a magic kingdom with her handsome prince, and it incorporates the folklore motif of a young man redeemed by the love and fidelity of a good woman. As you say, Hoffmann’s unique style of storytelling sets the story apart and makes it endlessly compelling, it takes a deep dive into the emotions and the imagination, with its complex themes of compassion, fear, frustration and yearning, offset by whimsy and humour.

[@Анна-н2п7у]

Buddy, you forgot to tell that there's a real thing in nature like "The Rat King" when rats' tails get tied up together and they turn into something like the manyheaded creature. Also, The Rat King is a character in German folklore. Meeting the real RK was a bad omen in Middle Ages, also, they supposted him to blame in suddenly began hunger or poorness.

[@katiehickey4539]

On second thought, maybe just The Song and Story of the Nutcracker 1816 German Christmas Audiobook Drama by ETA Hoffmann and The Tale and Tune of the Hard Nut 1844 French Christmas Audiobook Drama by Alexandre Dumas.

[@emptee5941]

Another year of wonderful origin stories. Thank you Jon for entertaining us throughout the year. Hope you have a wonderful break and looking forward to your return with more wonderful origin stories.

[@EBThisThat]

This was always my favorite story and ballet. I sincerely appreciate the deep dive ! Merry Christmas to you and yours?

[@suzannevetter7135]

Merry Christmas. Thank you for all your hard work and research. Love it

[@gabrielabatista6016]

0:16 as someone who lives in a tropical area, please take me to your desolate winter landscape. The summer started yesterday and I haven't been able to handle the heat since mid-spring ;-;

[@TheAntiDisneyGod]

Trust me snow is not all it’s cracked up to be mostly due to frostbite

[@Nish1988]

I'm so glad i found your channel and podcast! I have binged watched/ listened since November 2023! MERRY CHRISTMAS TOJon Solo and family and all members! HAPPY AND SAFE HOLIDAY SRASON TO ALL!

[@171QA]

I'm such a big fan of the original tale. I'm glad you took the time to explore it and that more people are becoming aware of it.

[@edpeachtree]

Merry New Year!

[@JonSolo]

Happy New Year my friend! Thank you for the support!

[@carrioncrow13]

Fun fact: the Mouse King is based off a very real phenomenon: when a bunch of rats somehow gets their tails caught together in a knot, that's called a rat king.

[@LexiLexi612]

The more you know🌈⭐️

[@supme7558]

Old wives tail its not real

[@supme7558]

​@@LexiLexi612urban legend not real

[@JasonTate08]

Aaaaaaaaw Gunther. Merry Christmas to you both. Se ya 2024 with more "Messed Up Origins".

[@lunaamore2713]

@9:09😂 Happy holidays🎄 Merry Christmas😁

[@stacychipouras8741]

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Jon and Thank you 💙

[@kristenhanisch8508]

My favorite version is Maurice Sendak's, both the book and the show. There's a Wild Thing in the background at the beginning of Act 2! I was very sad when I pulled my copy out of storage in December and found that it was ruined. I think you missed the part where it's been several years between the events we're familiar with by watching the ballet and when Drosselmeier's nephew shows up. Standards for marrying age used to be very different than what they are now.

[@megan9403]

Sending this to my friend that loves the barbie nutcracker movie, it was so interesting to hear what stuck and what changed over the years

[@lycanthis9963]

I actually experienced the Nutcracker ballet last year for my birthday, mostly because my niece was in the opening act. My very first ballet experience too. A couple other birthdays as well, including a woman in her mid 90's. They also had a Mouse Queen that year rather than a king. And now I know why Drosselmeyer wore an eyepatch, though on the left eye instead.

[@mecahhannah]

Awesome as always thanks! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and all who celebrate!

[@destoker]

How about doing one on "La Befana " That could be interesting!

[@sarahallegra6239]

Happy holidays, Jon! Thanks for another great year of entertainment and education!

[@Jaybird1306]

I enjoyed learning the plot of the Nutcracker, as it helped me understand the plot of The Soldier Prince from The Language of Thorns book. I think you would enjoy the stories in that book, and i would be interested to see you talk about them, and how they were inspired by classic fairy tales. Sort of like a reverse of your origins, a messed up conclusion.

[@jackofallclaws6672]

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, Mr. Solo!

[@catherinele2260]

only recently discovered this channel bc of utube autoplay.i put your videos in the background while i work and it cracks me up how u just casually insert slang and jokes into the stories sometimes lol

[@darondax]

The Nutcracker is one of my favorite stories, and I actually remember the original version from a long time ago, and I like that one better. The version I saw, though, aged marie up to the nephew's age to make it more palatable for modern audiences.

[@anyathepanther7977]

Grüße aus dem Erzgebirge! ❤ About the Shirt : Both Von and Vom make Sence to us, althoug the "Gruss" is old German. We write them with with ß now, but i know that your Keyboards probably dont have those.

[@FaerieStar]

I loved the original story. My parents had an updated copy of it with illustrations, for children. And their was the cartoon (Megan Follows was the voice of Clara) and it also followed the original closer then the ballet. By the time I saw the ballet version, I was disappointed it wasn't the same as what I read and the cartoon. Thanks again, Jon! Merry Christmas (or Solstice lol) and a Happy New Year! (As well as to the rest of the fam)

[@sherilynlum-alarcon5007]

Merry Christmas to you and yours~

[@cjdebono8811]

Thank you Jon. The nutcracker is one of my favorite ballets and stories during the holidays. You hit it out of the park this year. Im proud you. Happy Holidays to you and your family

[@tehyamartin2735]

Merry Christmas Jon and family! Thank you for all the amazing content this year and I look forward to what’s in store next year! Merry Christmas from Wales ❤

[@tiablue9106]

marie: *KO'd in a pool of blood* marie's mom: "I sleep" marie: *broke some toys* marie's mom: "REAL SHIT"

[@jenniferstine8567]

I doubt the Care Bears could've done the original version. It's a cute story though. Scooby-Doo could've gotten closer since it commonly deals with monsters and fairy tales, but they combined the plot of The Nutcracker with the plot of A Christmas Carol. The switching between dream and reality reminds me of the movie Little Nemo Adventures in Slumberland. Unlike The Nutcracker, Nemo only thinks he woke up. Consider the "waking up" scenes as segues into the next part of the story. It's a pretty good children's movie, but it does get a little scary. Also the DVD I managed to find has the volume rise and fall drastically. It's based upon a book, but I haven't found it.

[@justkenzie]

I watch the 1990 cartoon version every year. Thanks to you, I have just learned how beautifully loyal it is to the story, with certain details changed... I have seen the ballet a few times. I adore the music. I'm glad this came to my feed today lol.

[@thatdeadguy.666]

Mr Solo thank you for another year of awesomeness. I look forward to the new year of goodies you will bestow upon us. Enjoy your break. You deserve it. Happy holidays to you and yours sir. May your cup run full and plate pile high.

[@ElaineFrancesca]

Merry Christmas, Jon Solo! Thank you for doing this! I've been looking for something like this for ages!

[@austenmckenna5555]

Thank you for doing this video on the book version of the Nutcracker and the Mouse King. It explains, even though I never knew the story, why I've always felt so sorry for the Nutcracker for some reason. I like only some Nutcrackers depending on their face, uniform, and shape of their body. I felt like they needed caring for and kindness, which I thought was weird since I was not into the Nutcracker ballet or storyline.

[@richewilson6394]

I remember my first version of nutcracker I ever seen was the 1990 animated version, The nutcracker Prince. It look like it was animated by a really bad Chuck Jones as well as the same animator as the TV show Beetlejuice. It had Phyllis diller as the mouse Queen.

[@josephcook6442]

I was just a boy when i first saw the Nutcracker. And fell in love. I srarted collecting Nutcrackers and my grandmother always gave me one for each birthday and Christmas ^_^

[@Maldoror2112]

My favorite interpretation of this story is a stop-motion animated movie called Nutcracker Fantasy which was made in 1979. Until now, I thought it was a big departure from the story as I knew it from the ballet, but now I know that it more closely resembles the original narrative in the book.

[@ninachat1892]

RACIST

[@Maldoror2112]

@@ninachat1892 What? The animated, Japanese version by Sanrio (maker of Hello Kitty) is racist? That's surprising.

[@ninachat1892]

YES@@Maldoror2112

[@meppep6733]

Great job as always Jon! I appreciate how genuinely you look at these stories originals and do actual research in folklore instead of making it overly dark for clout like others do. I don't know if anyone else has said something like this already, but the way I see it, the curse that afflicted the Nutcracker was cast differently than when it was cast on the princess, so maybe the magic works differently too and the boy didn't age like she did. Alternatively, correct me if I'm wrong, but the story doesn't give a length of time between the princess rejecting the Nutcracker and him being gifted to Marie, so it could've been only days, weeks, months, or a year, who knows. An age gap that big would've been odd for the time period like it is in ours, so I can't imagine Hoffmann writing that in a story that caught on so well with readers. It's kinda odd they get married at such young ages, but at least they might be the same age and they only get married in a fairytale land, not in the normal legal world sense. I don't know-maybe I'm jumping through hoops, but that's what I assumed. I'm more concerned about the age gap that would've been between the princess and the young boy if he is indeed around Marie's 7-8 age while she's 15, but the narrative doesn't treat the princess and the Nutcracker's story as a happy story, so there's that.

[@silyknow]

That thumbnail sent all of the childhood trauma flooding back.

[@oklaclarinet]

I'm glad you name dropped the older sister Louise. Dumas eliminated her in his version, so she wasn't in the original ballet or most other adaptations. Also, in the book, Marie is the youngest child, whereas in the ballet it is Fritz that is usually depicted as the annoying younger sibling. (This is often combined in many productions by making Marie/Clara older, anywhere from a tween to an adult playing what is meant to be an older teenager.) In many Russian productions, such as the Bolshoi's traditional version, there are two different confrontations with the Mouse King. In those versions, the Mouse King survives the first battle and faces off again with the Nutcracker near the top of Act II during what is in the original ballet the pantomime sequence. However, it still differs from the book in that the Nutcracker is released from the curse after the first battle. I found it interesting in describing the changes made to the ending of the story, you showed footage of the NYC Ballet version, which is one of the few versions that doesn't explicitly imply that the whole thing was a dream. Most productions tend to show Marie/Clara waking up on the couch at the end, or at the very least shown asleep on the couch. Since I mentioned it in my first paragraph, I could go off on an entire tangent on how various productions find a way to age up Marie/Clara so there can be a more romantic relationship with the Nutcracker, but I would be here for a long time.

[@Neo_Orioncxd]

This was great, hope you have a merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Can’t wait for a new year of my childhood becoming better and more twisted.

[@wisterialaroux3507]

Fun fact: there’s such thing as a rat king, it’s a bundle of rats who have had their tails all tangled together and they move together as one. It’s a very rare sight but it does happen.

[@fennelwink]

I was waiting for this fact to come up in the video. Comments to the rescue!

[@garymorgan3443]

Thanks for all the amazing stories and work... you're the best. Have a well deserved break and I hope the seasons blessings get dumped at your doorstep. See ya next year.

[@ericvandermey3231]

Lmfao, this is great; I was talking with my dad about this recently. He carved a giant nutcracker for a friend and I told him it was probably an insult originally. The inclusion of vauge references to automation is grand. Some of the original protesters lol. Ordered by the aristocracy; clockmakers forced to carve toys for children, and royalty that never grew up. Let's all be greatful for the true reason for the season. Pain, death, mockery and intentional dillusion 😂💜

[@kirbymarchbarcena]

Gunther should host any messed up origins of any canine stories. In the meantime, happy holidays!

[@kellinomnom]

Hints of Wizard of Oz as well Also: sweet pup kisses! 🥰😍

[@JDReC100]

21:55 "then he takes her to Narnia" ...what. "And Im not even joking" ...WHAT?!?

[@Albtraumgirl]

I love your Channel, just found it and now i watch you every day. Lucky for me you have lots of videos. it would sound more day to day german if it would read "Grüße vom Krampus". But the current version is nice because it hast a older touch like we used to speak. :) PS Merry Christmas

[@Logitah]

Merry Christmas Jon! ❤

[@MaHa-um5sv]

at 4:39 I notice you don't attribute the illustrator - that is Artuš Scheiner - a Czech illustrator - great stuff! Love his Nutcracker ones. Thanks for this episode - it's stellar!

[@yensid4294]

I've never been a huge fan of ballet but I do enjoy the music from The Nut Cracker & some of the non ballet adaptations of the story have been ok. For some reason I get The Nutcracker & The Steadfast Tin Soldier & Babes In Toyland imagery confused. I guess any story where toys plus enchantment plus Xmas tends to get muddled, especially if it was a ballet? The actual fairytale about both the Nutcracker & the Tin Soldier are terrifying & sad. So there's that.

[@Rock33b]

Great job as usual very interesting and informative my son and I discovered your channel in 2020 and still are loyal mere mortals

[@user-os1in7kt5j]

when auditioning, the casting call not always but it can be typically calls for both a Marie and a Claira, the distinction is for the older version of her at the end is typically played by an older dancer with more advanced dance moves.

[@countcoupblessings979]

How my brain edits -- ✨Girl throws slipper - JON SOLO adds a clip of MIKEY CHEN saying " I Send You To Jesus ❗" While he throws the slipper & takes out a bad guy - Ha ha ha 😂🤣

[@simpleguy86]

Jon I don't know if you di videogames but there's one called bramble thr mountain king that had lots of Grimm fairy talevreatures that would make for an awesome video. Love your messed up origin series

[@kaykaymurtz]

I feel like the closest piece of media I've seen that is based off the original story is the 90's animated movie The Nutcracker Prince, it dives into the backstory too, Idk if you've watched it Jon but I recommend it!

[@FamChan123]

Hope you have a wonderful new years rest, Jon. And a very happy holiday to you and yours.

[@franziskathiel4669]

The storys of E.T.A Hoffman are one of a kind, because these are fairytales written in the early 1700(?) Storys like his are called "Kunstmärchen", because they are full of fantasy and feelings indeed, but not handed down for centuries.

[@4Just1Girl]

May you and your family have the Merry-est of Merry Christmases.... along with and including Prince Gunther, and Princess Penny!!!

[@MissCellanious1]

9:11 ...my jaw dropped, literally, no pun intended.

[@FromPointAtoMe]

There's a animated movie from the 80's called The Nutcracker Prince that somewhat follows the original story and not the ballet. Too bad the movie is no longer available 😪

[@tigerqueen007]

The Nutcracker is one of my favorite Christmas stories. I also love the music.

[@kitakhat]

I gave your mother a similar experience 😂 I had to run that back 🤣 You really slid that!

[@badeggontheyoutube145]

so, the "plot twist" in barbie in the nutcracker is that clara is the sugar plum fairy (renamed sugar plum princess for some reason), which I've always found weird. It is 100% invented by the barbie version?

[@merrialicehobbs5344]

I did not know how epic this story was, I love it

[@alexisdowers2030]

You know I always thought that by the end of the play The Nutcracker (does he ever get a name) and Claire were actually engaged, since back then you could be engaged by 7 years old or even earlier

[@tell-me-a-story-]

You could be engaged as a baby, but not get married until your late teens or early twenties. Basically a Simba and Nala situation.

[@hannahbond2347]

Thank you, Jon. This is my favourite Christmas story

[@сесилияалександрова]

Giving a kid a wonderful toy and telling the child it can't play with it is true torture.

[@WhoDoctor-u2e]

Thank you Jon! Happy holidays! 🎄 🌟

[@tinkthefoxylilmiss6801]

@4:54 "they children are blinded by the bright lights, but after their eyes properly dialate...." if their eyes dialate any more they may blind thenselves. Your pupils dont dialate in bright lights unless you have brain damage--they should constrict to lower the amount of light hitting the eye. The more you know ... Woof!