Wooden toy maker Markus Füchtner has already sent a nutcracker into space and developed a smoking rocket. But his favorite thing to do is stand at the lathe in his workshop in Seiffen to make nutcrackers. This is how his ancestors did it. Following tradition, they represent authorities: King, hussar, forester. But one in his workshop stands out from the crowd: the stinky-fingered nutcracker. And this is how it came about.
One morning, browsing through advertising brochures spoiled his breakfast, says the 44-year-old. "In the neighboring town here in the Ore Mountains, a cheap nutcracker copy from China was on sale for 12.99 euros." He is outraged: "You can't do that."
F Füchtner has nothing on the Erzgebirge nutcracker, as his great-great-great-grandfather is considered its inventor. So he did what he is particularly good at on the lathe: a new nutcracker. Like his colleagues, it is made of wood and has a beard and hair made of rabbit fur. Instead of a red robe, however, he wears shorts and a baseball cap. And his hand makes a clear gesture. The wooden rebel was created in collaboration with "Boys from the Wood" - a group of young people who celebrate the Erzgebirge and its customs in a modern way, emphasizes the 44-year-old.
