Clara is the young girl who is the heroine of the story. She receives the Nutcracker doll at her parent’s annual holiday party, which begins the adventure. She wears banana curls and ribbons in her hair, a pretty white dress and petticoats.

Fritz is Clara’s mischievous younger brother. He breaks the Nutcracker Doll. He has short dark hair and wears white pants and a short jacket. It is Fritz’s toy soldiers who help the Nutcracker battle the sinister Rat King.

Uncle Drosselmeyer is Clara’s godfather, a toy maker, and also a mysterious, fun loving magician. His holiday gift to Clara is the Nutcracker Doll. He wears dark colors, a long cape and sometimes an eye patch.

Dr. & Mrs. Stahlbaum are Clara and Fritz’s parents and hosts of the annual holiday party where Clara receives the Nutcracker Doll. They wear fancy party clothes like their adult guests.

The Nutcracker is the Nutcracker Doll and handsome man brought to life by Uncle Drosselmeyer. He leads the toy soldiers in battle with the Rat King. He looks similar to the doll that Clara receives from Uncle Drosselmeyer.

The Rat King is an evil, scary creature that along with his rats and mice, battle the Nutcracker and toy soldiers. He is large and wears a crown. You can’t miss him!

The Snow King & Queen are the protectors of the enchanted Kingdom of Snow that Clara passes through on her way to the Land of Sweets. They dress in white and dance a beautiful Pas de Deux (dance of two.)

The Sugar Plum Fairy & Her Cavalier are the guardians of the enchanted Land of Sweets. They welcome Clara with an international celebration of many dances. They dress in classical ballet costume: a tutu for the Sugar Plum Fairy and a tunic for her Cavalier. They dance a beautiful Pas de Deux at the end of Clara’s visit.

Other Characters Clara meets along the way include Mother Ginger and her children, baby mice and rats, dancing flowers and many dancers from faraway lands such as Spain, Arabia, China, Russia and others.

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