Who invented crackers and in what year

Votes for women, Charlie Chaplin, coronations, the wireless, even the battle of Tel el Kebir in the Anglo-Egyptian War of were just some of the subjects to get the cracker treatment. They were proud of the quality of the verse in their early mottoes. Sign in. Legend says that, one night, while he was sitting in front of his log fire, he became very interested by the sparks and cracks coming from the fire. Suddenly, he thought what a fun idea it would be, if his sweets and toys could be opened with a crack when their fancy wrappers were pulled in half.

The story of him sitting by the fire was probably added to help sell his new items. Crackers were also nicknamed called 'cosaques' and were thought to be named after the 'Cossack' soldiers who had a reputation for riding on their horses and firing guns into the air. When Tom died, his expanding cracker business was taken over by his three sons, Tom, Walter and Henry.

Walter introduced the hats into crackers and he also traveled around the world looking for new ideas for gifts to put in the crackers. The company built up a big range of 'themed' crackers. Innovative and forward-thinking, Tom Smith — was a sweet-maker and baker by trade.

Rumour has it that in , during one of his regular buying trips to Paris, he discovered the muse for his early crackers — the Parisian bon bon , a sugared almond wrapped in patterned paper with a twist at each end. No party complete without them". Set in the Canadian Rockies, it featured a chorus of over 50 'Redskin Totem-Pole Girls', clad in colourful outfits and elaborate headdresses resembling carved animal heads. The Totem Crackers embodied the decadent frivolity of the flapper-era musical.

Combining orange cellophane over gold foil with a central sticker depicting the Totem-Pole Girl, they came complete with Totem-Pole Girl headdresses, musical toys, imitation jewellery and 'quips and jokes', and were sold for 34 shillings.

Today Christmas crackers are produced for every pocket, from luxurious to fun-sized. And the Tom Smith brand continues to produce luxury crackers, including special crackers for the Royal Household, although the designs and contents are a closely guarded secret.

Find out more about Victorian Christmas traditions. Explore the range of exclusive gifts, jewellery, prints and more.