World’s Tallest Nutcracker Now Stands Tall In Minnesota

Some towns are known for a lake, a landmark, or a local legend. Luverne, Minnesota, is known for nutcrackers — and it has them in staggering numbers.

This southwest Minnesota community of roughly 5,000 people reportedly has more nutcrackers than residents, with a collection that has grown to over 7,500 wooden soldiers. That is not a typo. There are, quite literally, more nutcrackers than people.

The obsession reportedly started small. Local historian Betty Mann began collecting the figures back in 2001 after tragically losing her husband and oldest daughter in 2000. The nutcrackers were how she got through that first hard Christmas.

The hobby has since snowballed to become one of the largest nutcracker collections in the world, now housed at the Rock County History Center.

When the town went looking for a way to stand out to travelers passing by on I-90, the answer was already sitting on the shelves.

Luverne Looks To Set World Record With Verne The Patriot

On Saturday, July 18, hundreds of people gathered in the center of town for a ribbon-cutting ceremony years in the making. Sources indicate that is when the town finally revealed both the name and the official height of its newest resident: Verne the Patriot, a towering Uncle Sam nutcracker decked out in red, white, and blue.

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Getting Verne to Luverne was no small feat. The pieces were reportedly crafted in Utah and assembled on site, with the head and hat lowered into place by crane just weeks before the unveiling. The finished figure stands 65 feet, 7½ inches tall, and a pedestal lifts him another nine feet over the surrounding prairie — roughly the height of a six-story building.

Yes, The Jaw Actually Works

Here is where it gets fun. Verne is not just tall for show. The star-spangled giant has a fully working jaw, staying true to the nutcracker name rather than settling for a statue that only looks the part.

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That size comes with ambitions. Verne stands nearly twice as tall as the 33-foot nutcracker in Neuhausen, Germany, that Guinness World Records currently lists as the largest. Official recognition appears to still be pending, but Luverne fully expects to claim the world record for its efforts.

It is easy to chuckle at a six-story patriotic nutcracker guarding a small prairie town. But there is something worth admiring, too: a community that took a quirky quality all its own and turned it into a reason for people to stop, look up, and stay a while. If you are driving I-90 this summer, Verne will be watching — jaw and all.