How to take apart a Mr Christmas Nutcracker Suite   

  1. Remove the 5 screws underneath the top ledge.
    Removing the screws
  2. Pry off the knob on the very top. You can use a knife to get under it, it is just held on with a little glue.
    Pry knob offKnob off
  3. Unscrew the flathead screw inside the hole.
    inscrew the screw
  4. Lift the top off!
    lift the top off

You can now get to most of the stuff that breaks. Look for stuck gears and broken off wires.

If you need to get to the bottom of the stage, that is harder. You'll need to get down there if the figures aren't turning, or if there is a problem with the power switch/plug or volume control knob.

To get to the bottom of the stage:

  1. Remove the five screws on the bottom of the unit. These are the screws around the perimeter of the brown plastic inner circle.
    unscrew bottom
  2. Theoretically now the whole stage is free to lift and out of the theater. The are wires going  from the controller board down to the power supply and the volume control have enough slack in them, but sometimes the extra slack is bundled up and the bundle is hot-melt glued to the top of the stage to keep it out of the way. If so, then you'll need to scrape off the glue with a screwdriver or something. This is hard and time consuming and you have to be careful not to strip or break the wires.
    hot melt glue mess
  3. Lift the stage out!
    free stage

Here is what the bottom of the stage looks like in case you are curious. That wire powers the motor that turns the dancers.

stage bottom

Update from Chris Lawrence 12/3/2023:

I did find an easier way to get to the base without having to worry about enough slack in the wires...

 

 

 

FAQ:

Q: Why?
A: My kids love these things, but they break. After my 3rd dead one, I decided to give up on replacement and turn to repair. I looked all over the internet for instructions on how to open the thing but found nothing. It took some time to figure out how to do it, so I want to save the next person from wasting the time I already spent.

UPDATES

12/17/2011: First published

12/3/2023 : Added Chris's new tips

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