Christmas Crackers are one of the best things about Christmas, full of surprises, bad jokes and silly hats. Unless, of course they're Wade crackers in which case they're full of instant profit. The Tom Smith "Animates" crackers are a set of eight which contain a Wade Whimsie Snowlife Animal. In the latest Charlton Standard Catalogue of Wade Whimsical Collectables, by Pat Murray, these figures which were crackered from 1992-1996 cost from £3-£4 each. That means that a box of eight crackers has a secondary collectable price tag of £24-£32, but can still be bought from the Wade shop at £ 12 a set!

Similarly the 'Tales from the Nursery' crackers contain another eight Wade figures. Some of the models from the Red Rose Tea Miniature Nurseries were reissued for this set and two new figures "Ride a Cock Horse" and "Boy Blue" were added in 1994. Each are in a one-colour allover glaze but because there were only eight crackers in the box, and 10 figures in the set, some are harder to obtain than others. Once again, each has a secondary market price of £3 so buying a box of crackers is a remarkably effective way to start a collection, after all they only cost from £8 a box. To date though there's been no sightings of the same crackers' mottos and party hats being sold at antique and collectors' fairs!!!

Each series of animals are used exclusively by Tom Smith for its crackers over a two year period after which time the design rights revert back to Wade and they can then be re-used for other premiums or to be added to the English Whimsies series. The first models used were the eight figures previously used in the 1967-1973 Red Rose Tea Canada series. Next came a set of 10 Safari Park models. All but two of the models, the "Lion" and the "Musk Ox" were from either the Red Rose Tea Canada or the English Whimsies series. The "Polar" Bear and the "Koala Bear" differ in colour from the English Whimsies models but all have Wade England stamped on the rim or base. They also cost £5 today against the £2 paid for the rest in the series, Tiger, Langur, Walrus, Racoon, Kangaroo and Orang-Utan.
It's a great idea to double up with Christmas crackers - buy one set for the Christmas table and another for the loft. Trends and tastes change so rapidly today, that Christmas crackers are likely to become a typical Christmas ephemera in the years ahead -particularly ones which feature Disney characters.

They remain remarkably cheap in most cases considering the decoration each cracker carries. That's not to say that there aren't quite a few expensive versions around. Supermarkets have caught onto the trend that not everyone celebrates Christmas with the family. His and Her Christmas crackers are a great Christmas morning luxury over the breakfast table. Each is extravagantly wrapped and contains a present for the lady and one for the man with prices starting at around £20. At the top of the tree Harrods range of crackers includes "Christmas Coral" a set of six crackers costing £149, and the single Harrods Christmas cracker in green which features a jointed Harrods teddy bear and leather keyfob at £12.95. It's all a long way from the early Victorian times when Tom Smith founded a company making crackers back in 1847. Originally a confectioner, Tom Smith had visited a trade exhibition in Paris in the early 1840s and was intrigued by the French idea of a twist-wrapped sweet, a bon-bon which when pulled at either end unwrapped the sweet. Back home the entrepreneur noticed how the logs on the fire were spitting and cracking and this gave him the idea of developing a mechanism which produced a sharp snap when the twist wrap was pulled. Today, the Tom Smith Group Ltd exports to 50 countries across the world and holds Warrants to supply the Royal Family. But best of all it has archives of Christmas crackers from the late Victorian period which are considerably more ornate than their modern successors. Oh to get hold of one of those boxes!