Editing Christmas cracker (section)

=== Tom Smith ===
[[File:Tom Smith Christmas crackers 1911.jpg|thumb|right|Catalogue for [[Tom Smith (confectioner)|Tom Smith]]'s Christmas Novelties from 1911]]
Tradition tells of how [[Tom Smith (confectioner)|Tom Smith]] (1823–1869) of [[London]] invented crackers in 1847.<ref>Peter Kimpton (2005) ''Tom Smith's Christmas crackers: an illustrated history'', Tempus  {{ISBN|0-7524-3164-1}}</ref><ref>Margaret Baker (1992) ''Discovering Christmas customs and folklore: a guide to seasonal rites'', p.72, Osprey Publishing {{ISBN|0-7478-0175-4}}</ref> He created the crackers as a development of his [[bon-bon]] sweets, which he sold in a twist of paper (the origins of the traditional sweet-wrapper). As sales of bon-bons slumped, Smith began to come up with new promotional ideas. His first tactic was to insert love messages into the wrappers of the [[confectionery|sweet]]s (similar to [[fortune cookie]]s).<ref name="fletcher">{{cite news |title=Christmas traditions: The history behind crackers, mistletoe, turkey, stockings, tinsel, mince pies and more |last=Fletcher |first=Damien |newspaper=Daily Mirror |date=22 December 2011 |access-date=25 December 2012 |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/christmas-traditions-the-history-behind-crackers-187443}}</ref>

Smith was inspired to add a "crackle" element after hearing the crackle of a [[logging|log]] he had just put on a fire.<ref name="fletcher" /><ref name=tscrackers>{{cite web|title=History of the Christmas Cracker|url=http://www.tomsmithcrackers.co.uk/|work=History|publisher=Tom Smith Crackers|access-date=25 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130827125125/http://www.tomsmithcrackers.co.uk/|archive-date=27 August 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> The size of the paper wrapper had to be increased to incorporate the banger mechanism, and the sweet itself was eventually dropped, to be replaced by a [[wikt:trinket|trinket]]: fans, jewellery and other substantial items.<ref name=Callow>{{cite book|last=Callow|first=Simon|title=Dickens' Christmas|year=2009|publisher=Frances Lincoln|location=London|isbn=978-0711230316|pages=138|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fFtX209ghqUC&pg=PA138}}{{Dead link|date=December 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The new product was initially marketed as the ''Cosaque'' (French for [[Cossack]]),<ref name=Callow /> but the [[onomatopoeia|onomatopoeic]] "cracker" soon became the commonly used name, as rival varieties came on the market.

The other elements of the modern cracker—the gifts, paper hats and varied designs—were all introduced by Tom Smith's son, Walter Smith, to differentiate his product from the rival cracker manufacturers which had suddenly sprung up.<ref name=tscrackers />

Tom Smith & Company merged with Caley Crackers in 1953.

A memorial water fountain to Tom Smith and his family stands in [[Finsbury Square]], London.<ref name=londonist_2012>[http://londonist.com/2012/12/london-christmas-past-the-invention-of-the-christmas-cracker.php "London Christmas Past: The Invention Of The Christmas Cracker"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219003359/http://londonist.com/2012/12/london-christmas-past-the-invention-of-the-christmas-cracker.php |date=19 December 2013 }} (5 December 2012) Londonist</ref><ref name=londonist_2014>[http://londonist.com/2014/12/how-finsbury-square-gave-the-world-a-christmas-tradition.php "How Finsbury Square Gave The World A Christmas Tradition"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150324065446/http://londonist.com/2014/12/how-finsbury-square-gave-the-world-a-christmas-tradition.php |date=24 March 2015 }} (5 December 2014) Londonist</ref>