FAQ's

What is a Party Cracker?
The 'Party Cracker' is a party favor product that was invented in the mid-1840's by a British baker named Tom Smith. In England, crackers have been used for the last 150 years to celebrate Christmas and other major holidays and festive occasions. In it's simplest form a cracker is a small cardboard tube wrapped in decorative paper and enclosing a small gift, paper party hat, and fortune or joke. When the cracker is 'pulled' from each end, the friction creates a small 'pop' and the cracker tears open to reveal the surprise gifts inside. The popping sound is actually a small explosion produced by a narrow strip of chemically treated paper usually referred to as a 'cracker snap' . More information on the History of Crackers can be found at the following web sites:

www.oldenglishcrackers.com
www.absolutelycrackers.com

How do I use my party crackers?
Because crackers are very colorful, they are often used as table decorations, where they are typically placed on or alongside individual place settings. Pulling crackers early in your party schedule, for example as part of a welcome or toast, is a sure fire way to get your function off to a rousing start. From the moment the crackers are popped open, your guest will be laughing and visiting as they share the fun and excitement of the surprises inside. Other uses of crackers include Christmas tree ornaments and stocking stuffers, wedding and shower favors, surprise invitations, and a unique medium for advertising or promoting products and/or services.

How do you open Crackers?
Pulling crackers usually involves two persons, one pulling on each end. In grasping the ends of the cracker, you need to be certain that the 'cracker snap' is firmly held. This is best accomplished by inserting the thumb into the open end of the cracker and pinning the snap against the inside wall of the cylinder. Then with the base of the fore finger and remainder of the hand applying pressure on the outside wall of the cracker opposite the thumb, slowly pull and twist the cracker until it tears open along one of the gathers, popping the cracker snap, and spilling out the contents for all to see. We include a set of instructions for pulling crackers with each order.

How will I know what is inside my crackers?
Unlike many cracker manufacturers and distributors, we clearly indicate to our customers what they will be getting inside their crackers. Every Christmas Crackers USA cracker contains the traditional paper hat, joke or motto, and a small gift or novelty item. We are proud to feature a wide selection of quality gifts and novelties in our pre-filled range of party crackers, including several collections of collectible gifts and keepsakes imported from England. To assist our customers in finding the right gift item, we have arranged the cracker displays on our product pages according to the type of gift they contain. These gift photographs show a representation of the type of items enclosed in the corresponding cracker types, but not necessarily the exact items you will find in your box of six crackers.

Are the 'Cracker Snaps' dangerous?
No, 'cracker snaps' are not dangerous in any way as long as they are used inside crackers as intended. They should never be removed from the cracker and used on their own as noisemakers, or in the construction of other craft items. The pop that a cracker snap makes is actually a small friction-activated explosion produced by a tiny amount of explosive material called silver fulminate that coats the paper in the middle of the cracker snap.

Can I have my crackers custom made?
We can customize both the outer wrapping and gift contents of our crackers to match almost any party or holiday theme you have in mind. In addition to an extensive selection of solid color and printed papers, we can further customize the outside of the cracker with custom-printed labels, colored fabric bows, and a variety of floral accessories. If you have a particular gift or message in mind, you can send the item(s) to us and we will fill them into your crackers at no additional cost. Customer-supplied gifts must be able to fit inside a cylinder measuring 2 inches in diameter by 3.5 inches in length. We are also happy to source specialty gifts for our customers and will gladly provide price quotes on custom-designed crackers incorporating such items. For custom-designed crackers made from stock materials there is a minimum order of 24 crackers. Minimums for custom orders involving special order supplies and gifts vary considerably -- please call 1-888-606-2972 for further information.

How much lead time do I need for an order of custom Party Crackers?
We usually recommend that orders for custom-designed crackers are placed 4-6 weeks before the date of your event to make sure that we have all the materials in stock and can schedule a time to make your crackers. Should your guest count change after your order is placed, please call us at your earliest convenience and we will do our best to accommodate any changes you have. However, it is usually not possible to add to a custom order once specialty materials and gifts have been ordered.

Can I order the materials to make my own crackers?
We supply a full range of reasonably priced components for customers wishing to make their own crackers. Foremost in this list are our authentic "cracker snaps" which we supply in bundles of 144 snaps for $15.95, or approximately 11 cents per snap. Our cracker snaps are the genuine article used in the cracker making industry in England, not the 'booby-traps' or 'string poppers' that some suppliers provide as an alternative popping device. Cracker snaps are much safer and easier to use than 'booby traps, ' which have a considerably higher explosive content. In addition to snaps, we also supply 2x4 inch cardboard tubes for the center of the cracker, paper hats in single color bundles of 100 hats, and a set of two rollers or formers to assist you in rolling your decorative wrap onto the cardboard tube to form the perfect paper cylinder. Should you require materials in quantities greater than those listed on our web page, please call us at 1-888-606-2972 for pricing and availability.

Can I order assembled crackers that I fill myself?
Many of cracker designs displayed on our web pages are available in a ready-to-fill version in quantities ranging from 6 - 72 crackers. Simply look for the Ready-to-Fill pricing box next to the cracker of your choice. In addition, we can supply most of our remaining stock designs in a ready-to-fill version for orders of 24 or more crackers -- please call us at 1-888-606-2972 for pricing and availability. All ready-to-fill crackers are supplied fully assembled with one end unfinished. This allows the cracker can be opened, filled with the customer's choice of gifts, and then securely closed with the ribbon tie provided. Click here for more information on ready-to-fill crackers.

How will my order of "Party Crackers" be shipped?
We use USPS Priority Mail for all our cracker shipments unless instructed otherwise by the customer. For larger shipments involving 24 or more boxes of crackers we will often recommend more cost effective methods of shipping if the time frame allows. All orders for crackers that we show as in stock will be shipped within 48 hours of the orders receipt. Larger shipments and custom orders will be shipped according to an arranged date, usually 10-14 days after order confirmation. Orders involving special order materials usually require longer lead times, sometimes up to 6-8 weeks. Shipping costs for on-line orders are calculated by our secure ordering system and are available for the customers consideration prior to finalizing the order. Shipping costs for custom orders and orders exceeding on-line quantities will be quoted along with the production costs of your order via telephone or E-mail correspondence.

How long will it take to receive my order of Crackers?
Normal delivery of in-stock crackers via USPS Priority Mail is approximately 4-7 days. Overnight and other Express forms of delivery are available upon request and priced accordingly. Most orders of custom crackers will be delivered in 14-21 days, but longer delivery times are usually required for orders involving special order materials. We will notify the customer by telephone or E-mail of any significant delays in the above quoted delivery times that we are able to predict.

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