What are those things called????
 

At family dinners you have a cracker at your plate that you pull and a little prize and hat pops out. It snaps. What are they called again? I've searched firecrackers and that is all I get, the ones you light.
I've seen templates around to make your own and I want to do this for Thanksgiving this year.
thanks everyone.
Jennifer

I don't know if this is the name, but I've always heard them called "poppers."

They are called Christmas Crackers and also Christmas poppers. You can usually find them at Pier One stores. I think there was a tutorial one them on one of the HGTV Carol Duval shows several years ago possibly one of the Christmas shows. HGTV.com I believe.

ohh, you beat me to it InkeePhingers! I found this link, (there are quite a few) to make crackers filled with M&Ms

http://www.recipezaar.com/MMs-Holiday-Poppers-14856

We call them Christmas Crackers. I am from England and they are a BIG English tradition. I don't think I have ever had a Christmas Dinner without them! LOL

If you're looking just for the bit that goes inside because you're making your own, you may want to look for "cracker snaps" (at least that's what they're called here in the UK!), I suspect a search for "Christmas Crackers" will get you a whole raft of the pre-made things but maybe not the inner bit for making them yourself.

Have fun!

They're called "Old English Christmas Crackers."

Here's a make-your-own!!!
http://www.oldenglishcrackers.com/ma...n-crackers.htm

Another vote for Christmas Crackers - poppers in our house were always the little plastic bottle things that you pull the strings and confetti streamers come out.

You guys are the best, thankyou.
I didn't know they were called Poppers. I found what I was looking for thanks to you all.
Jen

In Britain, they're just called Christmas Crackers. I remember my aunt bringing me back some as a child and I was instantly in love with them.

I also second the suggestion of ordering from www.oldenglishcrackers.com. I ordered from them to make crackers for my wedding (I put them on every table at the reception). They were a huge hit and the parts I bought there worked really, really well. I did not buy a kit, but I did buy the poppers/crackers (the part that makes the noise), the barrels, the hats (it was the only place in the U.S. I could find the correct hats), and the roller things that help you to roll them. The barrels they use are super sturdy too. I wrapped mine with wrapping paper, which worked out well. You need a fairly sturdy, yet flexible paper to wrap them. I made about a 100 of them and they were pretty darn easy to make. I had some help and we whipped them out in an afternoon.

Also, buy them now as they do tend to run out of some of the parts nearer to the holidays. I think I had to order some of my crackers (the popping part) elsewhere as they didn't have enough. I think I ordered those from Impress Rubber Stamps. Their (Impress) price was higher too.

I have always known them as Christmas Crackers. I have been making my own for several years now, and it is a lot of fun. If you want the get the "snaps", go to your local Michael's store. That's where I get mine, and this year they had the tissue hats to go in the crackers as well.

A few years ago I purchased some here. I got the ones that I could fill myself. I received excellent service but remember I had to buy them early to get them in time for Christmas.

hi Jen!
fancy meeting you here!

my twoonies worth.

I've gotten the 'popping stick thingies' at micheal's and at a couple of the better dollar stores.
they will often have the requisite paper crowns of tissue paper also.
the ones I found also had the lil joke/fortune slip too.
score!!!
go hit the dollar store for cute mini gifts like erasers aor charms or funny buttons etc...
We make them with toilet paper rolls ( cha-Cha-CHA- CHAR-MIN! right. )filled with little stampyhomemade things.-
last year I used an embossed image from cuttlebug that I also 'puzzle cut' with a CB diecut
everyone did it the kids put it together first of course
... the uncle's made a show of being "puzzle challenged"
hilarious! and the kids loved it!!!
another year, DS cut out little spacemen, also CB, with "have an outta this world christmas" as the theme.
Whatever he wants really
probably we will do car/truck theme next!!!
I'll hafta spin it somehow into something christmassy...
anyway,
then we roll the tp core in plain (or versamarked/stamped) tissue and holding the ends of the poppy thing out, twist the ends gently to make the "tootsie roll" shape
if you want to secure it a sparkly pipecleaner is fast and you can make a tag with the names or use stamped sticker label to keep it closed up.

then I bring them to christmas dinner in an "impressive" basket of craft prowess!

HTH! gL!

I saw these done for Halloween one year with what looked like toilet paper tubes and really cute Halloween napkins. The way I remember them I would have to say they probably used the M & M Holiday Poppers "recipe" mentioned above. They were adorable!