Question: who wrote the original story of the nutcracker
Answer: `` The Nutcracker and the Mouse King '' ( German : Nussknacker und Mausekönig ) is a story written in 1816 by German author E.T.A. Hoffmann , in which young Marie Stahlbaum 's favorite Christmas toy , the Nutcracker , comes alive and , after defeating the evil Mouse King in battle , whisks her away to a magical kingdom populated by dolls .