In Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker, Fritz is the son of Town Council President Stahlbaum and his wife, and the brother of Clara, the heroine of the ballet (or Marie, as she is known in the original story entitled, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King). Fritz usually appears only in the Christmas party scene. In most productions, he either jealously or accidentally breaks the Nutcracker after Herr Drosselmeyer gives it to Clara, his goddaughter, as a present.