Cincinnati Zoo unveils 24-foot-tall Fiona nutcracker for Festival of Lights

CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden is hosting its 40th annual Festival of Lights, and to celebrate the zoo unveiled a giant Fiona nutcracker.

>> PHOTOS: Cincinnati Zoo unveils 24-foot-tall Fiona nutcracker for Festival of Lights

The spectacle, placed at the zoo’s entrance, sits at 24 feet tall and 8 feet wide.

“This nutcracker is truly unique,” said Cincinnati Zoo’s vice president of marketing and visitor experience Chad Yelton.

The zoo says it took 12 people about 1650 hours to make the statue come to life.

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Fiona fans will soon be able to find hidden “Easter Eggs” on the nutcracker that are part of Fiona’s story.

Some of the hidden details include six slices of watermelon on her belt to represent Fiona being born six weeks pre-mature, and she also loves watermelon.

The nutcracker also has 29 buttons on her coat for her birthweight of 29 pounds, and Fritz, Fiona’s new little brother, is painted on her toenail.

“There are other items of significance on the structure, which is made of steel and fiberglass, but we’ll let people have fun finding those on their own,” said Yelton.

The zoo’s Festival of Lights kicks off November 18 and runs through January 8.

For more details, you can visit the zoo’s website.

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