Parthenia

Parthenia
Type	Magical Kingdom
Ruler	King Eric's Father (deceased; formerly) Mouse King (temporarily) King Eric (currently)

Parthenia, also known as the Land of Sweets or Land of Candy is a magical kingdom ruled over by King Eric. It first appears in Barbie in the Nutcracker.

Story

For most of the movie, Parthenia is ruled over by the Mouse King. Clara and Eric go through a portal from Clara's world to Parthenia in search of the Sugar Plum Princess so they can reverse spells that the Mouse King put on them. The portal is blue and has white and purple lights in it. Inside, it quickly transports whoever goes into it to another place. There is more than one exit in the portal, and Clara and Eric go through one that leads to the ice cave.

Description

Parthenia is a large, slightly Alpine kingdom which is bordered by a mountain range (the Palace of Sweets sits atop one of these mountains), the ice caves and the Sea of Storms. Normally, it's a beautiful place - Clara says she's "never seen a sky so blue" - but the Mouse King seems intent on destroying it. Still, the kingdom seems to retain some of its natural beauty. Its fields are covered with green grass and its trees (which smell like peppermint) are still standing. In fact, some of the trees are large enough for a whole room to be built inside them. The smaller trees appear to be pine trees, adding to the alpine feel of the place. The snow in Parthenia isn't cold and floating rocks, like the floating stepping stones, appear to be common.

Society and Culture

In Parthenia, the faeries and giant mice co-exist alongside the human inhabitants. The faeries are an accepted part of society and presumably have some control over the land ("probably off to make a blizzard somewhere", the Nutcracker says about the Snow fairies). In fact, since the flower faeries can grow plants, they probably provide an important role in the kingdom's ecosystem.

While the giant mice are much more hostile than the faeries, they appear to be an accepted part of life in Parthenia. The sheer amount of them says a lot, and since the Mouse King had enough social status to become the former king's advisor, he and his species probably weren't strangers to the kingdom. Whether they were always as dangerous as they are during the Mouse's reign isn't clear.

Not all citizens of Parthenia share the same lifestyle. For instance, Peppermint Girl and Gingerbread Boy both wear considerably nicer outfits than the other subjects. Some of the people build houses out of gingerbread, but since we see no other houses and the Palace of Sweets is built out of stone, it's not sure if that's just one village. The mere presence of Major Mint and Captain Candy suggests the kingdom had its own army, although what happened to the rest of the soldiers is never explained.

The people of Parthenia usually carry farming tools which can be used as weapons, such as spears and pitchforks. They also seem to have carriages, although where they keep them during their time in the Treetop Village is unclear. Only one of them is given a name: Masha, a woman who takes care of Peppermint Girl and Gingerbread Boy after Clara and the Nutcracker are brought in for questioning. It is also safe to assume that they are the last of their population (Major Mint explains that he's protecting "what's left of our subjects"). They are later persuaded to stand up to the Mouse King, but are caught and turned into stone. This, like the rest of the Mouse King's spells, is reversed when Clara becomes the Sugar Plum Princess.

The map of Parthenia from the book Barbie Princess Tales: The Essential Guide.

Parthenians cheering at the end of the Mouse King's rule.

Residents

Masha, the kind-hearted woman who took care of both Gingerbread Boy and Peppermint Girl. She sometimes acts as a motherly figure to children in Treetop Village

• Masha: is a character from Barbie in the Nutcracker. She lives in Parthenia and is asked by Major Mint to care for Gingerbread Boy and Peppermint Girl, because he doesn't trust Clara and the Nutcracker. She appears when Clara and the Nutcracker are taken in for questioning ("come, children," Major Mint says, gesturing to her, "Masha will take care of you"). It's probably safe to assume she's a maternal figure or babysitter amongst the villagers, since the children are supposed to stay with her until Clara gets back. Masha never speaks and doesn't make any other appearances. Masha is one of the older villagers, dressing in a way which is slightly different than that of the other women. Physically, she resembles the maid that works at the the Drosselmayer home.

• Other residents include Major Mint, Captain Candy, Peppermint Girl and Gingerbread Boy.

Places of Interest

• Barren Valley: is an area of the kingdom of Parthenia that appears on the map of Parthenia. It is situated at the bottom of the mountain on top of which the Palace of Sweets can be found, separated from the mountain only by the floating island on the map, and is between the stepping stones and the lush valley. As suggested by its name, the valley appears to be a wasted, almost barren land where no one lives and only dead trees can be found.

• Floating Stepping Stones: The stepping stones are the first obstacle Clara and the Nutcracker run into as part of the "Sugar Plum Princess expedition". In an attempt to prove his authority, Major Mint insists they cross them, putting the other people at risk in the process. The stepping stones were, at one point, part of an actual bridge. The bridge was presumably destroyed by the Mouse King, leaving only this uneven line of floating rocks (the fact that no one seems fazed by the floating rocks suggests that such things are common in Parthenia). The rocks themselves aren't very stable and great care has to be taken when crossing them. They cross a deep ravine with a stream at the bottom. Later on, after Clara has broken the Mouse King's enchantments, the stepping stones become a bridge once again.
  

  
• The Gingerbread Village: It is a location in Barbie in the Nutcracker. It is one of the first places Clara and the Nutcracker visit upon their arrival in Parthenia. When they reach the village, the Nutcracker says that he "had no idea things had gotten this bad". He could be indicating that he thought the Mouse wasn't bad enough to attack an inhabited village or, possibly, that this village was too far away to be in any real danger. Either way, the Gingerbread Village is in a state of disrepair and its only remaining inhabitants are Peppermint Girl, Gingerbread Boy and Marzipan. The most obvious thing about the Gingerbread Village is the fact that, as its name suggests, the houses are made out of gingerbread and various other sweets. Unfortunately, this makes them highly edible and the Mouse King's army seems to have taken to using it as a food source. They are seen shortly after the Nutcracker and Clara's arrival, towing a train of carts loaded with items from the village. It is possible they drove the people out solely for that purpose, since (according to Peppermint Girl) the Mouse King's army is the reason the village is now uninhabited.
  

  
• The Ice Cave is a location from Barbie in the Nutcracker. It is an enormous stone cave on top of snowy mountains. Its walls are covered with solid ice and its surfaces are covered with thick snow. The ice cave is located at the southwestern most point of Parthenia, or the Land of Sweets, and it has no confirmed inhabitants (though it is possible that snow faeries may reside here). The outside of the ice cave has stone steps which lead into the Gingerbread Village. After stepping through a mouse hole in Clara's parlor, Clara and the Nutcracker are transported to the ice cave through a portal which connects Clara's home to Parthenia. They slide down the cave walls and have a soft landing on the snow-covered ground, but the Nutcracker's arm falls off. Clara gives it back to him. After a gust of wind, a young snow faery flies to Clara as a blue spark. She shows herself to Clara, intrigued by her. The fairy tries to pull Clara by her sleeve so she can follow her, but the fairy loses her grip and accidentally flies into the Nutcracker's hard chest, crumpling her wing. Clara offers to help the fairy by straightening her wing, and the fairy becomes happy again and flies away. The Nutcracker notices that she didn't say "thank you", but moves on to trying to find a way out of the cave. He stabs the icy wall but only scratches it. There is another gust of wind and it begins to snow as blue sparks float in the air, turning into adult snow fairies. They dance elegantly for Clara, leaving blue sparkles as they move. They do synchronized dancing as the younger snow fairy tries to copy them. The little fairy tries to get Clara to dance as well, but Clara gets embarrassed. The snow fairy is disappointed that Clara wouldn't dance, but she gets distracted by the flawless dancing of the other fairies. The fairies fly together to push the Nutcracker towards Clara and then they fly together again for a big finale: they fly into a wall and use their magic to make an opening in the cave to the rest of Parthenia. The Nutcracker jokes that the dance was the "thank you" to Clara for fixing the little fairy's wing. The fairies have disappeared, and the Nutcracker suggests that they may have gone to make a blizzard somewhere. The Nutcracker and Clara walk towards the cave mouth, and, as Clara steps closer to the cave entrance, flowers grow and bloom instantly underneath her footprints. They leave the ice cave to go to the Gingerbread Village.
  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  
• The lush valley is an area of the kingdom of Parthenia that appears on the map of Parthenia. It is situated not far from the sea and it is near the Sugar Plum Island, between the sea, the floating stepping stones and the barren valley. As suggested by its name, the valley is a luxurious land made out of fruit trees, especially apple trees.
  

  

  The Nutcracker holding an apple and Clara
• Palace of Sweets: It is a location from Barbie in the Nutcracker. It is the Mouse King's main hideout until the end of the movie, where it is the location for the victory celebrations. The Palace of Sweets is located right at the top of one of the highest mountains in Parthenia. It is an excellent defensive position since no attackers can sneak up on it. It is a large castle with an enormous tower at its center. It is surrounded by high walls and it boasts an enormous courtyard. During the Mouse's reign, the Palace is colored in dingy shades of gray and purple. However, once Clara defeats his spells, these colors are replaced by bright shades of pink and yellow.
  
• Throne Room: The throne room was presumably used by Eric's family in earlier days. However, in the movie, it is the Mouse King's base of operations. He spends most of his time sitting on the immense throne in the center of this room. To his left are a table and a bust of himself. To the right is a desk on which a map of Parthenia is normally placed. The throne and these items sit atop a raised platform at the back of the room. A red carpet stretches across the tiled floor, leading to the Mouse's throne. The room is surrounded by pillars and features windows looking out onto a dismal courtyard (featuring many victims of the magic scepter). The room also contains various places for the Mouse to store his petrified victims, such as a cupboard for "paperweights".
  
• Dungeon: The Nutcracker, Major Mint and Captain Candy are taken here after falling for one of the Mouse King's traps. It's a small, circular room with no furniture in it.

• The Courtyard: It is the place where the Nutcracker has his final battle with the Mouse King, as well as the location for the victory celebrations. It is a huge courtyard. Leading off from this is a similarly paved path which stretches across the lawn to a gate in the castle walls.
  
• Unnamed Rooms: Since the Palace of Sweets is so huge, it is presumed that there are a lot of rooms there which just aren't seen. For instance, in one scene, the Mouse King mentions the Royal Library - however, he has the books brought to him in the throne room. There also appears to be some kind of docking station on the edge of the castle. Clara uses it when the fairies bring her to rescue the Nutcracker and the other people. However, it is never specified what this is traditionally for.

• Sea of Storms: It is a location in Barbie in the Nutcracker. It is located in the kingdom of Parthenia, and it is infamous for being extremely dangerous. Only magic can allow people to cross the sea. The Sugar Plum Island is separated from the rest of Parthenia by the sea. The snow faeries froze the sea, so Clara and her friends could go over it with Marzipan and her sleigh, but the Nutcracker cracked the ice so that the rock giant chasing them would fall through. The rock giant fell through the ice and Clara and her friends got away, but the further out to sea they got, the foggier it was.

• Sugar Plum Princess's Island: It is a location in Barbie in the Nutcracker. By legend, it is where the Clara resides. It lies across the Sea of Storms, and so, because everyone thought the sea was impossible to cross, no one knew it existed. When Clara, the Nutcracker, Major Mint and Captain Candy crossed the Sea of Storms with Marzipan, they reached the Sugar Plum Princess' Island. They explored it until they found her castle. However, it was not her real castle, and it was only a trap. Inside the fake doors, bats were waiting to drop a cage onto Clara and her friends so they could bring them to the Palace of Sweets and imprison them. Clara stayed behind because she was in thought, so she was left behind on the island with Marzipan when the men were kidnapped in the cage. The flower faeries found Clara, and they took her to the Palace of Sweets to save them. The island is large and beautiful and has tall pine trees of different colors, such as purple, orange and green. There are pink pathways and the grass is bright green and healthy. There are grassy cliffs and trees with silver and gold fruit growing on them.
  

  

  A view of the island from far.

  

  A view of the shore.

  

  When the group first reaches the island.

  

  One of the stranger trees, growing silver and gold fruit.

  

  A close up view of a tree.

  

  Walking on the pink pathway to the princess' "castle".

  

  Pink steps to the princess' "castle".

  

  The broken pathway to the fake castle.

  

  Some trees in the background of the cage.

  

  The fake interior of the castle.
• Treetop Village: It is a location in Barbie in the Nutcracker. Clara and the Nutcracker visit it during the film, after they are rescued by Major Mint and Captain Candy. The Treetop Village is situated high above the forest floor and can only be reached by a rope ladder. It is constructed around Parthenia's immense trees, which are so large a whole room can be made inside them. The village is a refuge for the villagers who lost their homes when the Mouse King's army destroyed them. It is presumably quite large, yet all we see of it during the film is a large platform, in which there is a huge hole where the ladder is dropped, and two rooms. The first room is an office used by Major Mint and Captain Candy. The second room is a bedroom used by Peppermint Girl and Gingerbread Boy. Clara and the Nutcracker are brought into this room to be interrogated. It is situated inside one of the trees. Several items of furniture appear to be wooden, too. The table, for instance, is made from a tree stump. There are plenty of wooden boxes lying around, too. However, there don't appear to be any chairs. The room is lit by at least one oil lamp. The walls are covered with maps, some smaller than others (the largest one appears to be taller than the men who look at it). There is one on the table which is almost identical to one used by the Mouse King, which is surrounded by pots and cups. The bedroom used by the two children is similar to Major Mint's and Captain Candy's office in that it is situated inside one of the trees. All we can see of it is a wooden double bed, which the children have to share. There is a light source, presumably an oil lamp.