Wagner wrote a book, The Art and Character of Nutcrackers, which discusses 1,000 pieces from the museum.

[1][2] Wagner (born 1925)[3][4] founded the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum with her husband George in 1995,[5][6] as a non-profit organization.

[3] Wagner had previously worked as a ballet instructor, and supervised productions of The Nutcracker.

[5][7][8] The museum's website notes, "just as Clara in the ballet became entranced with the wooden figure with the big teeth, so did Arlene.

[9] The museum's building is of a Bavarian style and is of an area of 5,000 square feet; Wagner came to be known as "the Nutcracker Lady".

"[25] In December 2009, Wagner and her museum were featured on the "Sunday Morning" program of CBS News.

[26] Wagner observed, "they took pictures and asked questions – everything from the nutting stones that are supposedly from 4,000 to 8000 years old, clear up to the modern ones.

"[14] She noted of the CBS crew, "They were very interested in the old ones, and how the 'Nutcracker' ballet influenced the collecting of nutcrackers in America.

[10][27] On his website, O'Brien had arranged an online survey of potential first guests with Wagner being listed on the website among candidates including Jack Nicholson, Pope Benedict XVI, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Vladimir Putin, and the Sultan of Brunei.

[10][28][29][30] During the poll, O'Brien posted to his Twitter account, "If the Nutcracker lady wins, I'm in trouble.

"[10] Wagner stated she intended to present O'Brien with a gift of an Irish nutcracker from her collection.

"[9] Wagner's work is used as a reference in the book Nutcracker Nation by Jennifer Fisher.