In Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Steadfast Tin Soldier,” twenty-five toy soldiers are made from the same old tin spoon.
The twenty-fifth soldier is distinctive because he has only one leg. The tin runs out before his second leg can be completed, yet he stands as steadily as his brothers. He falls in love with a paper ballerina who appears to stand on one leg as well.
The soldier’s adventures include falling from a window, traveling through a paper boat, and being swallowed by a fish. He eventually returns to the home where the ballerina lives, although the ending is tragic when both are thrown into a fire.
Andersen published the tale in 1838. The precise number of soldiers is an easy detail to overlook, especially because adaptations may change the toy collection or omit the opening scene.