Princess Pirlipat, daughter of a king and queen, fell victim to a curse placed by the Mouse Queen, Madam Mouserinks. Seeking revenge after the king ordered traps to kill her children for eating royal sausage lard, Mouserinks transformed Pirlipat into a hideously ugly figure: possessing a huge head, a wide grinning mouth, and a cotton-like beard resembling a nutcracker.

Breaking the curse required Pirlipat to eat the kernel of the legendary Krakatooth nut (Crackatook), cracked by a young man never shaved nor booted since birth. This man had to hand her the kernel blindfolded and then take seven steps backward without stumbling. After years of searching, the nut and the suitable man—Drosselmeyer's nephew—were found. Many princes and noblemen shattered their teeth attempting to crack the hard nut, but Drosselmeyer's nephew succeeded. Pirlipat consumed the kernel and regained her beauty.

Tragically, during the crucial seventh backward step, Drosselmeyer's nephew stepped on Madam Mouserinks and stumbled. The curse then passed to him, warping him into a nutcracker. Upon seeing his grotesque new form, Pirlipat immediately refused to marry him as promised and banished him from the castle, showing ingratitude for his role in restoring her.

Her story, a component of "The Nutcracker," stands in contrast to protagonists demonstrating loyalty and compassion beyond appearances, highlighting Pirlipat's privileged nature and entitlement through her shallow rejection of the nutcracker prince despite his sacrifice.