Ah but SSK, that would have been quite legitimate in 2002. Then, there was nothing preventing you taking christmas crackers in your carry on baggage. In fact airlines could provide a christmas cracker to each passenger if they so wished. These rules are dynamic and evolve, and it is only in the last few years that some airlines have changed to prohibit carriage in the cabin, but permissable in retail packaging in the hold.
Further to my answer to Genghis above the information I provided was airline specific and
Miles has give you a better reference, which as you can see does allow carriage in retail packaging either in the hold or in the cabin.
Christmas crackers. Provided the Christmas crackers are in their original retail packaging, they may be carried by passengers. Check with your airline as some airlines have decided not to allow the carriage of crackers. (See below for party poppers.)