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Germany Toy Manufacturers
A complete guide to 23 historic and current German toy manufacturers. Germany played a defining role in toy-making history — explore each company's founding, toys, and legacy.
23 manufacturers listed.
Arnold Company
Arnold is a venerable Nuremberg toy house that produced tin clockwork toys in the early 20th century before specializing in the hi…
Distler (J. Distler & Co.)
J. Distler produced high-quality lithographed tin clockwork and battery-operated toys including cars, gas stations, and mechanical…
Dux (Merzig Toy Co.)
Dux produced German construction toys and tin novelties. Their Astroplast construction kit — an early flexible plastic rod-and-soc…
Einfalt (Gebruder Einfalt)
Gebruder Einfalt (known by the trademark 'Technofix') produced colorful lithographed tin clockwork toys including roller coasters,…
Ernest Lehmann
The founder's name was Ernst Paul Lehmann, not Ernest, and this record describes the same firm as the Lehmann (Ernst Paul Lehmann)…
GAMA (Georg Adam Mangold)
GAMA was a significant Nuremberg-area tin toy manufacturer known for high-quality lithographed tin clockwork cars, trucks, and tra…
Gebruder Bing
At its peak, Bing was the largest toy company in the world, employing thousands in Nuremberg. The company produced extraordinary l…
Gebruder Fleischmann
Fleischmann has been producing model trains for over 130 years. Known for exceptional HO and N scale craftsmanship, Fleischmann tr…
Gebruder Maerklin / Märklin
Märklin is among the most prestigious toy companies ever founded. Its 1891 sectional-track clockwork railway established the idea …
George Carette
Georges Carette, a Frenchman operating in Nuremberg, produced some of the finest tin toys of the Edwardian era. His clockwork auto…
Gescha
Gescha produced lithographed tin and later die-cast toy vehicles in the postwar era, with a particular emphasis on German car mode…
J.L. Hess
One of the oldest toy companies in Nuremberg, J.L. Hess produced clockwork tin trains and pull-along toys across more than a centu…
Karl Bub
Karl Bub was a long-running Nuremberg toy company known for high-quality lithographed tin toys including clockwork cars, trains, a…
Kellermann (CKO)
Kellermann (known by the brand CKO) produced delightful lithographed tin clockwork novelty toys including motorcycles, cars, and a…
Lehmann (Ernst Paul Lehmann)
Ernst Paul Lehmann produced delightfully whimsical tin clockwork toys exported worldwide, known for clever mechanical actions and …
Lineol
Lineol was a major competitor to Elastolin in the German composition figure market. Their highly detailed 7.5cm-scale military fig…
Meier (Johann Philipp Meier)
Johann Philipp Meier was a prolific producer of the beloved 'penny toys' — tiny, inexpensive tin toys sold for a penny at fairs an…
O. & M. Hausser (Elastolin)
Hausser pioneered the composite 'Elastolin' material (sawdust, kaolin, glue) figure. Their highly detailed figures of soldiers, co…
S.G. Gunthermann
Gunthermann produced high-quality clockwork tin toys for nearly a century, becoming one of Nuremberg's most distinguished toy hous…
Schuco
Schuco (Schreyer & Co.) produced some of the most sophisticated clockwork tin toys ever made. Their miniature cars with working st…
Steiff
Margarete Steiff founded her company making stuffed felt elephants before her nephew Richard Steiff designed the first jointed stu…
Technofix (Gebruder Einfalt)
Technofix was the trade name of Gebruder Einfalt, producing some of the most charming lithographed tin clockwork toys of the postw…
Tipp and Company
Tipp & Co. produced lithographed tin toys including military vehicles, aircraft, and ships widely exported before and after WWII. …