News Navigation
News Navigation
News Navigation
Käthe Kruse is one of the best-known German toy brands and has stood for handmade dolls and high-quality fabric toys for over a century. The brand is closely associated with the desire to create toys that not only entertain children, but also support their imagination, creativity, and emotional development. To this day, Käthe Kruse is considered the epitome of traditional doll making and careful craftsmanship.
The company was founded in 1911 by Käthe Kruse in Bad Kösen. The starting point was a very personal concern: Käthe Kruse was dissatisfied with the dolls available at the time and wanted to create toys for her own children that looked more natural, were flexible, and were better suited to children's play. She then developed her own doll models, which deliberately dispensed with rigid porcelain heads and were instead made of fabric, wool, and other natural materials. These new dolls differed significantly from the models commonly available at the time and quickly gained popularity. Just a few years after the company was founded, Käthe Kruse dolls enjoyed great popularity, not only in Germany but also internationally. The combination of handcrafted production, child-friendly design, and high-quality materials became the brand's trademark.
The Käthe Kruse range includes classic play dolls, baby dolls, soft toys, grasping toys, and selected collectibles. The dolls with their hand-painted faces are particularly distinctive, deliberately designed to be understated to leave room for individual interpretation and role play. Clothing and accessories are functional, durable, and often interchangeable, which further enhances the play value. Typical features of Käthe Kruse products are:
Käthe Kruse - Play dolls + cuddly toys
Messe.TV meets Tobias Vorbach, Managing Director of Käthe Kruse, today at the Spielwarenmesse 2016 in Nuremberg. Presenter Klas Bömecke sets off to fi... Käthe Kruse - Play dolls + cuddly toys
From the very beginning, educational considerations have been a central part of the brand's philosophy. Käthe Kruse dolls are designed to encourage children to play freely, experience social roles, and form emotional bonds. The minimalist design means that there are no fixed rules about how a doll should be – instead, children's imaginations are actively engaged. This approach continues to distinguish the brand from many industrially manufactured toys and explains why Käthe Kruse is particularly highly regarded by parents, educators, and educational institutions.
Another important aspect is the responsible use of materials and production processes. Käthe Kruse traditionally relies on pollutant-free, durable, and as natural as possible raw materials. Handcrafted production not only ensures high quality, but also reparability and a long service life for the products. Even with its modern orientation, the brand remains true to its origins and combines traditional manufacturing processes with contemporary requirements for safety, sustainability, and design.
Today, Käthe Kruse stands for consistency in a fast-paced toy industry. The brand embodies a conscious counterpoint to short-lived trends and digital play concepts, focusing instead on tactile experiences, handcrafted quality, and timeless design. Käthe Kruse thus remains an integral part of German toy culture and a brand with special sentimental value—for children, parents, and collectors alike.
Trade fair reporting Germany - Trade fair knowledge, dates & events
