Original Ostheimer

Thank you very much for supporting our work - and the values ​​we share with the world every day through our products and as a company - by purchasing an original
Ostheimer product. In doing so, you also encourage us to continue championing
high-quality, child-friendly, and ethically sound toys, as well as a fair, human-centered approach to business.

 Sibylle Engstrom

What does "Original Ostheimer" mean?

Only our wooden figures possess all the characteristics of Ostheimer originals:

  • First of all, there is the typical Ostheimer design – the very unique, simple yet artistic style developed by our founders more than 80 years ago that represents people, animals and trees as lively wooden toys. This particular style of toy design is recognized as “Ostheimer” around the world and enjoys great popularity. Because of this great popularity, we continue to see attempts to copy and sell wooden figures in a similar style.

  • For a long time, you were able to identify Ostheimer originals by the Ostheimer logo stamp that can be found on all of our figures. But for several years now, even our logo has been imitated and stamped onto copied figures - precisely because our logo is a symbol for quality and tradition. The tag label with detailed information about each of our products is still unique so far, but we have unfortunately learned that nothing is safe from forgery.

How can you recognize Ostheimer originals yourself?

We believe that you can answer the question "Original Ostheimer or not?" if you look closely, trust your own perception, and see whether or not you recognize and perceive the following characteristics in the wooden figures. Because we are convinced that these characteristics are reflected in the design of our products and can be experienced by interacting with our company:

Original Design

  • Ostheimer originals were created out of the deep conviction that children need beautiful, endearing images of people, animals and their environment to play with. And these figures should have a friendly and life-affirming demeanor and express respect for whomever they represent.

  • Ostheimer figures have a simple, child-friendly design, characterized by clear forms, which leaves room for children's imagination and encourages creative play.

  • Ostheimer figures are painted with harmonious colors using a glazing technique and subsequently treated with organic oils, allowing the natural raw material - wood - to be experienced in a variety of ways when holding the product.   
       
  • Ostheimer Originals are crafted using only carefully selected, high-quality materials; both the materials and the manufacturing process meet all toy safety standards - as well as our own high standards regarding responsibility and ethics.

Original Manufacturing

  • Our figures are carefully crafted by hand, step by step, with children in mind. We believe that children—and others, too—can sense the spirit infused into them by people acting with good intentions: from the initial design and production right through to distribution.

  • We deliberately avoid machine production, even though it would allow us to manufacture larger quantities and likely generate higher profits. We choose not to do so because it would fundamentally alter our products, stripping Ostheimer figures of the qualities we consider so vital: artistic design, human character, and warmth. Consequently, signs of machine manufacturing or exact uniformity in the figures serve as a key indicator that you might be dealing with imitations. After all, our handcrafted approach ensures that every single piece is unique.

  • ·Our figures have always been crafted from Central European woods sourced from sustainable forestry and are sold without outer packaging. Moreover, they are typically passed down from generation to generation.

Original Company

  • It is part of our company philosophy that we bear a special social responsibility - not only toward our own employees, but also toward society, the environment, and especially toward children. Accordingly, our business decisions and our social commitment are grounded in sincerity and appreciation for the world around us. Furthermore, our company has been foundation-managed since 2001, so that surpluses go toward social projects and thus toward the broader common good.

  • Companies that copy our products represent the exact opposite. They seek to enrich themselves off the ideas and the work of others, and the driving force behind their actions is quick profit.

Let's stay in conversation

If you are unsure whether or not a figure you bought or you were gifted is really an original Ostheimer figure, please contact us and send us a photo. You will definitely receive an answer from us and it’s important for us to know if counterfeits are being distributed.

In addition, we have provided a global overview of our distributors here. It lists all toy specialty stores or online portals that we supply either ourselves or through our trusted distribution partners abroad. We keep this data up to date as best we can, but we are also grateful for your feedback in case you encounter any discrepancies.

Please feel free to contact us at any time at kontakt@ostheimer.de if you have any questions or comments. Thank you for your interest and for helping to ensure that children continue to receive safe, high-quality, ethically made toys.