Maker record
Hermann
HERMANN-Coburg is a German maker of teddy bears and other plush toys, descended from the Hermann family’s toy business in Thuringia. The family began making teddy bears in Neufang in 1913; Max Hermann established his own bear company in 1920. After relocating to Coburg in 1953, the company continued producing bears and expanded into licensed character toys and event mascots. Its bear designs include traditional models stuffed with wood wool, alongside newer collector editions and replicas of earlier designs.
- Founded
- 1920
- Countries
- Germany
- Locations
- Neufang, Thuringia · 1920 · Sonneberg, Thuringia · Coburg, Bavaria · 1953
- Founders
- Max Hermann
The story of Hermann
On 24 October 1913, Arthur, Adelheid and Max Hermann began producing teddy bears in Neufang, Thuringia, under the name of their father, Johann Hermann’s toy factory. After Johann’s death in 1919, the siblings separated. In 1920 Max established an independent teddy-bear company in Neufang and soon moved it to Sonneberg, where he developed the business and shipped bears internationally. In 1933 he introduced the green triangle and “Bear with the Running Dog” marks to identify his bears.
After the postwar division of Germany placed Sonneberg in East Germany, Max moved with his family to Coburg in 1953 and rebuilt the plush-toy factory with his son Rolf-G. Hermann. The Coburg business made licensed Disney characters from 1975 to 1986, and Paddington bears from 1979 to 1982. It also produced the Waldi mascot for the 1972 Munich Olympics and the Tip and Tap mascots for the 1974 football World Cup. The company introduced personality bears in 1992 and a neck label based on its historic triangle mark in 1993. After Rolf-G. Hermann’s death in 1995, his children Ursula and Martin took over; the company’s current collection includes replicas of Max Hermann-era bears and newer designs.
