Maker record
Gescha
Gescha was a German toy maker based in Nuremberg. The Schmid brothers began by supplying parts to other toy makers and goods to wholesalers, then introduced toys under the Gescha trademark in 1933. Its products included military toys, mechanical tinplate vehicles, clockwork and mechanically controlled models, toy typewriters, tractors and trucks. After wartime toy production stopped, manufacture resumed in 1949. Later ranges combined plastic bases with tinplate bodies, reflecting changes in toy materials during the 1960s.
- Founded
- 1923
- Locations
- Nuremberg, Germany
- Founders
- Max Schmid · Ludwig Schmid
The story of Gescha
Brothers Max and Ludwig Schmid founded their toy business in Nuremberg in 1923. It initially supplied parts to other toy makers and goods to wholesalers. From 1933, the brothers sold their own products under the Gescha name, beginning with military toys. Max developed products and patents, while Ludwig managed the commercial side. Max patented the Junior children's typewriter in 1929; production began in 1936. The Express-Boy novelty toy followed in 1937, alongside clockwork models and vehicles with mechanical steering.
During the Second World War, Gescha was required to stop toy manufacture and make war goods. Production resumed in 1949, after much of the company's machinery had been confiscated. A transparent four-cylinder teaching engine appeared in 1953, followed by the Solido truck range in 1954. After Ludwig's death in 1955, Max continued the business alone. In the 1960s Gescha adopted mixed construction, using plastic for some bases and tinplate for bodies. Financial difficulties led to a sales and advertising partnership with Strenco in 1963 and the sale of Gescha to Strenco in 1965. Conrad took over Strenco and Gescha in 1971; the sources describe the brand's later use differently, so no end year is stated here.