Schleich

For the municipality in Rhineland-Palatinate, see Schleich, Germany.
Schleich
Industry Toys, Figurines
Founded 1935
Founder Friedrich Schleich
Headquarters Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany
Area served
 Worldwide
Products Smurfs, animals, knights, elves, dinosaurs
Owner Ardian
Number of employees
 250
Website Schleich website

Schleich is a German producer of handpainted toy figurines and accessories. The company is headquartered in Germany. The traditional market for Schleich products is Mainland Europe, with half their sales in Germany.[1] However, their toys are sold worldwide and are now becoming quite popular in the United Kingdom, Australia and North America, where the Schleich figures are available from Target, Meijer, Schleich Toy Store , Toys "R" Us, and also in the prestigious FAO Schwarz toy shop on Fifth Avenue.[2]

History

Schleich was founded by Friedrich Schleich in 1935. Its figurines were first released in the 1950s with the development, production and marketing of comic figurines such as Snoopy and The Smurfs. In the early 1980s they added animal figurines and Muppet characters to their range of products. Until the end of 2006, Schleich was a family-owned business. It was then taken over by the British investment company HgCapital,[3] who paid 165 million euro for an 80% share.[4]

Design, Production and Materials

The design of products and the creation of tooling is mostly in-house. Production is at the German headquarters and in production facilities in foreign countries, with the figures being hand-painted in China.[5] In 2006, Schleich had about 250 employees and a yearly sales figure of around 80 million Euro.[3]

Product Lines

The current line of figurines now encompasses animals, knights, dinosaurs, The Smurfs, pets, elves and the American frontier along with many accessories for each.

In May 2007, the new Elfen line was introduced. It features Southern and Northern Elfen in a battle of light and dark. In 2009 a story book about the elves was also published by Schleich. It had originally been released chapter by chapter on the company website.

Schleich headquarters in Schwäbisch Gmünd

Headquarters

Schleich is currently headquartered in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany

Notes

  1. ↑ Focus on Schleich
  2. ↑ Tagesspiegel on Schleich expansion
  3. 1 2 Playthings article on Schleich takeover
  4. ↑ HG Capital press release on the acquisition of Schleich
  5. ↑ Article on production of toys in China
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