Feature: Toys as a cultural asset

By Sibylle Dorndorf

It was the subject of some conversation at the most recent Spielwarenmesse: toys making front-page news. The 2/25 edition of the Politik & Kultur newspaper devoted a multi-page feature to the topic of toys as a cultural asset. 

Over 13 pages, industry experts, academics, ludologists, market researchers, journalists, museum directors, toy retailers, game inventors and brand-name manufacturers gave their individual perspectives of various aspects to do with toys. The result is an interesting and revealing look behind the scenes of an industry that is yet to receive its due recognition from the realms of politics and culture. 

Toys and the value of play

The toy industry has Ulrich Brobeil to thank for the media attention it is currently receiving. As Managing Director of the German Association of the Toy Industry (DVSI), he has long been committed to increasing awareness of the importance of his sector in society, politics and culture. His intro to the Politik & Kultur feature is essentially a plea to have toys recognised as a vital part of politics, culture and society: “We show up, take a stand, practice diversity. By raising awareness of the importance of play through this feature in this publication, we want to take the opportunity to illustrate and emphasise the value of play in all of its facets. Play is not just a part of culture – it also creates culture. The history of human culture is therefore also a history of toys.” 

Toys have long been a product and a cultural asset

Olaf Zimmermann, Managing Director of the German Cultural Council and both publisher and editor-in-chief of Politik & Kultur, emphasises in his editorial for the feature that there is much more to toys than simply entertainment value. The industry has found an influential and insightful advocate in Zimmermann, who is a huge fan of science and experiment kits: “Toys are not just there to be played with. Toys are a product that is manufactured, traded and sold. Toy manufacturers have to assert themselves in a fiercely competitive market. The actual manufacturing mostly takes place in Asia, so matters such as respect for human rights, compliance with the Supply Chain Act, the handling of hazardous materials and more are of great importance to the toy industry, retailers and consumers. Toys are conceived and developed by designers, making this area of the toy industry a segment of the cultural labour market with a close link to culture. Clearly, toys are more than just a motif in the cultural world.” 

But what is a toy? What is their potential? Why do they play such a major role in the development and socialisation of children? Why are they so important for social integration and inclusion? And why are more and more adults playing? The authors who contributed to the feature answer these questions in their articles. 

Toys in dialogue with the world: what the authors have to say

We hope this glimpse into the featured content leaves you eager to learn more about the world’s most impressive and important products – and the people and companies behind them. Toys considered from the authors’ perspectives. In the order the articles appear in the “Toys as a cultural asset” feature.

Play as a natural law. Professor Dr Karin Falkenberg, Director of the Nuremberg Toy Museum, describes very vividly the fascinating history of toys: “Humans play from the cradle to the grave. We toy with ideas and wonder what would happen if...? Our ingenuity, our powers of imagination and visionary thinking, reveal new paths, making culture and human development possible. Theories of quantum physics are shining a light on the fact that all of nature is continuously engaged in play and with it the cosmos and every animal and plant. Play is therefore a primordial phenomenon of humanity and existence.” 

Informative facts and figures. Market researcher Joachim Stempfle, Executive Director Toys at Circana, addresses the topic through numbers: “With sales of EUR 4.4 billion in 2024, the toy market is an important industry in Germany and has proven itself comparatively stable in a challenging environment. The share of toys bought by people aged 18 and older in particular grew by more than 37 percent between 2019 and 2024. This clearly illustrates that many adults are increasingly using toy products for recreational purposes.”

More than just a pastime. Toy researchers and ludologists Dr Volker Mehringer and Professor Dr Jens Junge focus on the value of play as a means of dialogue: “One of the greatest strengths of play is also one of its greatest weaknesses: play is fun, entertaining and joyful. We can all easily recall happy childhood moments when we played with great excitement. But that creates a problem in the minds of many adults: how can something that is so much fun also be serious and important?”

Through a researcher’s gaze. Expert in child and youth research Axel Dammler, Managing Director of iconkids & youth, puts it clearly: “At the end of the day, sustainable production methods and beautiful designs alone will not cut it: toys are there to be played with. If they don’t meet this function, they won’t be a hit. That’s why our most important question is always directed at children, namely: and how do you play with it?” 

A fan of diversity. Specialist journalist Sibylle Dorndorf raises the sheer diversity of toys: “When children play, they never stop learning. Play is their main occupation for many a year and deserves to be taken seriously. The issue of blue or pink is a topic of a bygone era. Toys are diverse.” 

Playful approach to science. Heiko Windfelder, Publishing Director at Kosmos Verlag, is a big fan of STEM subjects: “Many people are worried about whether there’s a new generation of scientists coming through in Germany. It’s something with the potential to have a major impact on Germany’s success: it’s also in the interest of policymakers to give our children exciting ways to discover the world of science and thereby encourage them to work in related fields. After all, humanity and society have never faced greater challenges.”

Giants at 7.5 centimetres. Playmobil CEO Bahri Kurter is focused on the inclusive, smiling figures for which the brand is known: “Cultural and ethnic variety and diversity are a natural part of play. The Playmobil world is vibrant, featuring many different characters, roles and skin colours. By encouraging free, creative role-playing, we’re helping to create important opportunities for children to play together and develop their social skills.” 

Colours are for everyone. PR expert Friederike Bauer from toy company Kindsgut rejects the black-and-white (or pink/blue) narrative for toys and asks a legitimate question: “How free are children if certain colours and types of toys are already prescribed to them in their early years?” 

Persuasive reasoning. Horst Neidhard, Managing Partner of Gebr. Faller GmbH and spokesperson for the Wir Modellbahner DVSI group for model railway enthusiasts, is a qualified lawyer. He makes the case for the emotive appeal of model railways for men and women of all ages: “We see fathers, sons and grandsons brought together by this shared interest. This traditionally male hobby is then transformed into a family undertaking when building a model railway. The female members of the family get involved, and are keen to design a miniature world that is rich in details. Instead of simply reproducing a scene, the activity becomes an emotive and creative process.” 

They just want to play. Stefan Will, Managing Director of Nuremberg-based comic and manga universe Ultra Comix, is a professed kidult and an expert in what appeals to “nerds and geeks”: “The people who grew up during the 1980s and 1990s are now working adults, but they’ve not lost their enthusiasm or excitement for the heroes of their youth. Now they have the financial means to buy products they could never have afforded with their pocket money.”

In the beginning was the brick. Jan Sturm, Brand Relations Manager with Lego GmbH, transports us into the past and present of the Lego Group: “Children live in an increasingly digital world. The Lego Group recognised early on that digitalisation was opening up new ways for children to play and experience stories. Products such as Lego Super Mario combine traditional Lego bricks with interactive figures that come with sensors and an app. Players can build something and have a digital adventure.”

The allure of football remains undiminished. Mathias Mieg, Managing Director of Tipp-Kick GmbH, provided answers to questions from Barbara Haack, Managing Editor of Politik & Kultur: “We put so much heart and soul into our product. In the course of my career, I’ve found we get an amazing amount of positive feedback. Like: “You guys are still around.” And: “Keep it up!” Or: “The only way I can get my kid off his phone is with Tipp-Kick.” 

Is media interest in toys just a passing phase? Timo Kotowski, Business Editor at the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper, believes the toy industry will continue to draw more attention: “There’s so much interest in toy coverage right now. This is regularly reflected in higher traffic to online articles. Industries that we generally think of as being on the margins of the economy can sometimes take centre stage – often for positive reasons. When it comes to public perception, this industry has a strategic advantage looked on with envy by businesses in other sectors.”

“Form follows function” is not enough for him. Markus Utomo, a trained designer of games and educational content, sees the big picture: “At the end of the day, toy design is about more than just products. It’s about motivating people to act in a playful way – by choice and with enthusiasm and curiosity. Play is not just something for kids. It’s a universal method for learning, growing and connecting, at every stage of our lives.” 

He has a licence to play. Werner Lenzner, Senior Licensing Manager with the Simba Dickie Group, knows all about the importance of licences for success in the toy sector: “Especially in a fiercely competitive market, the use of licences offers significant advantages when it comes to grabbing consumer attention. Licences not only have the potential to drive sales, but also have a positive impact on product development, play value and customer retention.” 

Championing fair working conditions in production. Steffen Kircher is working for the Fair Toys Organisation and is concerned with transparency and credibility: “The Fair Toys Organisation was founded in 2020 to improve the conditions in global supply chains in the toy manufacturing sector. Members from the toy industry, civil society and municipalities work together on promoting fair working conditions and ensuring companies assume social and environmental responsibilities.” 

A publicist and a Playmobil fan talk toys: Oliver Schaffer, a former musical performer and casting expert for shows on cruises, speaks with publicist Ludwig Greven: “At some stage, I began creating worlds using Playmobil. Then the fantasy world I’d created in my parents’ attic ended up in a large Playmobil anniversary exhibition in Speyer. I took a week’s holiday and built my Circus Oliver there. It was so well received that it was subsequently exhibited in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs at the Louvre in Paris.”

Christian Ulrich, trade fair organiser and Spokesperson of the Executive Board of Spielwarenmesse eG, is responsible with his colleagues on the board for the largest playroom on the planet. Ulrich knows that trade fairs are the driving force of the toy industry, especially the world’s leading trade fair for toys in Nuremberg: “Trade fairs showcase innovation. Another thing that makes them essential is that they allow people to experience trends and new products with a range of senses and benefit from face-to-face networking, which is increasingly important. Retailers can add to their range and find new suppliers, exhibitors receive instant feedback from trade partners and industry experts have an opportunity to identify trends, establish new connections and meet old acquaintances. Trade fairs therefore also provide important impetus for product development, marketing and the strategic direction of exhibitors: they function as a barometer of the economic situation and the level of innovation in the industry.” 

The game inventors and the lighthearted journalist. Inka and Markus Brand in an interview with Peter Neugebauer: “You’re very fortunate if your professional life involves bringing enjoyment to other people in their leisure time. Obviously, it’s still work – creativity doesn’t just happen at the flick of a switch and inspiration won’t always strike sometime between nine and five on a workday. But I’m not giving out about it. We love what we do.”

Barbara Fehn-Dransfeld, “cuddle agent” and CEO of HEUNEC Plüschspielwaren, is playing an active role in helping to shape the future of the toy industry: “We’ve been training toymakers in our company since 2018. We currently have three apprentices in this trade. It’s crucially important for the toy industry that we offer such apprenticeships. This will ensure we have trained specialists who are able to develop and produce innovative and safe toys.”

The final word belongs to Olaf Zimmermann. The Managing Director of the German Cultural Council and publisher of the Politik & Kultur newspaper has been playing a prominent role in energising the toy industry’s image. After all, as a Homo ludens (or “playful man”) and professed kidult, he knows the manifold dimensions of play: “I was fascinated by science and experiment kits as a child, and I still have that feeling to this day. I love to reproduce chemical reactions on a small scale in a chemistry lab or build a radio or computer. I do find it sad, however, that today’s kits are not nearly as dangerous as they were back in my day, when what you made really stank or even exploded. You had to be careful, but the experiments were often spectacular...Now I still play a few rounds of the legendary Bubble Bobble on my old Commodore 64. You’re never too old to play.”

To play is to learn. To learn is to live. To live is to play. 

About the author

Sibylle Dorndorf has been covering the toy industry for almost 30 years. The journalist last worked as the editor-in-chief at the TOYS family of magazines of the Göller Verlag publishing house from Baden-Baden, Germany. Her passion: Companies that reinvent themselves; brands that credibly position themselves; people who have something to say; and products with a future.