Goebel

F & W Goebel was founded in 1871 by Franz Detelff Goebel and his son William.

The company originally produced slates, slate pencils, and toy marbles, but by 1878 they had opened their first porcelain factory in Oeslau-Rödental, near Coburg.

In the early 20th century, the company introduced porcelain figurines. The most famous of these is the ‘Hummel’ range. These were introduced in 1935 when Sister Innocentia Hummel and the Convent of Siessen permitted Goebel to exclusively recreate these illustrations as porcelain figures. They were an instant success and are considered kitsch icons of the 20th century.

By 1950, the company was in negotiations with Walt Disney to produce Bambi figures. Such was the popularity of the Goebel figures range that in 1977 the Goebel Collectors’ Club was founded in the USA, which was a world first.

In 2006 the firm entered insolvency. The main company, W. Goebel Porzellanfabrik was acquired in 2007 by an investment company and production has continued under the name Goebel Porzellanmanufaktur GmbH. The Hummel subsidiary was sold in 2008 to Manufaktur Rödental.

Goebel has been part of the KM Kapital Group since 2010, along with Kaiser Porzellan.