Inspired by an anniversary: 75 years of the Spielwarenmesse

Warm words on the occasion of the 75th anniversary, addressed by NürnbergMesse CEO Peter Ottmann to the organisers of Spielwarenmesse. The International Toy Fair in 1973 marked the opening of the then new exhibition centre. Since then, the world's leading trade fair has been held annually in Nuremberg – it has only had to be cancelled twice during the coronavirus pandemic. "Presence is the magic word. I am drawn to people, and I look forward to these encounters and conversations every year," Ottmann emphasised during his tour of the Spielwarenmesse.

Courage and foresight characterised the early days: in 1949, four entrepreneurs decided to launch a German trade fair for toys in Nuremberg – Carl Ehmann (Märklin), Ernst Theodor Horn (managing director of AG Spielwarenindustrie), Arno Drottboom (director of VEDES) and Hans Mangold (GAMA). Just one year later, 351 companies presented their new products at the premiere in and around the Wieseler Haus, while 4,300 buyers visited the stands. 

75 years between innovation and tradition

The 75th edition attracted 2,313 exhibitors from 68 countries and almost 60,000 visitors from 121 nations – further cementing the Spielwarenmesse's position as the world's leading trade fair.

Much is new, and some things have changed their name: the international word ‘toy’ has now become established: Toys for Kidults, Toy Community Meetup, Toy Business Forum, ToyNight and Toy City. New trends are being taken up by the industry, and new formats and networking opportunities are being established. ‘We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved for the great cooperation,’ says Christian Ulrich, spokesman for the board of Spielwarenmesse eG.

At the same time, the Spielwarenmesse is not only a driver of innovation, but also preserves traditions – because certain games and their manufacturers never go out of fashion. And so no fewer than 15 exhibitors from the very beginning were also represented with a stand at the anniversary edition. Companies with history, but also with stories. Three classic manufacturers – Ravensburger, Märklin and Haba – opened their archives for Sibylle Dorndorf from Spielwarenmesse eG and talked about their first appearance at the fair.

From the very beginning: Ravensburger, Märklin, Haba

Otto Julius Maier, father of the current Ravensburger CEO Clemens Maier, attended the first toy fair in 1950 at the age of 20: "Our stand was small, maybe 15 square metres in size. Today, it measures almost 1,200 square metres.‘ At the 1959 fair, Ravensburger presented a new type of card game: ’Memory", which is still known and loved around the world today.

Driving force behind new exhibition centre

NürnbergMesse also had reason to celebrate in 2024: 50 years since its official founding in 1974. At that time, the growing International Toy Fair was the driving force behind the decision to develop a new exhibition centre in Nuremberg. And in 1973 – virtually on the eve of its founding – the first event was held at the new exhibition centre in Nuremberg-Langwasser. With 52,000 square metres of exhibition space, there was room for the first time to organise the goods into logical groups.

At the opening of the 70th Spielwarenmesse in 2019, the long-standing partnership with NürnbergMesse was extended. ‘This fair is still light-hearted, carefree and full of spirit,’ says Peter Ottmann. ‘It sets trends, standards and benchmarks – even beyond the boundaries of the industry.’ As easy as it looks from the outside, it is difficult to maintain. Over the years, a number of consumer goods fairs in Germany and Europe have disappeared from the scene. Which brings Peter Ottmann back to thinking about the people: ‘It is the employees, the colleagues at board level, who make this fair so lively, multifaceted and surprising every year.’ The exhibitors agree: 90 per cent of companies plan to exhibit again at the next Spielwarenmesse at the beginning of February 2027.

One of the driving forces behind the internationalisation of the Spielwarenmesse was its founding member Carl Ehmann, then head of Märklin's Paris branch – successful in the model railway market segment. At the premiere in 1950, H0 gauge (1:87 scale) railways were presented, which were previously known as ‘00’ and were referred to as ‘half-zero’ from 1950 onwards. Incidentally, the legendary ‘Crocodile’ was new at the time as the CCS 800 model in ‘H0’ – it is still one of Märklin's best-known and most popular locomotive models today.

More catchy than the family name of founder Eugen Habermaass was the short form Haba, which became the brand name for high-quality wooden toys. In the early years, Haba exhibited wooden vehicles, wooden railways, wooden jewellery and weaving frames at the toy fair – and, of course, the popular wooden building blocks, which have continued to evolve over time and remain in the range to this day. The wooden duck with a string to pull proved to be a long-running favourite. This toy with its outstanding design celebrated its 70th birthday in 2024.