Kellermann CKO

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Porsche 911,
model car by Kellermann CKO

Kellermann CKO was a German manufacturer of tin toys . The company was founded by Georg Kellermann in 1920 and was continued by his descendants Wilhelm and his son Helmuth until production was discontinued in 1979.

history

The founder of Kellermann CKO, Georg Kellermann (1881–1931), spent his apprenticeship and journeyman years in Nuremberg with the manufacturer of tin toys Karl Bub , where he found employment as a foreman after his journeyman's examination . Here he trained, among others, Johann Einfalt , who later founded the company "Gebrüder Einfalt Nürnberg (GEN) - Technofix" together with his brother. Soon after, Kellermann moved to the up-and-coming Johann Distlers company , “Distler KG”, as a foreman, where he was promoted to production manager.

In 1910 he founded his own company, in which he manufactured tin toys with all kinds of trick functions. The first series were simple printed tin toys, so-called Pennytoys ( German  penny toys ). Kellermann's products mostly came into circulation as promotional items, initially with simple small trains, fire brigades and pin-on figures. The company expanded into larger premises in 1914 (Bauerngasse 33, Nuremberg). In 1920 the "CKO" logo was introduced, which from now on all Kellermann articles were to wear. Besides the small cheap toy cars and locomotives CKO Kellermann presented to the mid-1920s and cartoon characters such as the billiard players or Grüßmännchen (serial number 234) ago. The United States and the United Kingdom were the main buyers of Kellermann's export production . In 1926 the company expanded again and moved to the new production facility in Nuremberg's Hessestrasse 5-7. In the mid-1920s, Kellermann also began manufacturing movement toys with winding mechanisms or spring mechanisms . This includes the “kicking goalie” with the number 231 or the “radio announcer” with the number 266, but also cars and military toys such as the tank with the number 292 from the second half of the 1920s. In 1935 the company produced the steam locomotive with the number 333. From that year on, Kellermann CKO focused on the production of military toys until 1939, so the production numbers from 338 to around 360 consisted mainly of tanks, uniformed motorcyclists, war planes or warships. The model of the KdF car also dates from this time .

After studying engineering at the Mittweida technical center , Georg Kellermann's son, Wilhelm "Willi" Kellermann, joined the company in 1929 as the person responsible for quality. After Georg Kellermann's death in 1931, Wilhelm Kellermann took over the chairmanship of the company's board of directors and in 1935, after the death of his father's partner , became the sole owner of the company, which soon had over 100 employees. Until 1939, the company mainly sold its products through wholesalers such as the Fürth toy wholesaler Moses Kohnstam ( Moko ) or department stores such as Hertie or Karstadt ; however, the products could also be found at fairs or at fair stalls.

During the Second World War , Kellermann had to stop the production of tin toys and instead start armaments production. Tin toy production continued during the first two years of the war, but was discontinued in 1942. The company facilities were badly damaged during the war years and the remaining stocks of tin toys, including manufacturing molds and tools, were plundered.

In the post-war period , production started again slowly. The first tin toys produced during this period were labeled "Made in US Zone Germany". Some of the pre-war products could still be manufactured into the mid-1950s, including the “tractor with trailer” (number 365) or the “Komet” aircraft (number 366) as well as the KDF-Volkswagen. Up until that time, the toys were almost exclusively lithographed , after which the products were coated with a varnish.

Helmuth Kellermann, the son of Wilhelm Kellermann, joined the company in 1958. From 1960, the manufacturer focused exclusively on the production of model automobiles . His roller blind series (scale 1:35) driven by friction motors was one of the defining tin toys of the post-war generation and made a significant contribution to the second high phase of Kellermann CKO . However, the company missed the timely switch to plastic toys and ultimately had nothing to oppose to Japanese competing manufacturers on the market.

Mercedes-Benz fire brigade turntable ladder - Former CKO - today: KOVAP replica made with Kellermann factory material

From the 1970s the company ran into financial difficulties and in 1978 it was renamed a limited partnership . When Kellermann stopped production in 1979, the company was the last manufacturer of German tin toy cars alongside Kienberger . The tools of the very last series were taken over by the Czech tin toy manufacturer KOVAP , which continues to produce the products as a CKO replica with the original molds and tools. Complete series of tin toys from Kellermann CKO can be seen in the Nuremberg Toy Museum.

literature

  • Gerhard G. Walter: Nuremberg tin toys. The unique mechanical toys from Georg Kellermann & Co. in Nuremberg from 1910 to 1979. Laterna Magica, Munich 1991.

Web links

Commons : CKO Kellermann  - Collection of images, videos and audio files