Art and play
Kunst und Spiel is a Munich specialist shop for toys, handicraft supplies and children's clothing founded in 1956 by Michael Peter . The business is considered a pioneer in the field of offering reform toys for end customers.
| Art and play | |
|---|---|
| legal form | GmbH |
| founding | 1956 |
| Seat | Munich |
| Branch | retail trade |
| Website | http://kunstundspiel.de |
history
founding
Michael Peter, the founder of art and play, had the impulse to bring together in one place and offer educational toys and other aesthetically designed things made of natural materials that were made all over the world. So initially an exhibition room was created on the 3rd floor of his old apartment in Georgenstrasse in the Schwabing district of Munich . Due to the great popularity, which was mainly from people who belonged to the Waldorf School, the Anthroposophical Society and the Christian Community, a small shop on the ground floor was opened 2 years later at the current address at Leopoldstraße 48.
The supply of educationally valuable wooden toys was very limited at the time. Although the impulses of Waldorf education led to extensive toy production as early as the 1920s and 1930s , this was replaced by the events of the World War and the triumph of plastic and plush toys at the end of the 1940s. The establishment of art and play went completely against the general trend.
Influence on Ostheimer
The company became particularly important when the traditional wooden toy manufacturer Ostheimer resumed production on the initiative of Michael Peters in 1959. This had a far-reaching influence on the cultural and market position of reform toys . Both companies continue to work closely together.
Expansion and mail order
In 1970 a book department was added with an extensive range of anthroposophical literature and children's books. From 1976 to 1998 there was a shipping department, which, according to the company, was "a widely used reference work for high-quality toys over the years" and was a model for many a mail-order catalog. In 1998 Heinz Hess took over the shipping department, which is now called “Livipur Kinder. Game. Versand GmbH " operates.
In 1985 a textile department for children and adults was opened. In 1995 Thomas Heck was the new managing partner, followed by Jens Uwe Bartsch in 2009. This resulted in extensive renovation work.
The range now includes high-quality wooden toys, children's clothing, handicraft supplies, wool, books and gift items.
Web links
- Art and Games website
- Art and Play Instagram Account
- Kimapa blog article about the company's 60th anniversary
Individual evidence
- ↑ 50 years of art and play - www.kinderkompass.de. Retrieved October 16, 2017 .
- ^ Waldorf Education Today: A Little History of Toys. Retrieved October 16, 2017 .
- ^ Art and Play: History. Retrieved October 15, 2017 .
- ↑ bio-markt.info (Ed.): Takeover of the shipping department from Heinz Hess . December 18, 2010 ( bio-markt.info [accessed October 15, 2017]).