Petitcollin
Petitcollin is the toy brand of the French company "Toys Petitcollin".
The company, based in Étain , Département Meuse , is the last French company that still produces traditional dolls, baby dolls and floats (a waterproof doll). Even the plastic version of the Petit Colin float, the production of which began around 1924–26, is still in production today. Petitcollin is the oldest and last French doll factory still in operation in France. As such, the company also received the "company by the Living Heritage" label in 2007.
history
At the end of the 19th century, Nicolas Petitcollin became aware of Zellhorn and developed a greater interest in this material. In 1901 the brand name "Adlerkopf" was registered. The eagle's head became the symbol of the "Maison Petitcollin" (French: the home of Petitcollin), which has persisted to this day. The company has also been listed on the Paris Stock Exchange since November 12, 1906. Since there are no surviving documents, it is speculated that the first toys from the Petitcollin company were balls and rattles . It appears that the production of dolls did not begin until 1912. The factory in Étain was completely destroyed during the First World War. In the inter-war period , the Petitcollin company was on the way to becoming the leading French toy manufacturer.
Around 1924/26 the company launched the "Petit Colin" swimmer, a doll that can be taken into the water. The company decided to specialize the factory in Étain in the manufacture of resin products. With the discovery of polyester resin in 1961, Petitcollin became the first French company to start producing protective helmets .
In the early 1980s, company founder Nicolas Petitcollin was still making hair combs from horn, in Étain in the Meuse department . The company only moved its headquarters to Paris in 1984. The company was bought by Vilac in 1995 and has been operating under the name SARL "Toys Petitcollin" (French: Toys Petitcollin) ever since. Hervé Halgand and Yvan Lacroix have taken over the management of the company.
The Petitcollin factory has been organizing public tours for children and adults since 1998. In this way, the company's long-term knowledge is passed on and the company's long history is clearly illustrated. A museum showing the company's products and history was opened in September 2009.
On October 19, 2009, the French Post issued a collection of dolls stamps, including a stamp depicting a swimmer.
