Schleich since 1946

In 1946, just after the dark years of the Second World War, Friedrich Schleich began making amusing little dolls from wire and wood, which he covered with soft velvet. Over the following 10 years, the Schleich family continued to grow, with new members being added all the time. By the mid-1950s, Friedrich could look out over a diverse family of no fewer than 70 different figures created to entertain children and the young at heart. In fact, several of the figures became genuine celebrities – including characters we still know today. Walt Disney, for example, adopted several of the figures into his famous animated universe, helping to inspire much-loved characters such as Bambi and Pluto. Since Friedrich started his brand in 1946, many different animals have been added, and today the Schleich play universe includes more than 600 individually designed and crafted figures. You’ll find everything from Smurfs to reindeer and many, many other animal figures, so there’s something to suit every taste and every kind of play.

Let their imagination run free

One of the most important things children should be allowed to do is express themselves creatively and use their imagination, both in play and in everyday life. This helps shape the little citizens of the world you may also have running around at home. Helping children develop their creativity and imagination is one of the key visions behind the many different Schleich animals. With their varied shapes and colours, the animal figures are also ideal for stimulating children’s senses.

If your child loves all the exciting animals, you can also explore the different sounds they make together. You can learn to say “moo” like a cow, “oink” like a pig and “meow” like a little kitten. You might even travel a little further from home and closer to the equator, where the wild animals of the savannah live. Here, lions roar and elephants trumpet through their large trunks. As you sit together with your little one, you could also have an exciting conversation about how animals live and where they can be found. Should little Tobias be afraid of meeting a crocodile in the garden? Or can he only meet them in cartoons and in the form of a cool crocodile figure?

To support conversations about animals, you could also take a look at our wide selection of books, including titles from Mammut and the Jungledrømme publishing house. We have children’s books about animals and wildlife, and you can use the lovely figures to make the stories even more lifelike. Alternatively, your child can play themselves to sleep with the fun animals while you tell them stories about their adventures.