The collections of the German Historical Museum

The toy collection of the German Historical Museum was established as a separate section within the collection of Popular Culture in 1992. The former East German Museum of German History had classified toys by epoch. The old inventory – mainly pieces from the second half of the 19th century as well as East German toys – consisted of about 500 objects, which were often bestowed upon the museum as gifts.

Today the collection has approximately 2,500 pieces, concentrating on World War I and the Third Reich. Here objects can be found that – impressively and frighteningly – illustrate the ideological influence toys had on children. Equally impressive are a number of so-called "Emergency-production-toys" that were manufactured shortly after the end of World War II.

Toys from East as well as from West Germany, both of which are still being collected, exist in representative samples and thus illustrate the differences and similarities between the two parts of Germany.

Apart from the widespread and popular mass products, like the toy theaters of the turn of the century, the collection also holds valuable rarities, e.g. a set of inlaid tokens from the early 17th century.
[Carola Jüllig - 23. Mai 1995]

Have a look at the archive.