Vintage Doll Collecting - Engel-Puppen Doll Company

Engel-Puppen has been in business for more than 100 years. It is the oldest doll factory at its location in Roedental, Bavaria, Germany.

The Engel-Puppen dolls produce almost any type of doll from small playable vinyl dolls to decorative dolls in original German costumes, from nostalgic collectible dolls to valuable artist dolls made of porcelain in limited editions. The company also produces a large variety in doll clothes and accessories. One very important fact about the Engel-Puppen doll lines and accessories is that they are all made in Germany and meet the standard of quality that German products are known for all over the world.

At the end of the 19th century, home-workers in the city of Rodental, collected materials from their contractors located in world city of toys, Sonneberg. The dolls were usually complete. Most of the workers worked from workshops in their living rooms.

The first doll factory was established in Monchroden in October/November of 1896 by Edmuch Knoch and his wife, Emilie. Together they started working in one room of her father's house, but soon outgrew the space and moved to another house in Rothinestr 7. They moved into their own factory building in 1908 in Lange Wiesen 6.

The first big success of the Edmund Knoch Company was the small princess dolls sold mostly by exporters from Hamburg. Their next biggest customers were the export companies from Sonneberg, which is the oldest toy city in the world.

Edmund Knoch died in 1934. Edmund's son, Otto and his mother began to run the company, which now had 30 employees and home workers.

After the Second World War, Otto Knoch and his wife, Helga restarted the doll production with a trade mark of the letters "E.K." with a crown over them. Most deliveries went to the wholesalers and exporters in Sonneberg until the year of 1948.

Three more important doll factories were established in Germany. These were:

• E. Maar & Sohn in 1910

• Drei-M in 1920

• Zapf in 1931

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The materials changed over the years from pressing compo, paper-mache, casting compo, porcelain and rubber to hard plastic and vinyl. Hard plastic and vinyl are materials of choice for doll production today.

With the death of Helga Knoch, Otto retired. His son, Lothar, had become a lawyer and was not interested in the doll business. Otto Knoch died in 1985.

January 1, 1976, Helmuth Engel came into the company and rented it for three years. Helmuth Engel worked with dolls all his life. After his childhood days in school, he joined the Drei-M doll company, which was one of the largest doll companies in Germany at that time. After 25 years working for the Drei-M doll company, Helmuth Engel decided to start his own company.

Helmuth Engel lead the Knoch Company in 1976 and at that time a new trademark was designed. The trademark was an angel with a crown placed in an oval. In 1979, Helmuth Engel bought the Knoch Company and moved the company to a larger building at Monchrodener Str. 55 on the main road in Rodental, which is located near the old factory. The company's name was changed from Edmund Knoch to "Helmut Engel."

Helmuth's daughter Susanne joined the company in 1983. By 1992, Susanne Engel created a part of the Engel collection. Markus Engle, the youngest child of Helmuth was the designated successor of Helmuth Engel. He joined the company in 1989. The company changed into a corporation with the name of "Engel-Puppen GmbH." Markus Engel now leads the business as the sole manager.

Source: Engel-Puppen Online

Important Disclaimer: The URL address in the resource box of this article is not associated with the Engel-Puppen Doll Company or any of its employees. This article is offered for information to the would-be and avid vintage doll collector.

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© 2007 Connie Limon All Rights Reserved

Written by: Connie Limon. For more information about starting and maintaining a Vintage Doll Collection visit http://smalldogs2.com/VintageDollCollecting For a variety of FREE reprint articles as well as special sections in U.S. History and the Kennedy Administration visit http://www.camelotarticles.com

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Toy Building Sets - Many Options For Learning

Understanding how a child's brain grows and develops is not only essential to modern medicine, it's also essential to toy manufacturers these days. As more parents begin to demand toy items that will truly help their children develop into intelligent adults, toy makers are responding with some of the most amazing toy building sets.

Before you rush out to make a purchase for that upcoming birthday or holiday, though, it's important to understand what's available in the world of toy building sets these days. With manufacturers getting increasingly creative and new studies coming out every day in terms of what can and cannot increase a child's ability to learn and fine-tune his or her motor skills, knowing what's available before you make your purchase is fairly important.

One option you have is toy building sets that are geared toward a certain age group. For example, if you're buying a set that's geared toward older children, you may find that the designs are more intricate, the pieces are a bit harder to snap together, and there are extensive instructions to help the child create something magnificent. If, on the other hand, you purchase is for a toddler, the pieces tend to be much larger, the overall goal of the set is incredibly simple, and the colors may even be brighter to further the cognitive development abilities of the toy.

Another option you have when you purchase toy building sets is to buy items that have hundreds of possible design options. Parents and kids love toys with higher play value, as it means they can use it on a repeated basis. Items that are more general and include many different building options are far better than choices that simply have the child follow one specific set of instructions. A simple box of connecting blocks like Legos have far more play value than a set geared toward one specific vehicle or structure. While the child might want a specific structure, it is possible to build so much more, and that may increase a child's cognitive abilities.

One final option you have when you purchase toy building sets is to buy sets that have special accessories. Some building toys include spots things like USB ports so kids can build and program robots. Others come with magnetic connectors to make it easier to build larger structures. Understanding what special accessories are available may make your gift buying that much easier.

Toy building sets certainly aren't what they used to be, but these days, you have many more options as you prepare to make your purchase. From sets that have been proven to teach kids a variety of concepts including those in the areas of math and engineering to those that help increase a little one's motor skills, building sets can do so much more than provide simple play time fun. They're the ideal gift for any gender or age, but be sure to evaluate each of your choices carefully to ensure you get the ideal gift this year.

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Advice on Some Essential Baby Gears and Educational Baby Toys

When I have a baby, it seems like everything I do, I do it for my baby. I guess this is a natural tendency that all the parents have. We all want our baby's life as comfortable and safe as possible. Below are some very important baby gears that I am sure most of us can't live without. Many of these baby gears can actually promote health and safety for our babies.

First, a baby car seat is a must. Even if you don't intend to take your baby out by car. Many hospitals will actually make sure that you have one before they release the infant and mother. If you don't have one, some hospitals will provide a temporary baby's car seat for you, but you need to agree with their insurance regulations.

One way or another, you will want to carry your baby around when you are taking him or her outside, but your arms will get tired. So, you need a good baby carrier; a good back pack or front pack baby carrier will do wonders (I prefer front pack baby carrier as I can always keep an eye on my baby). It will free your arms and also great for promoting physical closeness and bonding between you and your newborn.

However, both backpack and front pack baby carrier can get heavy after a while. This is where a baby's stroller becomes useful. A sturdy stroller that comes with some safety features such as a braking mechanism for hills and near the curb is very useful and safe. Also, make sure you get one with an adjustable hood to protect your baby from direct sunlight.

Both at home and away, a good diaper changing station will prove to be very convenient for moms or dads who are caring for their babies. A portable one is very handy and will do wonders during the spur-of-the-moment that always seem to come at the most inconvenient time.

Lastly, when it comes to baby toys, soft baby toys are always better as they are free from sharp edges and contours. Babies are exploratory by nature, stacking toys in the form of alphabet, number and picture blocks can help the baby's developing mind learn about shape, volume and other basic skills. Your baby will learn to stack blocks one on top of the other. These toys are safe and nicely rounded and free from sharp edges.

There are a whole range of toys that can give your baby great learning experience and help them learn how to interact with their world. For example, Baby Einstein toys offers great interactive learning experience. There are variety of toys, books, CDs and DVDs available to help your baby get in touch with the world.

Here are more information on Baby Einstein Toys. More information about baby can also be found at our site: Baby Precinct - http://www.babyprecinct.com/

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How to Buy Safe Toys For Toddlers - A Checklist For Parents

Safety is everything when it comes to our kids. Unfortunately, the sad fact is that Mattel voluntarily recalled nearly a million toys in 2007 for being covered in lead paint, and the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have long lists of consumer products recalled for containing excessive amounts of lead (half of the products are toys). It's enough to want to forego buying any toys at all, especially for our very youngest children.

Lead is not the only problem, though, we've also heard about hormone-disrupting chemicals called phthalates in plastic products, such as baby bottles, that can affect reproductive and developmental health. Other news headlines include various hazards from chocking, magnets, and more. These headlines about lead and toxics in toys, as well as other hazards are scary, to say the least. For a time, I did not want to buy any new toys for my soon to be two-year old, mostly because everything goes in his mouth at some point!

Yet this is the real world, where toys and bottles are a part of life. The question becomes, how can we be sure the products we buy are safe? The good news is that national political leaders have finally taken some action. On August 14, 2008, President Bush signed into law a consumer safety bill that will ban lead in nearly all products designed for children 12 years old and younger. A second major step forward will occur next year, when a nationwide ban on six phthalates in soft plastic toys and cosmetics takes effect. The law marks a major shift in the way toxics are regulated in the U.S.

The burden of proof will now be on manufacturers to prove chemicals are safe in products for babies and children before they can be used (this has not been the case up until now). Until these laws really take effect (and even afterwards as no law can take all the risk out of purchasing toys), as parents we must be proactive, vigilant and stay informed. Here is a checklist of 7 things you can do to help make sure that you purchase quality, safe products for the children in your life.

1. Keep abreast of toy and product recalls. You can sign up for free email alerts and announcements from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) at http://www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx. The CPSC is s charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from more than 15,000 types of consumer products. Their list of Toy Recalls is online at cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/category/toy.html. Also, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention maintains a list of all lead consumer product recalls by category. Both sites have pictures and descriptions of recalled products.
2. Check for published safety statements from toy manufacturers or vendors where you purchase toys. The best online toy retailers, for example, will post manufacturer statements about quality testing, lead content and more.
3. Buy age-appropriate toys. Check the packaging to make sure you are not buying toys intended for older children, which may have small parks that can break off.
4. Follow safety guidelines for buying toys (e.g. making sure toys for toddlers contain no parts too small that can break off, using helmets, putting toys away, etc.) The CPSC maintains several guides on toy safety, including a list of "toy safety shopping tips" (online at http://www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PUBS/toy_sfy.html). Tips include how to determine whether a product has been reviewed by a toxicologist. (It will be marked with the designation ASTM D-4236).
5. Find independent reviews of toys and products. Probably the most well-known organization for independent product testing is Consumer Reports. Their website contains a section for Babies & Kids.
6. Read reviews, talk to people, and search online. Find out others' experience with the products you want to buy. You can learn a lot (and save yourself some headache and heartache) by reading other opinions first.
7. Finally, monitor your child's play and the condition of the toys you do buy. Check toys periodically for breakage and potential hazards. Damaged toys should be repaired or thrown away.

Ava Anderton is a mother, author, and college instructor. She writes for DestinyBaby.com, where you can find more information on toy safety and resources for parents, including product reviews and deals for the best educational learning toys, games, puzzles and more for infants, toddlers and kids.

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