Faller

75 years of ideas for miniature worlds – Faller
In 1946 it is gloomy in Germany. But in the period immediately after the nightmare of the Second World War and the Third Reich, despite the darkness, new ideas full of optimism emerge. For example in Stuttgart. There, two brothers sit together to think about what their future might look like. One had spent the last few years in an armaments factory, the other at Bosch in Stuttgart. Both, like many of their contemporaries, face a great void. So Hermann and Edwin set about filling them. Together they develop a daring plan – at that time of need: from now on they want to develop creative toys. Not just any toy, but small buildings that children can freely arrange into their own worlds – like this miniature wooden farm, that Hermann built for his daughter back then. One could probably also describe this project as a way to playfully overcome the ubiquitous destruction, at least on a small scale, and to open up new perspectives for children.

Every beginning is difficult – but exciting

The two brothers founded their company in the same year. The production of small houses begins under the name “Hermann Faller” – made of wood and printed cardboard, all by hand. In the same year, the small company moves to the family home in Gütenbach, where a workshop can be accommodated. There, the plan matures to offer a modular construction kit with prefabricated panels from which new building structures can be built and dismantled again and again. Provided with detailed instructions and inspirational suggestions, this first toy from FALLER is coming to toy stores under the name “Marathon” and gives the two newcomers their first notable success.

1948_marathon

75 years of ideas for miniature worlds
03.10.21 12:00
In 1946 it is gloomy in Germany. But in the period immediately after the nightmare of the Second World War and the Third Reich, despite the darkness, new ideas full of optimism emerge. For example in Stuttgart. There, two brothers sit together to think about what their future might look like. One had spent the last few years in an armaments factory, the other at Bosch in Stuttgart. Both, like many of their contemporaries, face a great void. So Hermann and Edwin set about filling them. Together they develop a daring plan – at that time of need: from now on they want to develop creative toys. Not just any toy, but small buildings that children can freely arrange into their own worlds – like this miniature wooden farm, that Hermann built for his daughter back then. One could probably also describe this project as a way to playfully overcome the ubiquitous destruction, at least on a small scale, and to open up new perspectives for children.

Every beginning is difficult – but exciting

The two brothers founded their company in the same year. The production of small houses begins under the name “Hermann Faller” – made of wood and printed cardboard, all by hand. In the same year, the small company moves to the family home in Gütenbach, where a workshop can be accommodated. There, the plan matures to offer a modular construction kit with prefabricated panels from which new building structures can be built and dismantled again and again. Provided with detailed instructions and inspirational suggestions, this first toy from FALLER is coming to toy stores under the name “Marathon” and gives the two newcomers their first notable success.

At the same time, it now produces in “Gebr. FALLER Spielwaren” renamed the company things for everyday use. Combs made of beech wood, for example, but also trivets. With this, so the calculation, one creates a secure basal turnover, because at that time toys were only affordable for a few people.

Just how right the two Fallers were was made painfully clear as early as 1948. The currency reform causes the thin toy market to collapse abruptly, the two young entrepreneurs have to lay off all employees and write off sales. Hermann and Edwin switch to wooden clothespins, but never lose sight of their basic idea.

The model railway connection

Even during the severe crisis, the brothers continued to work on the concept of the toy house and discovered an ally in the model railway in 1949. A model railway, the two conclude, only really comes into its own when it not only consists of tracks, points and trains, but is also staged with suitable buildings and landscape elements. Following this realization, the development of stations, signal boxes and goods sheds for the H0 gauge begins, initially in the form of simple ready-made models.

The breakthrough came in 1950: at the Nuremberg Toy Fair, the company presented ten prototypical models and a self-constructed mini brush motor. Although not visible, this causes a great stir, animating the new windmill and the watermill, turning the wings and the water wheel. “Back then, you hit the nerve of the time,” says today’s managing partner Horst Neidhard. The core of the brand has been laid: Emotion, faithfulness to the original, elements of surprise – that still stands for FALLER today.

From small to industrial company

Despite the humble beginnings, the people in Gütenbach quickly saw themselves as an industrial company with a high level of innovative strength. In this way, the potential of plastic injection molding, which promises better detailing of the models, higher quantities and lower prices for consumers, is recognized early on. In 1954, FALLER was one of the first companies in south-west Germany to use this new production technique.

In the same year, FALLER launched the first model manufactured using this process, a viaduct bridge whose ashlar masonry corresponds entirely to the historical original. The bridge heralds a new era in two respects, because it is also the first kit. This not only sells the model, but also the crafting fun, building becomes an experience par excellence.

The two Faller founders complement each other perfectly in their work: “While the tech-savvy Hermann took care of the technical side, Edwin Faller was the managerial doer and active marketing man,” sums up Horst Neidhard. In 1958 Edwin Faller had the first color catalog printed, in 1959 a new building was built in Guetenbach, of course on an industrial scale. In the 1960s, FALLER experienced an “idea explosion”, according to Horst Neidhard. The “AMS” car race track is born, and N gauge is added to the range. One success followed the other, in 1976 the catalog contained 473 products.

Concentration and records

In the 1980s, a new phenomenon put the brakes on the company’s success story. Price pressure is noticeable in the market, triggered by inexpensive manufacturing options in the Far East. In contrast to many competitors, FALLER does not relocate its production and remains true to the Black Forest location. The toy sector, which has come under pressure, has to be given up and the “AMS” is history. Refocusing on the core, model building, the “Car System” product line was launched in 1988, a true innovation with self-driving cars and road traffic controls. The core business is doing well, in 2003 the company is happy about record sales and more than 1,500 model building items in its range.