The Trade Press

Editor’s Foreword

To mark the 75th anniversary of the Spielwarenmesse, we are expanding the Spirit of Play online magazine to include the “ToyHistory” section. To kick things off, we look back at the historical circumstances that made Nuremberg the home of the world’s leading toy trade fair. The research was conducted by Dr. Helmut Schwarz, an economic historian and former director of the Nuremberg Toy Museum.

As in all sectors of the economy, the trade press plays an important role in the toy industry as a source of information and a medium of communication among industry professionals. This is just as true today as it was back on May 30, 1886, when the first issue of the Guide to the Toy Industry and Related Sectors was published by the Berlin-based entrepreneur Karl Wehlack. This oldest toy trade journal in the world saw itself primarily as a service provider and mouthpiece for the toy trade. The ad-supported “Offertenblatt” was mailed every two weeks on an alternating basis to up to 35,000 selected recipients. While advertisements dominated in the beginning, the importance of the editorial section grew considerably over time thanks to contributions from proven industry experts.

In 1909, two other trade journals appeared on the market almost simultaneously: the Rundschau über Spielwaren, Sportartikel und Galanteriewaren and the Deutsche Spielwaren-Zeitung (DSZ) published by Nuremberg publisher Leo Goldstaub. The Rundschau was published in Plauen but was editorially managed from Nuremberg. It had little impact and ceased publication in 1914. The DSZ, on the other hand, quickly developed into the industry’s leading trade journal. It was the first periodical dedicated exclusively to the toy industry. It was published biweekly (later monthly) and attracted a global readership. From the very beginning, the editorial team emphasized a modern design and supplemented the industry’s typical range of topics with in-depth articles on the cultural-historical, educational, and technical aspects of toys.

The DSZ also played an active role in industry affairs. In 1911, for example, it proposed (unsuccessfully) the establishment of a toy trade fair in Nuremberg, but in 1912 it successfully paved the way for the founding of the first trade association for the metal toy industry. Thanks to its importance as a central forum for discussion, the magazine became the official organ of the most important industry associations in the 1920s. After the press was brought into line with Nazi ideology during the Nazi era, it served as a mouthpiece for the new compulsory trade and industry organizations. During the war, the DSZ—now published by the Meisenbach publishing house in Bamberg—merged with the Wegweiser to form the new magazine *i* *Das Spielzeug*

With his trade journal Spielzeug-Lade (renamed Das Spielzeug in 1949), which began publication in July 1946, publisher J. A. Meisenbach supported the reconstruction of the German toy industry with great dedication. With special export editions, the only remaining trade journal vigorously championed the successful return of German toys to the world market. Equally important was the journal’s support for the founding and expansion of the Nuremberg International Toy Fair. 

The magazine also maintained close ties with the trade show in terms of personnel: for many years, the magazine’s editors served as press spokespeople for the trade show organizer. By publishing multilingual editions, the magazine responded early on to the industry’s increasing internationalization in the context of the European unification process. On the occasion of its 50th anniversary, the editorial team proudly noted that Das Spielzeug was the “most important international trade journal in the industry.” 

[Author Dr. Helmut Schwarz completed the manuscript in July 2017.]

Zitiervorschlag
Schwarz, Helmut: The Trade Press, Manuscript completed by the author in July 2017; Published posthumously online on August 17, 2026, in: Spirit of Play Online Magazine. Spielwarenmesse Group, Nuremberg. Online: https://www.spielwarenmesse.de/en/mag/toyhistory/helmutschwarz-trade-press/ (Access: DD.MM.YYYY).

About the Author

Dr. Helmut Schwarz (September 5, 1952 – February 20, 2022) was an economic historian and served as director of the Nuremberg Toy Museum from 1994 to 2014. Together with his team, he modernized the museum, expanded the children’s play area, and created the museum playground with a café and the virtual storage facility. He also personally championed the effort to bring the German Toy Archive from Marburg to a new home in Nuremberg. He authored numerous works on the history of the toy industry. 

Toy History – The Beginnings of the Spielwarenmesse 

Starting in 2016, Dr. Helmut Schwarz conducted research on the company’s history on behalf of Spielwarenmesse eG. In particular, he identified the conditions and factors that led to the founding of the trade fair in Nuremberg. The trade fair team will publish the manuscripts he completed in 2026 in the online magazine *Spirit of Play* to mark the 75th anniversary of the Spielwarenmesse, thereby honoring a significant custodian of knowledge regarding German toy and economic history.

Die Reihe im Überblick

Die Reihe wird aus neun Web-Kurztexten und sieben Forschungsbeiträgen bestehen, die sich mit den Ursprüngen der Spielwarenmesse befassen.

The series will consist of nine web texts accompanied by seven research articles exploring the origins of the Toy Fair.

ToyHistory 01: The Nuremberg Toy Region | 24. Juni 2026 
- Short web version: The Nuremberg Toy Region (November 2017) 
- Short web version: Fürth and Zirndorf as toy-making centres (December 2017) 
- PDF research paper: Nuremberg, the Toy City (January 2017) - Available in German only.

Toy History 02: Toy-making regions in Germany | 13 July 2026 (see above)
Thuringia – Saxon Ore Mountains
- Web summary: Toy Region Thuringia (November 2017)
- Web summary: Toys from the Saxon Ore Mountains (see below) (November 2017)

Toy History 03: Toy-making cities in Germany | 27 July 2026
Württemberg – Berlin and Brandenburg at the Havel
- Web summary: Toy Region Württemberg (November 2017)
- Web summary: Toys from Berlin and Brandenburg an der Havel (December 2017)

Toy History 04: Ways to the Buyer | 03 August 2026
Toy trade in Germany until 1945
- Web summary: Toy trade in Germany until 1945 (November 2017)
- PDF research paper: Ways to the Buyer (January 2017) — Available in German only. LINK ZU PDF EINFÜGEN

Toy History 05: The Trade Press | 24 August 2026
Trade Journals and Newspapers of the Toy Industry (1886–1960)
- Web summary: Toy trade in Germany until 1945 (November 2017)
- PDF research paper: Ways to the Buyer (January 2017) — Available in German only. LINK ZU PDF EINFÜGEN

Preview 31 August 2026: Toy History 06: History of the Toy Industry Associations