In 1928, Käthe Kruse designed a series of dolls representing different nationalities. The painting by Julius Hü;bner “Das deutsche Kind” (a German child) encouraged her to design a doll after Käthe’s son Friedebald. She based the doll’s head on a sculpture of Friedebald by Igor Yakimov and shaped the body so that it would look as that of an approximately five years old child. Together with her friend, a make-up artist, they designed a wig made of real hair for the doll, in order for it to look as true as possible. The doll, which was originally intended for use as a decoration, became an instant hit and the same model is manufactured to the present day.

History of Käthe Kruse

Käthe Kruse a.k.a. Katharina Simon was born in 1883 in Breslau, Germany. Käthe trained to be an actor and became known in Berlin's theatres under the name Hedda Somin. In 1901 Käthe met sculptor Max Kruse and fell in love with him, despite of their considerable age difference (almost 30 years). Although Max Kruse was an internationally renowned artist who created very influential sculptures and wrote theoretical articles, he was also known as the “most beautiful man in Berlin”.

After the birth of their second daughter, Max stayed at his studio in Berlin and Käthe moved with the two daughters, Mimerle (Maria) and Fifi (Sophie) to countryside in Ascona, Switzerland. The days passed peacefully in the beautiful nature and fresh air.

Once, some time before Christmas, Mimerle trailed her mother, who was carrying the younger sister around in her arms. “I want a baby too, just like you and Holy Mary have,” the daughter declared. Käthe wrote to her husband regarding this wish and asked him to bring a doll from Berlin. The father looked for a baby doll as a Christmas present to his daughter, but failed to find a suitable one. He wrote back: “No, I cannot buy any doll. I think they’re horrible! How can such a cold, rigid thing bring about motherly feelings? A doll must be soft and warm in order to be loved. Make some dolls yourself!”

Käthe later told: “I took a towel, filled it with sand in the middle, and made knots in the corners for hand and feet. I used a potato as the head. I drew eyes, mouth and nostrils with a burnt match.”

The Käthe Kruse Doll Production Develops

In 1910 and 1911, Käthe Kruse displayed her self-made dolls at the store in Berlin. The dolls were a great success amongst the public and received excellent newspaper coverage. An order for 150 dolls from the United States was of decisive importance: Käthe hired painters and handicraft workers, turned her apartment in Berlin into a workshop and commenced manufacture of her dolls. She applied for her first patent, thus becoming a mother, artist and businesswoman at the same time.

In 1912, Käthe Kruse moved with her (now) four children to a town called Bad Kösen an der Saale. She gave birth to three more sons there. The mother of seven developed her doll production – she improved and fine-tuned the looks of her dolls and the production techniques over and over again.

At the time of World War II, the doll production suffered from shortage of materials. The problems remained even after the war was over – importing was difficult, since Germany was divided into allied occupation zones. Käthe Kruse prepared for the worse and established affiliate factories in the Western occupation zones. She sent her two sons, Max and Michael, to look after doll factories at Bad Pyrmont and Donauwörth. Soon after this, the Bad Kösen factory was nationalised; it was an outcome commonplace in socialist countries. Doll production continued there from 1951 to 1957. In general, these dolls were marked with a triangular stamp and inscription: “V.E.B. Bad Kösen a. d. Saale.”

In 1967, the company once again experienced economic success, this time it was associated with production of terry toys for infants and small children. In the next year, Käthe Kruse passed away at the age of 84.