By Hannah Kelley
Götz Puppenmanufaktur Makes High-Quality, Sustainable Dolls, Fashions, and Accessories
Childhood is a crucial stage of life that shapes who we will become as individuals. At Götz Puppenmanufaktur, children’s mental and physical well-being are paramount and have been since the doll company’s inception.
Founded by Marianne and Franz Götz in Rödental, Götz Puppenmanufaktur will mark its 75th anniversary in 2025. The company began its journey in the doll world as a small family operation, with dolls initially being made of papier-mâché and Franz selling the dolls himself. It wasn’t until 1957 that a rotation molding machine was brought in to help with the dollmaking process. Over the next 35 years, the company grew to employ 150 people, a number that eventually doubled. By 1990, Götz Puppenmanufaktur had opened two subsidiary companies — one in Baldwinsville, New York, and the other in Budapest, Hungary.
washable hair or without.
Over time, Götz Puppenmanufaktur has racked up a number of accomplishments. The company gained recognition for its reproductions of artist dolls, including those of well-known dollmakers Sasha Morgenthaler, Carin Lossnitzer, and Sylvia Natterer. They also manufactured American Girl dolls from 1986 until 1999, when that company was sold to Mattel. In 2001, Götz Puppenmanufaktur acquired a Europe-wide license just one of many licensing agreements they’ve obtained through the years. In addition to the reproductions and licensed dolls, Götz Puppenmanufaktur has released its own doll lines, including Just Like Me, Haarwerk (for styling hair), Baby Pure, and Little Kidz, to name a few. Typically, a new collection is released once a year. Their dolls have garnered multiple awards, solidifying the company’s place as a top-tier doll manufacturer.
Anke Götz-Beyer, the daughter of Marianna and Franz, grew up with the company. She earned a master’s degree in business in 1989 and went on to become the company’s CEO of marketing and design. In 1999, Götz-Beyer and her spouse, Uwe Beyer, took over management of the company. Their daughter, Anna Maurer, joined the company in 2022. Together, they have helped the company flourish and adapt to an ever-evolving world, making sure new designs for dolls, fashions, and accessories reflect current trends.
Götz-Beyer emphasized that Götz Puppenmanufaktur’s priority is to design and present dolls that positively impact children’s development. “Our collection not only offers various dolls for every age but also accessories to enable role-play, which sets the base for social competence of children,” she said. Those at the company understand how influential playing with dolls can be for many children. As a result, Götz Puppenmanufaktur is constantly expanding and improving upon its baby and child doll lines. “We always work on updating the collection from one year to the next — so we started gift sets for newborn babies this year, which will be enlarged,” Götz-Beyer said.
Maurer carry on the family business that
began nearly 75 years ago.
position at the bar in her pink tutu.
Sustainability also plays an important role in the development of new products. Götz-Beyer said, “We are producing dolls for the coming generations, so we see it as our utmost responsibility to also do our best to ensure a healthy environment.” They produce dolls made of natural, organic rubber, and they have fashions made from organic cotton. The company uses compostable packaging, runs their German offices on solar power, and has made efforts to sustain local bee populations. On top of this, Götz Puppenmanufaktur has a doll hospital that repairs dolls so they can continue to be loved for years instead of being replaced.
While being good stewards of the environment, Götz Puppenmanufaktur also does what it can to maintain the health of children today as they engage in positive play. “With a Götz doll, you decide on high-quality standards with a seal of quality and tested safety. We guarantee that children don’t get in contact with softeners and AZO dyes when playing with our products. This also applies to all our garments and our full
collection of doll accessories. Children may have the creative time of their lives when playing with our dolls — in safety. Our dolls’ neutral expression enables children to feel understood in their mood, no matter if it’s joy, sadness, disappointment, or anger,” Götz-Beyer said. “A Götz doll is a friend throughout childhood and beyond, in many cases. With our dolls, you will give valuable and reliable playmates for many happy childhood memories and a healthy development.”
When asked what she would like to achieve through the company, Götz-Beyer said, “We hope to create valuable dolls for children and adults to enjoy. Not only a doll to play with, but a doll to love and help with healthy development that’s produced under the highest standards in quality. A doll that can be kept for a lifetime and handed on to the next generation. Also, we do have a large collector community, for which we also want to create valuable and lovable dolls to hug and care for and enrich their collections.”
With time, energy, and a sense of purpose, Götz Puppenmanufaktur has grown to become a recognized brand that remains true to its core values: play, style, give; family for families; playable dolls; customer satisfaction; innovation; and children’s well-being. With how long the company has been in business, this is an extraordinary feat that can be attributed to the strong values that have been passed down through the generations.
