Mini Me accessories allow children to dress like their dolls.

Götz Puppenmanufaktur Makes High-Quality, Sustainable Dolls, Fashions, and Accessories

By Hannah Kelley

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.

More dolls can multiply the potential for fun and creativity.
With a light, cuddly feel, Baby Pure was specifically designed for young children. The doll is made with organic fabric.
Muffin features a soft body and sleep eyes and is offered with 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 to produce handcrafted Harry Potter dolls, which is 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 Mari­anne 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 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.

Anke Götz-Beyer, Uwe Beyer, and Anna
Maurer carry on the family business that
began nearly 75 years ago.
Warming up for a ballet class, Hannah takes her position at the bar in her pink tutu.
With all of the features of a human-sized stroller, children can interact with their dolls in a different way.

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.

Dolls like Hannah come in sustainable packaging, with the box doubling as a coloring sheet when unfolded.
Muffin has a soft body filled with cotton wool and granules, making her perfect for cuddling.
Little Kidz can easily be taken on the go. The multi-jointed doll has a hard body and washable hair.
Hannah is dressed for a walk with her dog, Polly.
Aquinis dolls can join little ones in the water. They also feature a drink-and-wet system, making them a great educational tool when working on potty training.

Götz Puppenmanufaktur

Goetz-puppen.de/en/