Zapf Creation

MGA Zapf Creation GmbH, officially trading as Zapf Creation, is a German toy company based in Rödental, Germany, which specializes in the manufacture of multi-functional baby dolls. A subsidiary of American toymaker MGA Entertainment, Zapf's franchises have become popular around the world; among its successful creations are Maggie Raggies, Baby Born, Baby Annabell, Kool Kenzie and Chou Chou.

History

Foundation and growth before the turn of the millennium

Zapf Creation was founded in 1932 by Max and Rosa Zapf as Max Zapf Puppenfabrik.[2][3] During World War II, doll production faced significant disruptions due to material shortages.

In 1958, Willi Zapf, the son of the company founders, and his wife Brigitte Zapf took over the company. Subsequently, they started the expansion of operations throughout Europe. Two years later, Max Zapf Puppen- und Spielwarenfabrik GmbH (Max Zapf Doll and Toy Factory) was established.

Products

Most of the Zapf Creation products are baby and toddler dolls, occasionally used as instructional toys to teach necessary skills to future parents. The most prominent lines include Baby Born, Baby Annabell, and Chou Chou.

In addition, there is a "Baby Born App" developed by Zapf and Blue Ocean Entertainment, in which users can play mini-games in a dollhouse.[31] Since July 2023, Zapf has also been broadcasting an animated series titled "Baby Born: The Animated Series" on the video platform YouTube and the channel Kidoodle.TV. The series was developed in collaboration with MGA Entertainment and was first broadcast in January 2024.[32]

Baby Born

Baby Born (introduced in 1991) is often considered to be the most lifelike of the series due to the numerous functions that the doll can perform. These include crying, urinating, using a potty and being quietened by a pacifier which makes the doll's eyes shut in later versions.[19][24] All these actions can be performed without the use of batteries, which makes it possible to bathe the doll.[7] The most recent version includes nine functions and eleven accessories.

Varieties of this model include boy and girl, as well as white and black skin tones, while the boy dolls are anatomically correct. Initial models have the doll cry when the right arm is pressed as well as a squeaker in the left arm, which was removed in later versions. Since 2006, Baby Born dolls have functional eyes instead of moulded ones, allowing the doll to close its eyes when the dummy is placed in its mouth.[7]

In 2018, the doll was remodeled as a "Soft Touch" with a softer plastic body, while retaining the same functionality as previous models. In 2024, the dolls are instead modeled on the characters from Baby Born: The Animated Series, Emma, Eva and Jonas.[33]

Baby Annabell

Baby Annabell (introduced in 1998) is perhaps the most famous of Zapf's products.[7] Baby Annabell is a battery-operated doll that comes with a variety of accessories and an additional product line including supplementary articles, outfits, and pieces of furniture. Unlike Baby Born, Baby Annabell's body is made out of soft, plush-like material that contains the doll's battery box. This doll could be classed as a "modern autonomous doll". Older versions of the doll were also able to recognize sounds (e.g., a rattle or the owner's voice) and would cry in response to noise when sleeping.[34][35]

Similar to Baby Born, Baby Annabell is available as a girl or boy as well as in two different skin tones. The initial version (and the 2019-2022 version) does not have any electronics in its head, as they were only introduced with the Interactive version in 2002 alongside a darker-skinned version.[35] Annabell dolls from 2005 to 2018 had a water tank, allowing the doll to simulate drinking water and crying tears, with the 2016-2018 version having the ability to urinate on the potty.[7]

Chou Chou

Chou Chou is designed to be very realistic and includes accessories to support role playing for children. Chou Chou is sometimes used to teach young girls, in particular, about various stages of a baby's life, including the first tooth and minor ailments, though most dolls are just for playing.[19][37] This doll comes in a variety of types and has many lifelike functions.

Examples of products from the range include Rock A Bye Chou Chou, which was named the number one doll in the Duracell Kids' Choice Toy Survey in the US in 2001,[38] and Chou Chou Learn to Walk, which teaches the need for a baby when they begin crawling or walking.[39]

Other dolls

Annabell Tween: A line of roleplay dolls comes in various versions with different outfits. They are aimed toward older girls.
Sam and Sally: These are dolls representing twins.[40] They are quite large at around 63 cm each (similar to other dolls of their size), which means that they can either be dressed in the provided outfits or in real baby clothes in sizes for 0–3 months and 3–6 months.
Baby Lou: A line of dolls from the early-mid 1990's.
Disney Little Princesses: Based on the Disney Princess brand, this range features various Disney characters depicted in Zapf's traditional doll style. They have poseable arms, legs and heads.
Heidi: Based on the TV series of the same name, this line includes dolls representing Heidi and her friends. They are made from fabric and plush and can be hand washed.[41]
Dolly Moda: This line offers clothes for the dolls in different sizes. The clothes can be worn by dolls of different sizes.[42]

References

Zapf Creation AG, Jahresabschluss zum Geschäftsjahr vom 01.01.2022 zum 31.12.2022 Unternehemensregister, 2023-08-25^

Vom Mönchrödener Puppenhersteller zum internationalen Unternehmer. Coburger Tageblatt, 2021-07-06^

Trauer um Willi Zapf Das Spielzeug, 2021-07-07, retrieved 2024-04-15^

Cindy Dötschel. Vom Vorbild zum Spielzeug Fränkischer Tag Obermain, 2021-04-07^

Zapf sorgt für Baby-Boom in den Vereinigten Staaten Süddeutsche Zeitung, 1995-03-03^

Künstlerpuppen stützen deutsche Fertigung Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 1993-01-04^

Timo Kotowski. Was die Zukunft für Baby born zu bieten hat Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 2021-11-22^

Zapf wächst aus Kinderschuhen heraus Börsen-Zeitung, 1999-04-16^

IMM gruendet neue Branchen-Holding Handelsblatt, 1992-09-10^

Max Zapf / Im laufenden Jahr sind 50 Mill. Mehrumsatz geplant. Der Puppenhersteller setzt nun zum Sprung in die USA an Handelsblatt, 1995-02-02^

Zapf ist der Einstieg in Amerika gelungen Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 1996-02-02^

Willi Zapf Börsen-Zeitung, 1997-10-03^

Marie Zahuout. Auch Annabell soll ein Internetstar werden Nürnberger Zeitung, 2018-02-02^

Nachruf – Der Schöpfer der Baby born ist tot Toys kids, 2021-08-30, retrieved 2024-04-15^

Unternehmen von A-Z Going Public^

Zapf: Wieder drastischer Rückgang Lebensmittel Zeitung, 2006-10-26^

Uwe Ritzer. Mit weinenden Puppen aus der Krise Süddeutsche Zeitung, 2005-07-04^

Steven Arons. Der Puppenspieler Finance, 2007-08-31^

Hannelore Crolly. Hallo, Puppe! Die Welt, 2012-12-24^

News: Zapf sichert Finanzierung Der Treasurer, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 2010-10-07^

Medienschau: Fed diskutiert Stopp des Anleihenkaufprogramms Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 2013-02-21^

Rüdiger Köhn. Puppenhersteller Zapf kämpft mit "Baby Born" um das Überleben Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 2013-02-22^

Stefan Kroneck. Zapf Creation setzt Kapital herab Börsen-Zeitung, 2013-07-05^

Frank Patalong. 30 Jahre Baby Born-Spielzeug: Püppi macht Pipi Der Spiegel, 2021-04-13, retrieved 2024-04-15^

Zur Sache, Püppchen Börse Online, 2018-11-15^

David Waschnig. Zapf Creation Smart Investor, 2019-11-23^

Puppenhochzeit: Baby-Born-Hersteller Zapf und Bratz-Konzern MGA planen Fusion Der Spiegel, 2023-10-09, retrieved 2024-04-15^

Dienstleistungen: Zoll nimmt Paketbranche ins Visier: 60 Strafverfahren Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, 2023-10-10, retrieved 2024-04-15^

MGA and Zapf complete merger Toy World Magazine, July 16, 2024, retrieved July 16, 2024^

"Im Team gemeinsam sporteln". Firmenlauf: Zapf Creation ist als Hauptsponsor dabei. Neue Presse, 2022-08-27^

Blue Ocean veröffentlicht die erste App zu Baby Born Brandora, November 2013, retrieved 2024-04-15^

Mercedes Milligan. MGA Launches First Baby born Animated Series Animation Magazine, 2023-08-09, retrieved 2024-03-15^

The Big Christmas Press Show 2024 is all wrapped up Toy World UK, 16 September 2024^

Joachim Hofer. Plüschkatzen fühlen Kinderhände Handelsblatt, 2003-10-31^

Walter Wille. Niedlich nuckelt der Chip Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 2003-02-04^

Nicola Erdmann. Das sind die Spielzeug-Trends 2018 Die Welt, 2018-02-06^

Katja Bub. Ein Laptop fürs Baby Nürnberger Nachrichten, 2007-02-03^

Parents Flocking to Toy Stores Across the Country To Buy Lifelike Doll That Cries, Snores and Sleeps PR Newswire, 21 November 2001^

Learn to Walk Chou Chou TheToyShop.com, retrieved 2015-02-22^

Zapf Creation will Angebot ausweiten Breitere Produktpalette geplant Börsen-Zeitung, 2009-12-16^

Heidi Zapf Creation, retrieved 2014-03-15^

Dolly Moda Zapf Creation, retrieved 2014-03-15^

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Vorreiter für nachhaltige Lösungen in der Puppenbranche Brandora, February 2021, retrieved 2024-04-15^

Kerstin Barthel. Neues Fördermitglied für die Fair Toys Organisation Das Spielzeug, 2023-06-16, retrieved 2024-04-15^

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former name	Max Zapf Puppenfabrik Max Zapf Puppen- und Spielwarenfabrik GmbH Zapf Creation GmbH Zapf Creation AG
type	Subsidiary (GmbH)
industry	Toys
founded	1932
hq location	Rödental, Bavaria, Germany
area served	Worldwide
key people	Thomas Eichhorn
products	Toys
brands	Baby Born Baby Annabell Chou Chou
revenue	€65.0 million‡R1R‡
revenue year	2022
num employees	123‡R1R‡
num employees year	2022
parent	MGA Entertainment (2024-present)
website	https://www.baby-born.com/en/zapf-creation/

History

Foundation and growth before the turn of the millennium

Initial public offering and delisting

Renewed growth

Company