Goebel

1871. Franz Detleff Goebel founded the Goebel Company beneath the Coburg Castle in the small town of Oeslau (later renamed Rodental) in Bavaria, Germany, producing items such as slates and pencils.

1879. His son William Goebel joined Franz as a partner in the business that became FW Goebel and Co. The Duke and Steward of Coburg Castle granted permission for them to build their first kiln to produce innovative fine porcelain products including dinnerware and figurines.
1911. William was now in charge and the firm was renamed W Goebel Porzellanfabrik. William’s dynamic son Max Louis Goebel returned from working in America with Marshall Field and other big US firms and the firm began an international marketing campaign.
1929. The year threatened disaster, for Max Louis Goebel died after 18 years as head of the firm just at the time of the American stock market crash.  Management passed to Max Louis' son and son-in-law, Franz Goebel and Dr. Eugen Stocke who ably led the firm through a troubled time.
1935. The first MI Hummel figurines were shown at the Leipzig Fair and were an immediate success. Berta Hummel was born in Bavaria in 1909. She was a talented artist from a young age and after studying at the Munich Academy of Applied Arts she joined the Franciscan order at the Convent of Siessen in 1931.

Berta Hummel with her dog Lord taken in 1930

Berta took the name Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel and continued her artistic works. Her art captured the innocence of childhood. Franz Goebel noticed her work in a religious art shop in Munich. An agreement was made between Goebel, Sister Hummel and her convent for the firm to convert her drawings into figurines through the talents of Reinhold Unger and Arthur Moller. Sister Hummel died in 1946 at only 37 years of age but her artistic legacy has been carried on by Goebel to the present day.

Sister Maria Innocentia taken in the early 1930s.

1950. The company began producing a small line of toys and by 1967 Goebel had opened a separate factory to produce them.  Since then, the firm has introduced a number of unique lines including lamps and stoneware.
1969. Franz Goebel died and his son Wilhelm Goebel inherited leadership of the firm with Eugen and Ulrich Stocke. Today, the company of Goebel Porzellanfabrik is still owned by the Goebel family now into its fifth generation.

Backstamps

Hummel figurines were first produced from about 1934-35. The Goebel company used backstamps for both Hummel figurines and other items from 1934 to 1991. After that, a new mark was designed exclusively for Hummel items. The letters WG below the crown are the initials of William Goebel.

Full Bee Mark: 1940-1959. This is the first of the Bee marks. It is believed that the bumblebee was derived from the childhood nickname for Sister Maria Innocentia. The V is the first letter of the German word for the distributing company - Verkaufsgesellschaft.

When World War II ended and the United States Occupation Forces allowed Goebel to begin exporting, the pieces were marked as having been made in the occupied zone.

Bee Marks: 1950-1979. The Company made a major change by incorporating the bee within the V. The mark was to honor Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel who died in 1946. There are 12 variations of the Bee marks but some are grouped together as the differences are not significant.

Stylized Bee: 1960-1972. This major change appeared in three basic forms. The Large Stylized Bee was used between 1960 and1963 and the Small Stylized Bee between 1960 and 1972. The Three Line Mark was used to protect the firm’s copyright.

 
Goebel Bee or the Last Bee Mark: 1970-1979. This has its name as the next change no longer incorporated any form of the V or the bee.

Missing Bee Mark: 1979-1991. It gets its name as many collectors regretted the loss of the traditional stylized V and bee.

Hummel Mark: 1991-1999. Goebel changed the trademark once again. The change was not only symbolic of the reunification of the two Germanys by removal of the West from the mark but also significant in that the mark is now exclusively used on Goebel products based on the paintings and drawings of MI Hummel. The Current Goebel Mark is used on other pieces.