One waits in vain for a "moo" when you press our cow on the tummy or turn it on its head. And it won't walk by itself when you twist a lever... No, none of the toys can do that. But watch a child when it is alone and playing with the figures. See how the cows run across the field... It is the fantasy of our children alone that breathes life into the wooden figures.

We can observe most animals only in the zoo and not as they live in their own habitat. Yet in play we can send lions off to hunt, or we might join a camel at the oasis. In this way it is possible to imagine how all the animals live and survive in their natural environment.

When the flourish of trumpets announces the opening of the tournament and the knights ride into the castle's courtyard under the admiring eyes of the noble folk, the entire family is caught up in the event. Whether a princess needs to be freed from the claws of a dragon or the castle is conquered, fantasy is free to develop.

One of the "oldest" articles in the Ostheimer collection is the manger. Over the years, it has lost none of its liveliness or symbolic force. It is conceived for "hands on" play. Whether as a manager assortment or a gift that grows with new figures from year to year, the Ostheimer Manager scene has become a beloved holiday feature in many homes and families.

Once the child has explored its own world at home it grows more and more curious about other worlds. Ostheimer figures grow with the child. Bit by bit the foreign worlds of the native Americans or the Laplanders can be discovered through play. The child's world is thus expanded more and more.