German Cloth Dolls-Bing
Gebruder Bing began his company in 1882 making a variety of toys including stuffed animals. In 1921, the company bought out
the workshop of designer Albert Schlopsnies who had designed dolls for Steiff. The combined company then formed a
conglomerate ultimately becoming Bing Werke Corp. Members of the conglomerate included Kammer and Reinhardt, Louis
Wolf, Max Arnold, Welsch and Co., and Waltershauser Puppenfabrik. This merger was reminiscent of the merger of French doll
companies earlier in the decade resulting in SFBJ.
This was the time when Bing produced Art Dolls designed by Professor Vogt Nurnberg and Emil Wagner of Sonneberg. The
dolls were cloth with molded faces. Bodies were of cotton.Joints were at the neck, shoulders and hips. Features and hair were
painted. Some dolls had mohair wigs. The word Bing was impressed into the soles of the shoes. Dolls of composition, bisque,
rubber and felt were also sold by the company.
Kathe Kruse sued the company in 1925 for patent infringement. Bing lost. That same year, Bing took out three of his own
patents: one for construction methods, one for attaching eyes to cloth dolls, and the last for sleep eyes in cloth dolls. In 1927,
Bing significantly lowered the prices on their products though denying the rumors of financial trouble. Then in 1928, Bing
merged with Louis Wolf becoming Bing-Wolf but even that was not enough. The company was bankrupt by 1932.
the workshop of designer Albert Schlopsnies who had designed dolls for Steiff. The combined company then formed a
conglomerate ultimately becoming Bing Werke Corp. Members of the conglomerate included Kammer and Reinhardt, Louis
Wolf, Max Arnold, Welsch and Co., and Waltershauser Puppenfabrik. This merger was reminiscent of the merger of French doll
companies earlier in the decade resulting in SFBJ.
This was the time when Bing produced Art Dolls designed by Professor Vogt Nurnberg and Emil Wagner of Sonneberg. The
dolls were cloth with molded faces. Bodies were of cotton.Joints were at the neck, shoulders and hips. Features and hair were
painted. Some dolls had mohair wigs. The word Bing was impressed into the soles of the shoes. Dolls of composition, bisque,
rubber and felt were also sold by the company.
Kathe Kruse sued the company in 1925 for patent infringement. Bing lost. That same year, Bing took out three of his own
patents: one for construction methods, one for attaching eyes to cloth dolls, and the last for sleep eyes in cloth dolls. In 1927,
Bing significantly lowered the prices on their products though denying the rumors of financial trouble. Then in 1928, Bing
merged with Louis Wolf becoming Bing-Wolf but even that was not enough. The company was bankrupt by 1932.
