What happened to Hummel?

Pop Culture Derision for Hummel

Between Art and Artificial Value

They had appearances in Seinfeld, Gilmore Girls and Glee. Even Disney had a contract with the W. Goebel Porzellanmanufaktur. Those happy, bright-eyed children figurines with rosy checks and big smiles, designed by a German sister named Maria Innocentia in the 1930s, were once regarded as valuable collectors’ items, today they are mostly sees as prove for grandma’s odd taste in home decor. Yet, despite the pop culture derision in The Mentalist or The Simpsons, HUMMEL is still a recognizable genericized trademark, a household name, or is it? What happened to Hummel these little pieces of German craftsmanship that were once so highly sought after? Are grandma’s collections a thing of the past or a solid investment in a volatile art market, where most headlines are generated by contemporary art?

            When in 2006 W. Goebel Porzellanmanufakur announced financial difficulties, the fine art cherubic children scenes were in danger of going belly up. A US investor, Merrill Lynch, temporarily saved the brand and its 400 remaining employees but in 2008 they began their final descent, jobs were cut and HUMMEL was no more. Of the remaining 340 workers 230 became part of an interim employment society until Höchster Porzellan under the new management of Jörg Köster bought the storm-tossed, slightly stricken brand name in 2009, swooping in to save the “charming depictions of Bavarian country children”. The German newspaper DieWelt, titled “A new chance for Hummel” praising the new proprietor maybe prematurely as the saviour who opened up new markets in Russia and Japan thus getting the brand with its longstanding tradition out of the red.

After the cash infusion from the venture-capital-firm Bayerische Beteiligungsgesellschaft (BayBG) Hummel as part of the Manufaktur Rödental is branching out; a new Christmas line was conceptualized and thrown onto the market and tourists can discover how much work and dedication is hidden behind the smiling children’s faces. 60% of the fine arts craftsmanship “Made in Germany” is produced for markets in Asia and the US. Market insiders however know, not everyone is as optimistic or satisfied with the new direction of the company as managing partner Jörg Köster was in his 2011 interview. After a hire-and-fire period in his sales department Köster recently announced the merger of the Manufaktur Rödental sales department with Goebel. From September 2012 onwards M.I. Hummel products will again be part of the product line marketed by Goebel. Their field sales force is from now on responsible for rebuilding old networks and promoting next to the traditional figurines new lines including this years limited edition Grandma’s Treasure Figurine with a catalogue price of $4,990.00.

The German regional newspaper Neue Presse quotes antique store owners, saying the responsibility for the crumbling prices lies partially with Internet sales on eBay and the huge supply that was supposed to make up for deficits. Originally these figurines were made in crates of 300, today it is usually 20 to 50 of one model; especially the old ones are, nowadays, only produced on demand. It’s a small-scale production for a collectors market. Like grandpa’s coin and stamp collections, it seems, Hummel’s porcelain girls and boys are in danger of becoming a victim of the capitalist zeitgeist, the market is saturated and the prices have continuously been plummeting. Today they are usually sold for around $50 and less. Yet, there are those rare and old ones that are even today sold at reasonably high price.