Mechanical tin toys by the Lehmann Company, founded 1881 in Germany,

Lehmann Company, also known as Ernst Paul Lehmann Patentwerk, was a German toy manufacturer founded in 1881 by Ernst Paul Lehmann in Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany. The company initially produced metal kitchenware and tinplate toys, but in 1888, Lehmann began producing wind-up toys.

Lehmann's wind-up toys quickly became popular due to their high quality and intricate design. The company's most famous creation was the "Lehmann-Gnom," a small toy figure that could be wound up and would walk forward with a distinctive waddling motion. The Lehmann-Gnom was so popular that it became the company's logo and was used as a trademark on all of Lehmann's products.

In the early 20th century, Lehmann expanded its line of toys to include trains, cars, and airplanes. These toys were also powered by wind-up mechanisms and were highly detailed and realistic, with moving parts and more... realistic designs. Some of Lehmann's most popular toys included the "Tut Tut" car, the "Ikarus" airplane, and the "Rigi" mountain railway.

In 1921, Lehmann’s cousin Johannes Richter joined the firm and continued to run the company after the death of Ernst Lehmann in 1934. Lehmann Company continued to thrive until the outbreak of World War II, which severely impacted the company's production and sales. After the war the company founds itself located in East Germany under Soviet control and was nationalised by the occupiers.

IN 1948 Richter escaped to West Germany and set up a modest factory which he ran until his death in 1956. The family built a new factory in 1959 outside Nuremburg, later expanding to the USA, and celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2006. The company was purchased by Marklin in 2007 and they continue to distribute the Lehmann brand toys. less...