History
sigikid is a recent company which at the same time has enjoyed a long tradition. The basic values of our company have not changed in the last 150 years.
The history of our company is a commitment towards the future. We believe that companies, despite all modern changes, have a responsibility towards their past.
1856 - 1968
The
company was established in the nineteenth century in the Upper Franconian city of Bayreuth, 100 km away from the famous toy manufacturing city of Nürnberg.In 1856, Heinrich Scharrer, a Nürnberg businessman, opened a store for mirrors, glass beads and bead toys in the Friedrichstraße in Bayreuth.
Business bloomed and soon Christian Koch became his partner. The high quality glass beads were manufactured in the glassworks of the Fichtelgebirge situated in the Bavarian forest as well as in Bohemia. The company exported the glass beads all over the world.
In 1872, Heinrich Scharrer employed Bruno Müller as authorized representative in the company. A few years later, Bruno Müller took over the company.
In 1910, the ownership of the company changed once more. Theo Köhler, who was a trainee of Scharrer & Koch, bought the company. Under Köhler's management, affiliated companies were opened in Gablonz (Bohemia) and in Venice. With a great deal of cleverness and a lot of flexibility, Köhler managed the company through the difficult years of the war.
After 1945 the assortment became more and more varied and geared towards children. In those years, the so-called "bead toys" were very popular among children as Christmas presents. The toys were made from the rejects of high quality beads made of wood and glass. These toys were then packed in colorful cartons and the "reject" products ended up on Chistmas present tables.