Simba Dickie Group
A German toy manufacturing group whose portfolio spans dolls, vehicles, wooden toys, games, outdoor play products, model railways, plush, and school-related products.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Simba Dickie Group is a privately held German toy manufacturer and multi-brand toy house headquartered in Fürth. Its roots go back to Simba Toys, founded in 1982 by Fritz Sieber and his son Michael. The business initially concentrated on importing toys from the Far East, but developed into a vertically broader international group through manufacturing, brand ownership, distribution, and repeated acquisitions. A decisive step in the group's formation came in 1993, when Simba Toys took over the business founded by Wolfgang Sauerborn in 1971, later known as Dickie Toys. The combination of Simba's traditional toy business with Dickie's vehicle expertise created the Simba Dickie Group platform. The company subsequently expanded by acquiring or taking stakes in specialist manufacturers, publishers, retailers, and entertainment businesses. Its portfolio includes Simba Toys, Dickie Toys, Eichhorn, Schuco, Noris-Spiele, BIG, Nicotoy, Smoby Toys, Majorette, Solido, Heros, Märklin, AquaPlay, Undercover, Zimpli Kids, Corolle, Kid E Media, Jada Toys, EXIT Toys, and Scout, among others. The group's product range covers more than 4,000 articles according to the cited reference material. Major categories include dolls and role-play products, baby and preschool toys, radio-controlled and die-cast vehicles, model cars, wooden toys, board games, arts and crafts, large plastic ride-on products, outdoor play equipment, plush toys, model railways, water-play systems, school bags, and licensed entertainment merchandise. Through Dickie Toys and related businesses, the group also distributes selected model and hobby products, including Tamiya and Scalextric products in Germany. It has also produced plush products connected with Nintendo's Super Mario franchise. Simba Dickie Group operates internationally, with subsidiaries in approximately 30 countries and eight production facilities cited in the reference material. In addition to Fürth, the group's locations include operations in France, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, the United States, and other European and Asian markets. More than 70% of turnover is generated outside Germany, reflecting the group's export-oriented structure and global sales network. The company has grown from a small organization of five people at its beginning to approximately 2,600 employees worldwide in the cited account. The group competes through portfolio breadth rather than dependence on a single flagship product. Its strategy combines owned brands, acquired heritage names, licensed products, specialist hobby businesses, and distribution capabilities. This allows it to serve mass-market toy retailers, specialist toy shops, model and hobby customers, department and discount channels, and seasonal outdoor-product markets. The group remains active and family-rooted in character, although detailed current ownership and executive information is not established by the supplied reference material.
History
Simba Dickie Group developed from two German toy businesses with different initial specializations. Simba Toys was established in Fürth in 1982 by Fritz Sieber and his son Michael Sieber. The company initially relied substantially on importing toys from the Far East. Its early scale was small, with only five employees cited in the reference material, but it gradually broadened its assortment and established the basis for an international toy business. The second foundation of the group was the company founded by Wolfgang Sauerborn in 1971. That business later became associated with the Dickie Toys name and focused particularly on toy vehicles. After Sauerborn's death in 1993, Simba Toys took over the business. The combination of the two companies in 1993 is generally treated as the foundation stone of the modern Simba Dickie Group. Simba contributed a broad children's-toy base, while Dickie strengthened the group's position in vehicles and related play patterns. Expansion after the merger proceeded through a long series of acquisitions and investments. Eichhorn, a wooden-toy company, joined in 1998, followed by model-vehicle specialist Schuco in 1999. Board-game company Noris-Spiele was acquired in 2001, and BIG-Spielwarenfabrik, known for large plastic play products including Bobby Car, followed in 2004. The group added plush specialist Nicotoy in 2006 and expanded its games and arts-and-crafts portfolio through Schipper Art&Crafts in 2008 and Zoch in 2010. French manufacturer Smoby Toys became part of the group in 2008. Smoby's portfolio included Majorette and Solido, which were acquired in 2010 and brought additional strength in die-cast and model vehicles. Heros, another wooden-toy business, was also acquired in 2010. A major move into model railways came in 2013, when Märklin was acquired by Siso, the Sieber family company. Märklin's related portfolio included LGB and Trix, giving the wider group established positions in several model-railway scales and collector markets. The group continued adding adjacent categories. AquaPlay joined in 2014 with water-course play systems, while Undercover became majority-owned in 2015 and expanded the school-products business. In 2017, Simba Dickie acquired a two-thirds shareholding in British bath-additives company Zimpli Kids, known for children's products such as Glibbi. French doll maker Corolle was acquired in 2018. That year also brought a majority stake in Swedish entertainment company Ruta Ett AB, subsequently renamed KID E MEDIA AB. Simba Dickie acquired American toy and collectible manufacturer Jada Toys in 2019 and took a majority stake in Dutch outdoor-products company EXIT Toys in 2020. The group's infrastructure became international as its brand portfolio grew. Reference material identifies operations or headquarters-related locations in Fürth, Langeais and Lavans-lès-Saint-Claude in France, Hong Kong, Doetinchem in the Netherlands, and California in the United States. The group is described as having subsidiaries in roughly 30 countries, eight production facilities, and a global sales network. More than 70% of turnover is generated through foreign-market sales. Simba Dickie Group now operates as a diversified toy house with over 4,000 products cited in the reference material. Its portfolio ranges from affordable children's toys and licensed plush to specialist model railways and vehicles. The 2024 addition of Scout extended the group into school bags. The supplied material reports turnover of €711.7 million in 2024, up from €500 million in 2009, and approximately 2,600 employees worldwide. Detailed information on current leadership, ownership percentages, and individual financial performance is not provided in the available sources.
- 2024
Scout is acquired
[1]Scout, a school-bag brand, was added to the portfolio.
- 2020
EXIT Toys becomes majority-owned
[1]The Dutch outdoor-products company EXIT Toys joined the group under majority ownership.
- 2019
Jada Toys is acquired
[1]The US manufacturer Jada Toys added toy vehicles and collectible figures to the group.
- 2018
Corolle and KID E MEDIA are added
[1]The group acquired French doll maker Corolle and took a majority stake in Swedish entertainment company Ruta Ett AB, later renamed KID E MEDIA AB.
- 2014
AquaPlay is acquired
[1]AquaPlay brought water-channel and water-play systems into the portfolio.
- 2013
Märklin joins the group
[1]Siso, the Sieber family company, acquired Märklin, including the LGB and Trix model-railway businesses.
- 2010
Majorette, Solido, and Heros are added
[1]The group added vehicle brands Majorette and Solido and wooden-toy company Heros.
- 2008
Smoby Toys and Schipper Art&Crafts expand the portfolio
[1]Smoby Toys broadened the group's French manufacturing base, while Schipper Art&Crafts added painting-by-numbers products.
- 2004
BIG-Spielwarenfabrik is acquired
[1]BIG expanded the group into large plastic toys and outdoor play products, including Bobby Car.
- 2001
Noris-Spiele is acquired
[1]The acquisition strengthened the group's board-game business.
Products and positioning
A broad, international toy manufacturing and brand group combining mass-market children's products with specialist model, hobby, games, outdoor, plush, and educational ranges.
Dolls and children's toys · 1982
Simba Toys
The original Simba business covers dolls, baby and preschool toys, children's household-play products, and musical toys. Its named lines include Steffi Love, Madeleine, and My Musik World. The brand represents the broad, accessible children's-toy foundation around which the wider group was built.
Toy vehicles · 1971
Dickie Toys
Dickie Toys specializes in toy vehicles and related playsets. Its business sits alongside the group's Carson brand and its German distribution of selected Tamiya and Scalextric products. The range serves both ordinary children's vehicle play and more technically oriented radio-controlled and model-hobby segments.
Wooden toys
Eichhorn
Eichhorn is a wooden-toy specialist acquired by the group in 1998. Its products broaden the portfolio beyond plastic and electronic play by emphasizing traditional construction, early-learning, and imaginative wooden play.
Model vehicles
Schuco
Schuco produces sheet-metal and die-cast model vehicles, principally in collector and model scales including 1:90, 1:87, 1:43, and 1:32. It gives Simba Dickie Group a specialist position in detailed vehicle models rather than only mass-market toy cars.
Games and arts and crafts
Noris-Spiele, Schipper, and Zoch
Noris-Spiele anchors the group's board-game activities. Schipper Art&Crafts adds painting-by-numbers products, while Zoch is a German games publisher acquired in 2010. Together they provide tabletop and creative activities across family and hobby audiences.
Large plastic and outdoor toys
BIG
BIG-Spielwarenfabrik makes large plastic play equipment and outdoor products. Its best-known cited product is Bobby Car, a ride-on vehicle that gives the group a high-recognition preschool and outdoor-play offering.
Outdoor and children's toys · 2008
Smoby Toys
Smoby Toys is a French toy manufacturer within the group. Its portfolio supports outdoor, preschool, and general children's play, and historically included the Majorette and Solido businesses before those brands were separately identified in the group's portfolio.
Model railways · 2013
Märklin, LGB, and Trix
Märklin is the group's model-railway center, with related LGB and Trix brands. The businesses cover several established railway scales, including Märklin's I, H0, and Z ranges, LGB garden railways, and Trix H0 and N products. These brands serve specialist collectors and hobbyists as well as younger model-railway users.
Toy vehicles and collectibles · 2019
Jada Toys
Jada Toys is a US manufacturer of toy cars and collectible figures. Its addition in 2019 strengthened Simba Dickie Group's access to North American vehicle, character, and collector-product markets.
Dolls · 2018
Corolle
Corolle is a traditional French doll brand acquired in 2018. It complements Simba Toys' doll portfolio with an established specialist name and a heritage-oriented positioning.
Outdoor and water play · 2014
AquaPlay and EXIT Toys
AquaPlay makes modular water-play systems, while EXIT Toys supplies outdoor products. Together they extend the group into active, seasonal, and garden-based play beyond conventional indoor toys.
School bags · 2024
Scout
Scout is a school-bag brand added to the group in 2024. It expands Simba Dickie's presence in the back-to-school category and complements Undercover's school-related product activities.
Brand decisions
2024
Addition of ScoutM&ABackground
The group continued to broaden its school and back-to-school activities.
Action taken
Scout was acquired or added as a group brand in 2024.
Aftermath
The portfolio gained an established school-bag name alongside existing school-product activities.
2020
Majority investment in EXIT ToysM&ABackground
The group continued adding adjacent outdoor and active-play categories.
Action taken
Simba Dickie Group acquired a majority stake in Dutch outdoor-products company EXIT Toys.
Aftermath
The investment expanded the group's outdoor-play assortment and Dutch operating footprint.
2019
Acquisition of Jada ToysM&ABackground
Simba Dickie Group continued its international expansion in vehicle toys and collectible products.
Action taken
The group acquired US manufacturer Jada Toys.
Aftermath
The transaction strengthened the group's North American presence and its vehicle-and-collectibles portfolio.
2013
Acquisition of Märklin through SisoM&ABackground
The group pursued a specialist model-hobby category with an established heritage brand.
Action taken
Märklin was acquired by Siso, the Sieber family company, together with the related LGB and Trix model-railway businesses.
Aftermath
Model railways became a significant specialist pillar alongside children's toys, vehicles, and games.
1993
Takeover of Dickie ToysM&ABackground
Simba Toys sought to expand beyond its original import-led toy business and add a stronger vehicle offering after the death of Dickie founder Wolfgang Sauerborn.
Action taken
Simba Toys took over the business later known as Dickie Toys, creating the foundation of the Simba Dickie Group.
Aftermath
The combined group developed a broader portfolio and a durable position in toy vehicles.
Sources1 sources
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