Founded in 1935 in Stuttgart, Germany, by Friedrich Schleich, Schleich is a brand that produces hand-painted figurines for children. In the 1950s, Schleich switched to the production of children's toys. In the 1960s they produced licensed toys from brands such as the Smurfs, Biene Maya, the Muppet Show and Mickey Mouse. Starting in the 1980s, they started producing original toys such as animals. In 2003, Schleich began to incorporate Fantasy figurines. Since 2003, Schleich also produced figurines from the Harry Potter universe (Unsere Marke, 2024).
Schleich is the 7th largest toy company in Germany after Lego, Playmobil, Hasbro, Mattel, Simba-Dickie and Ravensburger. Half of their income is made outside of Germany and their toys are sold in over 60 countries. The figurines are produced by first creating a digital model, prototyping with synthetic resin which is followed by an injection moulding process after which they are painted. Their marketing includes creating scenarios for their figurines and giving them names for certain figurines. They have created several sets and theme worlds such as Farm World, Wild Life, Horse Club, Dinosaurs, Eldrador Creatures and Bayala. They provide catalogues which are handy for children to mark the figurines they want as gifts. Some older figurines such as their WWF-Collection, the Pinto horse, and a black and white Beagle figurine are worth between €50-250 (Fritsch, 2023).