Dickie

Established: 1971 in Nuremburg, Germany
Founder: Wolfgang Sauerborn

• The Unimog RC model was named the best model in the world in 2000

Founded in 1971 by Wolfgang Sauerbornem (then as Sauerborn & Stürbinger), this German toy company has experienced rapid growth during its relatively short history.

A few years after its establishment, the company became a pioneer in remote control toys in Germany, using the most advanced technology and the experience of professional automotive engineers. In 1984, the company was rebranded as Dickie Spielzeug for the German-speaking market and Dickie Toys for the international market.

Nine years later, however, they suffered a big loss when founder Wolfgang Sauerborn died, aged 49 years, in a plane crash at Cologne airport. Shortly thereafter, rival German toy company Simba made an offer to join forces, and half a year later the deal was done. So in 1993, the two strongest German toy companies merged as the Simba Dickie Group, becoming the largest toy manufacturer in Europe.

In 1994 they released an RC model with fully functioning lights and realistic sounds. Dickie Toys even gained the first license to produce RC racing cars in cooperation with the future F1 champion Michael Schumacher. Dickie Toys maintains the quality of its products thanks to a strict manufacturing process and patented technologies. Their models are perfect copies of the original vehicles and bring joy every year to thousands of children and adults worldwide.