Match the Makers Trivia Quiz

Answer: Swarovski

Daniel Swarovski was born in northern Bohemia in 1862 and worked for his father in his glass cutting factory. He became very interested in electricity during his education in Vienna and created an electric crystal cutting machine. He patented this in 1892 and three years later he had formed a partnership and built a factory in Wattens, Tyrol, Austria where it remains to this day.

The company has branched out into many different areas but their crystal sculptures remain their most profitable venture with shops in more than 170 countries.

All models contain the Swarovski logo to ensure that they are genuine - this began as a small edelweiss then became the 'block SC' and finally the swan in 1988.

Answer: Willow Tree

Willow Tree figurines were first created in 2000 by Susan Lordi. They begin life as clay sculptures designed by Lordi and are then cast into hand painted resin works. While Lordi is the creator of the pieces the characters are produced and marketed by the Demdaco Company.

They are distinct in the fact that their faces are blank canvases and the models themselves have rough edges instead of the smooth lines of many other creations. Lordi herself states that "Willow Tree is not necessarily a likeness; it's a reminder of someone we want to keep close, or a memory that we want to touch".

While 'Willow Tree' itself and 'Demdaco' are registered trademarks there are no other particular logos on the works.

Answer: Tudor Mint

The Tudor Mint began life as "The Watson Group" with a jeweller named Walter Archibald ('Archle') Parker Watson in 1915. The company was sold or incorporated a few times but the name basically remained the same and they created and sold costume jewellery until 1977 when cheap foreign imports led to its demise.

The company then switched to metal souvenirs and other keepsakes. The Tudor Mint name was created at this time as a label for some Victorian house scenes made in pewter. There is no definitive time given for the actual year it began but it is presumed it was the early 1980s as a collection known as 'Crystalflame' based on animals plated in gilt and silver were introduced during this period.

Then the company hit pay dirt with a collection known as 'Myth and Magic' which began in 1989 and was still in production in 2013. Tudor Mint became a separate company in 1991 and also produced ranges from 'The Lord of the Rings' and 'Arthurian Legend'. These collections were all made with pewter and full lead crystal.

The Tudor Mint's latest parent company, Xystos, went into receivership in 2013 so the future for these collectables is unknown

Answer: Hummel

Hummel figurines are based upon a series of pictures of children painted by Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel, a Franciscan nun. Sister Maria taught art at the convent school and painted the children in her spare time. Copies of these were released as postcards and caught the eye of Franz Goebel who owned a porcelain company and was looking for a new line. He acquired the rights to produce these and the first Hummel figurine was made in 1935.

The aftermath of WWII led to the models being bought by foreign soldiers as gifts for loved ones back home and their popularity led to them becoming collectors' items.

Their trademark has changed many times over the years. The initial pieces up until 1949 had three separate marks all containing a crown. In 1950 Goebel first introduced the bee which has remained throughout many different stamps since - Hummel meaning Bumblebee in German.

Answer: William Britains

William Britains, also known as Wm Britains or just plain 'Britains', was founded by an English toy manufacturer with the same name who invented the lead hollow casting process in 1893. A family company was set up in 1907 and remained in their hands until 1984.

The lead toy soldiers remained their flagship product until 1966 when safety regulations stopped their production. 1971 saw a new product, known as Deetail, hit the market with plastic figures until 1973 when they began production of soldiers in a durable alloy - these are known as the 'New Metal' models.

2005 saw the company move across the Atlantic when they were sold to an American firm where they still continue to produce the metal hand painted soldiers. Their range extends from 15th century knights to 20th century conflicts.

Answer: Lladro

The Lladro company is based in Tavernes Blanques, Valencia, Spain. It was founded in 1953 by the three Lladro brothers Juan, José and Vicente and began production with everyday stoneware items. Three years later they produced the first of their models and these have been in production ever since.

Lladro uses a hard-paste porcelain in the production of these figurines which means it is a bright white material that doesn't require glazing. The actual ingredients involved in this are a close knit secret.

There were two trademarks prior to the present famous blue logo that began in 1971. This symbol is a blue bellflower with an ancient chemical symbol attached which is seen on the bottom of all of their works. While the stamp is included on all of their pieces since there have been many changes to the surrounding writing.

Lladro is also famous for its subsidiary company NAO which also produces porcelain figurines.

Answer: Schleich

Friedrich Schleich founded the German toy company in 1935 but his first success was with a bendable doll after the war. 1955 saw him obtain a license from Disney and the company expanded rapidly. He also produced his first series of miniature animals created out of PVC at this time but it wasn't until the 1980s that they began to manufacture their hand painted animals which are the mainstay of the company.

Over the years their animal lines have included Wild Life, Farm Animals and the Horse Club. They also produce figures from Peanuts, DC Comics, Marvel and Smurfs and for those who enjoy fantasy, they have dinosaurs, knights and the fictional lands of Bayala and Eldrador.

Schleich remained a family business until 2006 and their headquarters are still in Schwabisch Gmund, Germany but 50% of their sales now come from overseas markets where they are sold in more than 50 countries.

Although they are still recognised as a toy company and are enjoyed by children throughout the world the wonderful detail and delightful whimsy have made them a collector's choice for many adults.

Answer: Robert Harrop

Robert Harrop specialises in the production of anthropomorphic dogs known as 'Doggie People' which are neither human nor canine but a wonderful mixture of the two. Some designs are generic as in his occupational models while others are famous characters, real or fictional, that he has recreated in animal form.

Harrop trained in design but his first love was the equestrian world. During this time he did do commissions of famous horses in bronze but nothing else until a back injury ended his riding career in 1979.

A commission for a Labrador figure at a stately home gave him the idea for his 'Doggie People' and he created 12 figures in ceramic resin which he originally called 'The Country Set'. This idea moved onto 'The Country Companions' and by 1990 the figures were selling worldwide.

As the range grew and were no longer just country 'people' the name was briefly changed to 'Town and Country Companions' in 1997 before finally becoming 'Doggie People' the next year which is now their registered trademark.

Answer: Lilliput Lane

Lilliput Lane was created by David Tate, his wife and daughters and three friends in 1982. They moved from Hampshire to Penrith up in Cumbria and started production of their quintessentially English models. Their creations were handmade models of cottages all the way up to large structures like the Tower of London.

They worked their way from a small cottage industry to a large company exporting to over 50 countries around the globe. The company was sold and its premises moved to Scotland in 2009 and seven years later they ceased manufacture and closed the factory.

David Tate died of cancer in January 2017.

Answer: Steiff

Margarete Steiff was born in July 1847 near Ulm in Germany and contracted polio at 18 months old leaving her crippled and with limited use of her right arm. She refused to give in and was carried to school and also took sewing lessons. She became a qualified seamstress at 17 and worked in her sisters dress shop.

At age 30 she opened her own clothing business and, after seeing a pattern for a small cloth elephant, she designed a pincushion which her brother Fritz sold at the markets and from there the Margarete Steiff GmbH Company began.

The first illustrated catalogue appeared in 1892 and showed a multitude of plush animals made from felt. Five years later her nephew Richard joined the company and, in 1902, he designed a toy bear with jointed arms and legs made from a plush mohair. An American businessman imported 3000 bears which sold immediately in the states and the Teddy bear was born.

Steiff bears are huge collectors' items with prices to match. They are made from high quality materials and a lot of the work is still done by hand. The final touch is the Steiff trademark - a metal button sewn into the ear with the Steiff stamp. Earlier toys still show the original mark of an elephant.

Margaret died in 1909 at the age of 61 from pneumonia but her company and bears live on.