#424 HANS POSTLER – LAUFTIER/ WALKER (Around 1972)

This small and cheap toy is a “Lauftier” (lit. “Walking animal”, although in English this kind of toy is known as "Walker"). I bought it recently from a guy who had a box full of them. There were many different animals available: from dogs and horses to more exotic elephants, tigers and camels.

They are made of bright plastic, and have a string attached to its bodies. The other edge of the string have a very light weight (it’s a plastic ball), that makes the animal actually walk. As you can see in the package, the ball is left over the edge of a table, and the animal will walk in that direction.

They are really nice example of “kiosk” toys, which were available for very little money in other places than toy shops: newsagents, bakeries and so on.

The toy is made in Hong Kong, although the packaging is in German. There is a logo printed on it, that, I guess, belongs to the manufacturer or importer, I cannot read it, but I think  it says something like HEID, HEIP, HEDI, HEPI or a similar combination of letters. I have searched the internet, but I found nothing about this brand.

Thanks to Maverick Collecting, I have found out that  this logo belongs to Hans Postler (it was really a "H" and a "P"), a German importer of cheap toys (mainly from Hong Kong and China).

I think this toy was made by the early 70s, sometime between 1970 and 1976, because of the style of the package and being manufactured in Hong Kong for German speaking markets.

The security warnings are also written in French.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: LAUFTIER (In German: “Walking Animal”)
• Year: Around 1972
• Company: Maybe HEDI, HEPI, HEID or HEIP (Hong-Kong?)
• Size: Around 4 cm.