Schmidt Spiele

Historical Development

The origins of Schmidt Spiele date back to 1907, when the lithographer Josef Friedrich Schmidt founded the company Schmidt & Söhne in Munich. In the early years, the publisher specialized in the production and distribution of board games.

The company’s greatest success came in 1914 with the release of Mensch ärgere Dich nicht®, which was developed by Josef Friedrich Schmidt in a small workshop in the Giesing district of Munich. The dice game quickly became a bestseller and evolved over generations into a classic of German gaming culture.

In the following decades, the publisher continuously expanded its range and established itself as one of the leading providers of board games in the German-speaking world. In 1984, Schmidt Spiele, in collaboration with Droemer Knaur, published the first commercially successful pen-and-paper role-playing game in Germany, Das Schwarze Auge.

Other successful titles of the company include Kniffel®, Auf Achse, DOG®, The Quacks of Quedlinburg, as well as numerous board and card games for children, families, and frequent players.

In 1997, Schmidt Spiele fell into a difficult situation and had to file for insolvency. In August 1997, the headquarters in Eching near Munich was closed, and the main production facility in Ingolstadt was taken over by the Lower Franconian Ludwig Scheer GmbH.

The rest of the company, particularly the brand Schmidt Spiele as well as the rights to most games, was acquired by the Berlin-based Blatz Group, which today operates as Good Time Holding GmbH. It also includes sister companies such as KIDDINX Media and KIDDINX Studios. Under the new ownership, the significantly better-known name Schmidt Spiele was retained. In addition to traditional game production, the company is now one of the leading providers of puzzles in Europe and distributes licensed products featuring designs from Disney, Universal, and Thomas Kinkade.

In 2008, Schmidt Spiele GmbH acquired the rights to the premium brand Drei Magier, thereby ensuring the continuation of the popular children's game brand. Drei Magier stands for challenging children's games.

Since October 2017, Selecta® has been part of the brand world of Schmidt Spiele. For over 57 years, Selecta® has been manufacturing wooden toys with the highest quality standards.

Schmidt Spiele also maintains collaborations with various tourism partners in Germany. Among the partner regions are the Saxon Switzerland Tourism Association, the Sankt Peter-Ording Tourism Center, Büsum, the Butjadingen Tourism Service, as well as the North Sea spa Cuxhaven. As part of these partnerships, joint actions, special editions, and events related to the theme of games are offered.