Senger

Senger Naturwelt began rather wonderfully: with an empty sewing factory, a couple who weren’t really in the toy business, and a desire to make something different. In 1985, Sabine and Volker Senger left Berlin for Volker’s hometown of Obersinn, Germany, where his mother had a small, unused clothing factory. They began making dolls almost for fun, using the old sewing machines. Sabine brought her background in children’s books; Volker had trained as a tailor. They noticed the market was flush with mass-produced stuffed animals but lacked creatures with individuality or charm. So they began making their own. Their first collection of handmade mouse puppets arrived in 1986, and the company has remained family-run ever since.

Today, Senger makes beautifully simple stuffed animals from natural materials, with the same attention to what’s inside as what’s on the outside. The soft outer fabric is GOTS-certified organic cotton, while the Cuddly animals are filled with materials including sheep’s wool, spelt husks, cherry pits, and grape seeds. Senger sources its sheep’s wool from shepherds in Germany’s Eifel region and works with long-standing European suppliers. The animals are handcrafted, rooted in traditional craftsmanship and designed with an understated, lifelike quality that leaves plenty of room for a child’s imagination.