Horst Brandstätter

Horst Brandstätter (June 27, 1933 – June 3, 2015) was the owner of the German company Brandstätter Group. The company was founded by Andreas Brandstätter in 1876. At the age of 19, Horst Brandstätter followed in his father's footsteps by joining the family business and successfully modernised it. One of his major successes was the production of hula hoops in 1958. In the early 1970s he commissioned inventor and employee Hans Beck to produce a toy system that would eventually become known as Playmobil. Brandstätter retired from the company in 2000, but regularly visited the company offices until his death in 2015.

Early life Horst Brandstätter was born on June 27, 1933, in Zirndorf, Germany. He lost his father when he was seven years old and was told by his mother that he would eventually take his father's place in the family toy company at the age of 21. Before joining the business, Brandstätter trained as an apprentice in a mold and die manufacturing company, at his mother's request.

Career Brandstätter joined the family firm in 1952 at the age of 19. At the time, the company was run by his two uncles. From his early years working at the company, Brandstätter realised that the working methods were outdated and worked to modernise it. His conviction that the company needed to move with the times resulted in success, with the production of hula hoops in 1958, which became a European success.

By the age of 78, Brandstätter had been voted Manager of the Year in 2009, was bearer of the German Federal Cross of Merit and honorary citizen of the city of Zirndorf. After suffering from a short illness, he died at the age of 81 on 3 June 2015 at his home in Zirndorf, Bavaria.

The 2019 film Playmobil: The Movie was dedicated to him in the film's closing credits.