Schmidt Spiele

What Schmidt Spiele does

Schmidt Spiele GmbH is a Berlin-headquartered German game and puzzle manufacturer founded in 1907 by Josef Friedrich Schmidt, inventor of Mensch ärgere Dich nicht®. The company designs, produces, and distributes physical board games, card games, puzzles, plush toys, wooden toys, and premium art kits across roughly 1,000 active SKUs, releasing more than 150 new products each year. Its portfolio is structured around four sub-brands: Schmidt® Spiele (mass-market games, puzzles, and plush), Drei Magier® (premium children's games, acquired 2008), Selecta® (wooden toys, acquired October 2017), and My ArtNOBLE (premium Thomas Kinkade–licensed painting kits). Iconic trademarked titles include Mensch ärgere Dich nicht®, Kniffel®, and Ligretto®.

The underlying technology is craft-based rather than software-driven: premium puzzles use a specially developed cardboard, linen surface structure, fine cutting dies for precise fit, and a matte lacquer for glare-free assembly. The company holds no app, API, or digital platform assets and operates entirely in physical consumer goods.

Schmidt Spiele has been a subsidiary of Good Time Holding GmbH since 1997. It monetizes through wholesale distribution to toy and game retailers, presence in physical retail, and a proprietary DTC e-commerce shop (schmidtspiele-shop.de) supported by a €5 newsletter welcome discount. The customer base is broad and consumer-facing — families with children, adult puzzle hobbyists, and creative/art enthusiasts across Germany and other EU markets — with no disclosed enterprise customer concentration. Marketing is multi-channel across Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, and email, complemented by industry participation via Spiel des Jahres awards.

Name

Schmidt Spiele

Legal name

Schmidt Spiele GmbH

Website

https://schmidtspiele.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1907

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Schmidt Spiele GmbH is a 1907-founded German manufacturer of physical board games, card games, puzzles, plush, wooden toys, and premium art kits under the Schmidt, Drei Magier, Selecta, and My ArtNOBLE brands, selling approximately 1,000 SKUs to families, adult hobbyists, and children across EU retail, wholesale, and DTC channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Toys and Games

NAICS

Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912), Doll, Toy, and Game Manufacturing (339930)

SIC

Games, Toys & Children's Vehicles (No Dolls & Bicycles) (3944), Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945), Dolls & Stuffed Toys (3942)

akta.pro primary industry

Board Game & Puzzle Specialty Retailers (CRALALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Jigsaw Puzzles Retail (CRALALAJ), Strategy/Euro Board Games Retail (CRALALAC)

Keywords

• Board games
• Puzzle manufacturing
• Wooden toys
• Children's games
• Premium art kits

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Physical Games and Puzzles Sales: Schmidt Spiele generates revenue through the manufacture and sale of physical board games, card games, puzzles, plush toys, wooden toys, and premium art kits (My ArtNOBLE). The company sells approximately 1000 different products including classic titles and new releases through retail and e-commerce channels.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Schmidt Spiele manufactures and sells physical board games, card games, puzzles (including premium grass-fiber puzzles with linen structure and licensed artwork), plush toys, wooden toys (via the Selecta brand), and premium painting kits (via the My ArtNOBLE brand). The company sells approximately 1000 different products including classic titles such as Mensch ärgere Dich nicht, Kniffel, and Ligretto, releasing more than 150 new products every year through retail and e-commerce channels across Germany and European markets.

Product overview

Schmidt Spiele operates as a multi-brand portfolio company offering traditional toys and games across several distinct sub-brands. Schmidt® Spiele serves as the core brand covering puzzles (featuring licensed themes such as Disney), plush toys, and classic board/card games for all ages. Selecta® provides wooden toys and puzzles with a traditional focus. Drei Magier® offers upmarket children's games with magical themes. My ArtNOBLE delivers premium art kits for painting enthusiasts. The portfolio spans physical game products, puzzles, plush toys, wooden toys, and creative/artistic kits.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Drei Magier: Premium children's games brand, synonymous with high-quality games for children.
• Selecta
• My ArtNOBLE
• Premium Puzzles

Products and services

• Schmidt Spiele® Board and Card Games Core brand offering board games and card games for children, families, and adults, including classic trademarked titles such as Mensch ärgere Dich nicht®, Kniffel®, and Ligretto® alongside new releases. Approximately 1000 products are in the range, with more than 150 new products released every year.
• Schmidt Spiele® Puzzles (Premium and Standard) Premium-quality jigsaw puzzles, including grass-fiber (Grasfaser) premium line featuring specially developed cardboard, linen structure, perfect-fit fine cutting, matt varnish for glare-free puzzling, individually shaped pieces, and exclusive licensed artwork (e.g., Disney, Thomas Kinkade, Rosina Wachtmeister). Available in sizes including 500 and 1000 pieces.
• My ArtNOBLE Premium Art Kits Premium painting kits featuring high-quality canvases and art supplies that allow customers to recreate fine-art works such as Thomas Kinkade paintings (e.g., Rosebud Cottage, Lamplight Manor). Distributed under the My ArtNOBLE sub-brand.
• Drei Magier® Children's Games Upmarket line of premium children's games featuring traditional and magical-themed gameplay designed for younger players. Includes award-nominated titles such as Morty Sorty Magic Shop.
• Selecta® Wooden Toys and Puzzles Wooden toys and puzzles manufactured in Bavaria for over 50 years with a focus on sustainable production and maximum product safety. Acquired by Schmidt Spiele in October 2017.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ravensburger: Ravensburger is the leading German board game and jigsaw puzzle manufacturer, with comparable product categories (board games, children's games, premium puzzles), a similar DACH-centric retail and wholesale distribution model, and overlapping Spiel des Jahres-caliber IP. It is Schmidt Spiele's most direct and most relevant peer.
• Amigo Spiel + Freizeit: Amigo is a German publisher of card and board games (e.g., 6 nimmt!, Bohnanza) with a comparable DACH mass-market retail distribution footprint, similar mid-size scale, and overlapping Spiel des Jahres participation. Directly comparable as a German game publisher of similar size.
• HABA: HABA is a German manufacturer of wooden toys, children's games, and family games with a strong premium-family brand. Directly comparable to Schmidt Spiele's Drei Magier and Selecta sub-brands in children's wooden games and puzzles.
• Jumbo Spiele: Jumbo is a Dutch-based publisher of family and children's games and puzzles, with strong DACH and Benelux retail distribution. Comparable as a mid-size European board game and puzzle specialist with similar wholesale GTM.
• Clementoni: Clementoni is one of Europe's largest puzzle and game manufacturers, with a strong mass-market jigsaw portfolio (including licensed IPs) and EU-wide retail distribution. Directly comparable to Schmidt Spiele's puzzle business, with a notably larger international footprint.
• Kosmos Verlag: Kosmos is a Stuttgart-based publisher of family, strategy, and science/nature board games with strong retail presence in German toy and book channels. Comparable as a DACH-centered board game publisher with overlapping family and children's game titles.

Broad incumbents

• Mattel: Mattel is a global toy and game conglomerate (UNO, Scrabble, Barbie) that competes in mass-market family games and puzzles. Broad incumbent with global distribution; overlapping end-use occasions (family game nights, gifting) with Schmidt Spiele.
• Hasbro: Hasbro is a global toy and game conglomerate whose brands (Monopoly, Yahtzee — a Kniffel variant — and Play-Doh) compete head-to-head with Schmidt's classic German games in retail aisles. Broad incumbent in the same product categories at vastly larger scale.
• Asmodee: Asmodee is the largest specialty board game publisher in Europe (Catan, Ticket to Ride, Star Wars: Legion). Comparable as a European board game publisher and distributor, but operates at significantly larger scale and with a portfolio concentrated in hobby/strategy games rather than family classics.

Regional players

• Simba Dickie Group (Noris): Simba Dickie Group's Noris brand is a German manufacturer of family games, puzzles, and educational toys with strong DACH mass-market retail presence. Comparable in product mix and distribution footprint, but operates as part of a larger toy conglomerate.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/SchmidtSpielePodcast
• Facebookfacebook.com/SchmidtSpiele
• Instagraminstagram.com/schmidt_spiele
• Pinterestpinterest.de/search/pins/?q=schmidt%20spiele&rs=filter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/schmidt-spiele-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Schmidt Spiele