Strenco

In 1954 ... Strenco Company started its way into the children's rooms of the still young German republic. Strenco used the appearance on the Toy Fair in Nuremberg in 1955 to present a wide program of toys. Beside those toys typical for that time, such as commercial vehicles (cranes, excavators etc.), also the article
ST-1, i.e. the first article in the catalog, could be found.

A robot.
A robot???

Well, this Robot was produced for Strenco by Georg Köhler Company , Nuremberg. An early patent specification from the year 1935 refers to a spring driving gear for a running toy of Georg Köhler. Which suggests that the running gear of the Robot has been a further development of the invention of 1935.

Mr. Köhler had been an ingenious inventor, who also invented the famous car not falling off a table's edge. But unfortunately that company was again and again faced with financial problems, therefore a strong marketing partner was looked for STRENCO.

Since Mr. Köhler was working on a running gear already around 1935, see patent specification, the Strenco-Köhler-Robot is the third one, following Mr. Atomic and the Lilliput Robot from Japan (the date of production, however, not exactly being known), out of the series of the Robot Toy history.

Had the Robot been a sales hit in post-war Germany? No, on the contrary, the Robot was a flop; during those years cars, commercial vehicles and motor cycles had been the bestsellers of toy companies.

After some time the Robot disappeared from the Strenco Catalog. In order to then again popping up in the catalog of a Japanese toy company.

In the beginning being nearly identical with the ST-1, with clockwork - later on further developed - even battery-operated, these toys found their way into the American children's rooms - with great success.

Around 1959 and 1960 another two German toy producers presented a plastic toy robot each, but that's another story.

During the past years there were discussions among collectors as to which company did have the Robot first and which one reproduced it.

It is undisputed that the Japanase are masters of the production of robot or space toys, but in my opinion it has thus been proven that the Strenco ST-1 is a German product and no reproduction.

I would very much appreciate to receive comments on this topic in the forum under www.Strenco.de .

In 2004 ... 50 years Strenco

For me personally it is a great pleasure to present collectors from all over the world the Golden ST-1 Robot, limited to 2000 pieces.

Thus perpetuating the history of the Strenco brand.

Yours,

Volker F.E. Strauss