In 1871, Franz Goebel founded a porcelain factory near Oeslau, West Germany. Known as the F. and W. Goebel Company, in its early years Goebel was known for slates, pencils, toy marbles, and other everyday products.

Several years later, his son William expanded the product line while changing the name of the company to W. Goebel Porzellanfabrik. In 1879, the company was granted permission to build its first kiln, allowing it to greatly expand its offerings of porcelain figurines. The Goebel porcelain line included not only figurines but also dinnerware and other functional objects. Franz Detleff Goebel, the company's founder, retired in the late 1890s, leaving the leadership of the company to his son William, who aggressively advanced the Goebel name.

William was determined to bring his fine porcelain to an American market, sending his teenage son Max Louis to the United States in an attempt to increase sales there. Now known as F.W. Goebel Co.,t he first international advertising campaigns were launched between 1909 and 1911. Max Louis Goebel would return to Germany to lead the factory in 1911.

As the company grew, so did its range of products. In the 1920s, the company pioneered the manufacturing of earthenware. Young Franz Goebel, the son of Max Louis, was sent to the United States in the 1920s. When he returned, he began to develop lines of porcelain figurines specifically for export to the United States. After the death of Max Louis in 1929, his son Franz took over the company. It is around this time that Goebel first began to introduce the idea that porcelain figurines could carry emotional meanings, rather than just being decorative objects, an idea which would later prove important to the marketing of MI Hummel figurines.

Although perhaps best known for Hummel figurines, the Goebel company did not produce this line of figurines during its first six decades of existence. M.I. Hummel figurines are the result of a partnership between Franz Goebel and Sister Maria Innocentia (MI) Hummel. Franz saw her art during the 1930s, forging a partnership to bring her depictions of gentle, innocent children to the world. Both Franz and Sister Hummel felt that this was especially important during World War II, a time of destruction.

The first Hummel figurine, “Puppy Love,” was produced in 1935. However, as World War II broke out across Europe, much of Goebel's production capacity was redirected to the war effort, leading the company to product dinnerware, communications insulators, and other objects useful to the military. In late 1945, Goebel's factory reverted to the civilian market. After the war ended, Hummel figurines became popular souvenirs for American troops. After these troops returned home, the American market for Hummel figurines continued to expand rapidly throughout the 1950s.

Although Sister Hummel died at the age of 37 in 1946, Goebel continued her artistic legacy with new Hummel figurines. Each MI Hummel figurine must be approved by the Convent of Siessen and is incised with Sister Hummel's signature. Although all Hummels produced through 2008 are Goebels, the Goebel porcelain factory is also behind several other popular and timeless product lines. Goebel figurines based on the work of renowned artists are favorites of collectors worldwide. The company has created three-dimensional porcelain figurines based on the work of Walt Disney and Norman Rockwell.

Throughout the twentieth century, Goebel continued to expand and grow its product lines while experimenting with new glazing techniques. Although the exact number of different products produced by Goebel throughout its history is unknown, collectors put the number about 40,000. Today, the company is known as Goebel Porzellanfabrik, is owned by the fifth generation of the Goebel family, and offers porcelain figurines along with toys, lamps, stoneware, and stemware.

Want to learn more about the history of MI Hummel figurines? Continue reading about Goebel, the Convent of Siessen and Manufaktur Rodenthal.