Ravensburger facts for kids
Logo used since 1999
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Ravensburger headquarters
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| Aktiengesellschaft | |
| Industry | Puzzle, toy |
| Founded | 7 May 1883 |
| Headquarters | |
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Area served
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Worldwide |
| Owner | Maier family, private company |
Ravensburger AG is a famous German company that makes games, puzzles, and toys. They are especially known for their jigsaw puzzles and are a top company in that market.
Contents
How Ravensburger Started
Ravensburger was started by Otto Robert Maier in 1883. He founded the company in Ravensburg, a town in southern Germany. Otto Maier first published instruction guides for builders and artists. This helped him build a strong business. His very first board game came out in 1884. It was called Journey Around the World.
Growing the Company
Around the year 1900, Ravensburger began making many more products. These included picture books, children's activity books, and art guides. They also made children's games like Happy Families. In 1900, the company registered its famous blue triangle trademark. By 1912, many of their board and activity games were sold in other countries. They were sent to Western Europe and even Russia.
Ravensburger Through the Years
Before the First World War, Ravensburger had about 800 different products. The company's building was damaged during the Second World War. However, they kept making games during the time of rebuilding. After the war, Ravensburger focused on games and books for children. They also made special books about art, building, and hobbies.
From 1962, the company grew a lot. In 1964, Ravensburger started making jigsaw puzzles. In the same year, they opened offices in other countries. These included Austria, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. In 1977, the company split into two parts. One part focused on books, and the other on games.
Ravensburger Today
Today, Ravensburger and its related companies offer many products. They have about 1800 books and 850 games. They also make puzzles, hobby items, and CD-ROM titles. Ravensburger products are sold in more than 50 countries around the world.
The company also owns other brands. Alea makes games for serious players. F.X. Schmid creates games, playing cards, and children's books. Under the F.X. Schmid brand, Ravensburger makes special Tarock cards. These cards are used for a game called Cego, which is popular in the Black Forest region of Germany.
Setting World Records
In September 2010, Ravensburger set a world record. They made the largest jigsaw puzzle ever at that time. It was designed by the artist Keith Haring. This huge puzzle had 32,256 pieces! It measured about 17 feet by 6 feet (5.18 meters by 1.82 meters). It even came with a special cart to move it.
Since then, Ravensburger has made even bigger puzzles. Their largest ones, "Memorable Disney Moments" and "Making Mickey Magic," each have 40,320 pieces. However, another company, Kodak, later made an even bigger puzzle with 51,300 pieces.
New Companies Join Ravensburger
Ravensburger has also bought other companies. On January 8, 2015, they bought BRIO. BRIO is a Swedish company famous for its wooden toy trains. In 2017, Ravensburger also bought Wonder Forge, an American game company.
Ravensburger's North American office is in Seattle, Washington, USA. This office releases about 25 games each year. One of their most successful games is Villainous. This game is based on different characters from Disney movies. In 2018, Ravensburger North America sold about 3 million games.
Ravensburger's Media Companies
Ravensburger has also had companies that worked with media like video games and TV.
Ravensburger Interactive Media
Ravensburger Interactive Media GmbH was a company that made and sold video games and software in Germany. It had two main parts. Ravensburger Interactive focused on games for families and educational software. The other part, Fishtank Interactive, made games for older players.
In May 2002, Ravensburger sold both Ravensburger Interactive and Fishtank Interactive to another company called JoWooD Productions.
Ravensburger Film + TV
Ravensburger Film + TV GmbH was a company that made movies and TV shows for Ravensburger.
In late 1998, Ravensburger made Ravensburger Film + TV a separate company. It was renamed RTV Family Entertainment AG. Ravensburger still owned 90% of this company. They also allowed the company to use the "Ravensburger" brand name. In June 2001, the company launched a "Ravensburger TV" block on the TV channel Super RTL.
In 2005, Ravensburger sold all their shares in this business. In mid-2006, the company changed its name again to Your Family Entertainment AG.
Popular Games from Ravensburger
Here are some of the well-known games sold by Ravensburger and its different brands:
Games by Ravensburger
- Das Buch von LuLu
- Dingbats
- Disney Lorcana
- Emoji
- Enchanted Forest
- Havannah
- Horrified
- Java
- Journey through Europe
- Karawane
- Know Interactive Board Game
- Labyrinth (board game)
- Lotus
- Make 'n' Break
- Malefiz
- Mexica
- The Name of the Rose (2008)
- Nobody is Perfect
- Quest
- Reversi
- Rivers, Roads & Rails
- Scotland Yard
- Tactil
- Take It Easy
- Tikal
- Top Secret Spies
- Villainous
- What Do You Hear?
Games by Alea
- Broom Service
- Castles of Burgundy
- Chinatown
- Las Vegas
- Princes of Florence
- Puerto Rico
- Ra
- San Juan
Games by F.X. Schmid
- Auf Achse
- Torres
- Black Forest Cego playing cards
Games by Ravensburger Digital
- Concentration in various editions
See also
In Spanish: Ravensburger para niños
