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Kurt Adler Turns 60
Kurt Adler turns 60
Playthings
By Staff -- 9/28/2005 11:00:00 AM
NEW YORK—High-end ornament company, Kurt Adler is celebrating its 60th anniversary with, what else, some new ornamental designs for the holidays.
On the Christmas list of new designs for this holiday season are M & Ms Star Wars ornaments (pictured right) and birthstone ornaments (pictured below). Additional branded ornaments include Barbie and Hot Wheels as well as Hello Kitty and My Little Pony.
Kurt Adler, founded post-WWII in 1946, is known for bringing a European flavor and fashionable look to Christmas in the United States. As an exporter of general goods, the business grew as the European economies flourished—Kurt Adler began importing. At the time, postwar America only had the basics for holiday decorating—tinsel, icicles and glass balls from the five-and-dime stores.
In 1950, Kurt Adler began importing angels, spun glass balls from Czechoslovakia, miniature tree lights from Italy, candy containers and snowglobes from East and West Germany. By the 1960s, figurines in snowdomes that came alive with movement were introduced (aka snow globes). The company was one of the first to design and distribute ornaments crafted of quality materials like porcelain, stained glass, fabric mache, and blown-glass. Today the company works with more than 200 factories in over 20 countries, and more than two dozen world-class designers and product managers.
Following last year's passing of founder and chairman, Kurt Adler, the Adler family continues to own and operate the business.
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