n 1876, Franz Goebel started a porcelain firm near the town of Oeslauby, Germany. In the 1930s in a world of political turmoil he thought that his customers would respond to a product that depicted the gentle innocence of childhood. The artwork of a Franciscan Sister and gifted artists Maria Innocentia Hummel was introduced.
When after WWII the american soldiers stationed in Germany started to bring the sweet, inexpensive figurines back to USA for their loved ones as presents, the collecting frenzie of the Hummel figurines started, and the price skyrocketed.
![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/2kh1SuRQthA/mqdefault.jpg)