Hugo Koch was the director of a family-owned toy company in the former Yugoslavia, founded in 1902. After World War II, the Koch family had to leave the country because of their activities during the war. The family and their 35 employees set out on foot toward West Germany. This would have been the end of the company’s operations if the American army had not helped them. With the assistance of a U.S. Army major, they were able to recover some equipment and tools. This made it possible to restart production. After a few years, the company, Hugo Koch Toys, was flourishing again.
To show his gratitude for the help of the American army, Hugo Koch began in 1946 to produce a plush horse (in memory of President Roosevelt) and rocking horses. Lacking raw materials, he used surplus U.S. Army blankets. One of these rare plush horses is now housed in the Smithsonian’s Museum of American History. The toy shown here is the company’s last production, which was closed after the original design drawings were discovered during the dismantling of the factory.
The historical artifacts for sale at PARATROOPER’s are intended for collectors, history enthusiasts, historians and museum curators. These items do not glorify or promote any of the political, ideological or racial opinions related to the global conflicts that bathed the 20th century in blood.
Besides, we remind you that Article R.645-1 of the French Penal Code establishes fines applicable to fifth class contraventions (except in the specific cases of a filming, show or exhibition which refer to historical events) for any individual who wears a uniform, insignia or symbol reminiscent of those worn by members of the various organizations declared criminal in application of Article 9 of the Charter of the International Military Tribunal annexed to the London Agreement of August 8, 1945 – SS, SD, Gestapo, Nazi leaders (the Führer, the Reichsleitung, the Gauleiters and their main collaborators, the Ortsgruppenleiter, the Zellenleiter and the Blockleiter), or reminiscent of those worn by any person found guilty, by a French or International Jurisdiction, of one or several crimes against humanity established by Articles 211-1 to 212-3 or mentioned in Law No. 64-1326 of December 26, 1964.
The Code provides additional penalties, including the confiscation of the items used or intended for committing the offence.
