Strong support from exhibitors at the Spielwarenmesse for the Spirit of Play Foundation

• Successful donation to institutions across Germany and Austria
• A global project promoting play and creativity

Many exhibitors at this year’s Spielwarenmesse were particularly generous with their donations: through its Spirit of Play Foundation, the Spielwarenmesse was able to share three 20-foot containers packed full of products with the Kinderhaus in Nuremberg and the Kinderlachen Association in Dortmund. The products were officially donated on 21 May. 

Regional Power

Smiling faces dominated the photo session at the Neulichtenhof Family Centre. Christian Ulrich, Member of the Executive Board at Spielwarenmesse eG (Spokesperson), personally gifted part of the donations to the Neulichtenhof Family Centre in Nuremberg – one of a total of 30 facilities that make up Kinderhaus Nürnberg. For communications manager Katja Masin, the diverse selection encouraging learning, physical activity, creativity, as well as board games, opens up new ways for spending time together in both the children’s and family groups: “The toys create precious moments of togetherness whilst also supporting the development of our youngest children. We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the Spirit of Play Foundation and all the companies involved for their support.”

Lots of helping hands

In addition, the Dortmund-based charity Kinderlachen e. V. received a large donation of toys. This benefited social welfare organisations in Germany and Austria, such as Kindeswohl-Berlin, Nestwärme Berlin and Kindertafel Tirol. The organisation handled all the logistics, from loading the goods onto the huge lorries to delivering them in person to the partner organisations. “Our collaboration with Spielwarenmesse eG is a striking example of how much good can be achieved through joint efforts,” explains Christian Vosseler, head of Kinderlachen e. V. The logistics provider Kühne + Nagel and over 30 students from DHBW Ravensburg, who played an active role in collecting and distributing the toy donations on-site, also made a significant contribution to the project.

From Nuremberg to the world

Since being founded in autumn 2024, the Spirit of Play Foundation, run by Spielwarenmesse eG, has been working regularly with social organisations and aid projects. Around 6,000 children in the DACH region, as well as in India and Brazil, have received toy donations to date. “Play fosters creativity, social skills and personal development. The fact that we were able to reach so many children in such a short space of time, together with our exhibitors, is a striking demonstration of the industry’s willingness to support this cause,” explains Christian Ulrich, Member of the Executive Board at Spielwarenmesse eG (Spokesperson).

Further information: Spielwarenmesse eG: Spirit of Play Foundation