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Since 1945: Richard Sellmer Publishing. Advent calendars from Stuttgart to the world

It is such a beautiful product; the enthusiasm for it has been passed down through generations, explains Annette Sellmer, why all family members have remained loyal to the Christmas calendar during the company's now 80-year existence. The nostalgic city views, cozy Christmas scenes, romantic snowy landscapes with Santa Claus, and the religious motifs of the Advent calendars, especially popular in England, have one thing in common: they are designed and produced with care and great attention to detail. According to our company philosophy, what is depicted behind the doors must content-wise match the motif on the front of the calendar, says Annette Sellmer. Even the first Sellmer calendar with the motif "The Little Town" – which was reissued as a reprint – shows this careful attention to detail and the sophisticated, artisanal design. Richard Sellmer made it by hand alone in the living room of his house on Schmellbachstraße, opposite the current Sellmer company building. He was the first German provider where customers could order Advent calendars.

750 +

Specialist trade customers

480 +

Motive since founding

25 +

Export Countries

80 years

Business activity

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Frank Sellmer

(Publisher)

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Oliver Sellmer

(Managing Director)

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Annette Sellmer

(Press & Marketing)

How it all began

The first Advent calendar

The American occupation authorities granted printing permission in 1945. Although a good part of the Advent season of the first post-war year was already over, Sellmer's calendar was a huge success, so he gradually expanded the program in the following years.

Through international trade fairs, Richard Sellmer quickly managed to establish contacts with American customers. The Advent calendar, which had been completely unknown in the USA until then, also found enthusiastic buyers there. From then on, American customers could also buy Sellmer's Advent calendars. Sellmer's publishing house was even soon referred to as "The Home of Advent Calendar." To avoid the impression that only Americans used Christmas calendars from Stuttgart to do good: Richard Sellmer himself financed the restoration of the bombed church windows of the Stuttgart Collegiate Church with the proceeds from the motif "Old Stuttgart." The lavish photo albums documenting the company history contain, in addition to black-and-white photos from the early production, some letters from children all over the world, addressed to the "Secretary General of Father Christmas" or directly to "Santa Claus."

US Presidents with Sellmer Advent Calendar

That US Presidents Eisenhower and Nixon had their families photographed with a calendar from Stuttgart-Rohr as part of a charity campaign further boosted the popularity of Sellmer products. Also, the fact that a "Miss Christmas-Town" – the Advent calendar queen crowned annually in the USA as part of that benefit event – visited the publisher was seen as a nice recognition. Among the best-kept memorabilia is a Christmas card from Bill Clinton: The president personally thanked for the copy of a special edition Advent calendar from the 1950s featuring the "White House" as the motif, which Sellmer had sent him.

The Advent calendar production

Much was handcrafted

The Modern Age - Advent Calendar in Today's Time

Sellmer referred to as "Home" or as the "Source" of the Advent calendar in the American press.

At Sellmer, around 40 percent of sales now come from the international market.
When it comes to demand, the British are in a league of their own. That's why a sales office was established near Birmingham in 2001. But even in countries without a significant Christian tradition, such as Japan, demand is steadily growing. A very important area now is the production of custom-made items. These are mostly promotional gifts that companies send to their customers and employees. For example, the fashion chain H&M commissioned a stylish chocolate Advent calendar from Richard Sellmer Verlag in a magazine look, printed with a Christmas-themed cover girl.

Online sales are increasingly important for private customers. While buyers and users think about Christmas calendars at the earliest a few weeks before the start of Advent, the production of these paper treasures takes the manufacturer the whole year.

From the end of January, two major trade fairs are attended – the Nuremberg Toy Fair and Christmasworld/Ambiente in Frankfurt am Main. The first shipments to overseas go by ship as early as March, followed by delivery to wholesalers in Europe and finally to retailers and private customers. The calendars for the following year are designed from September, and they are printed right after Christmas. Here you can see how we produce Advent calendars.

In the early days of the publishing house, almost everything was still painstakingly handmade, but today production and packaging run automatically except for very few work steps; even for applying Glitter there is a machine. After Richard Sellmer's death in 1969, his son Tim was responsible for rationalizing production. His measures made the large quantities needed today possible in the first place. Tim Sellmer died in 2008, and his sons Frank and Oliver Sellmer continue the publishing house in his spirit.
The Sellmer publishing program currently includes around 130 designs, with about 15 newly designed ones added each year. Some designs have been continuously in the range since the 1950s; especially popular are reprints – more like Advent calendars for adults. Whether in the common DIN A4 format, as postcards, or three-dimensional with scenes to set up – no matter how different the customers' preferences may be: silver glitter dust and nostalgic romance are simply a must for Advent calendars – certainly not only for Americans.

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Family Eisenhower with a Sellmer Advent calendar

Interestingly, the Advent calendar is a relatively young phenomenon – the first example was produced in 1904. It only became widely popular in the 1950s. At that time, it became an affordable mass product – and the Stuttgart-based Richard Sellmer Verlag, which is the only publisher in Germany exclusively focused on producing Advent calendars, has played a significant role in this.

Millions of copies of the charming pre-Christmas agendas are delivered annually by the family business to distribution partners in over 25 countries. Richard Sellmer founded the publishing house in 1945; today, the grandchildren Frank and Oliver Sellmer run the business. Meanwhile, the fourth generation is also actively helping out. The publishing house employs nine staff members. About four freelance graphic designers are responsible for the artistic design, and printing orders are outsourced.