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

850 +

Specialist trade customers

490 +

Motive since founding

25 +

Export Countries

80 years

Business activity

It is such a beautiful product, the enthusiasm for it has been passed down through generations, explains Annette Sellmer, why during the now 80-year existence of the company all family members have remained loyal to the Christmas calendar. Now in the fourth generation.

The nostalgic city views, cozy Christmas scenes, romantic snowy landscapes with Santa Claus, and especially the religious motifs popular in England of the Advent calendars have one thing in common: They are designed and produced with care and great attention to detail.

According to the company philosophy, what is depicted behind the little 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 (see illustration on the right).

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.

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1946 to present:

It matches what is depicted behind the little door. (Calendar "The Little Town from 1946")

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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 calendar. 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 "Alt Stuttgart." The lavish photo albums documenting the company's history contain, in addition to black-and-white photos from the early production, some letters from children around 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 posed with their families for a charity campaign calendar from Stuttgart-Rohr further boosted the popularity of Sellmer products. Also, the visit of a "Miss Christmas-Town" – the Advent calendar queen crowned annually in the USA as part of that benefit campaign – was seen as a nice recognition. Among the best-kept memorabilia is a Christmas card from Bill Clinton: the president personally thanked for 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 is why a sales office was established near Birmingham in 2001. But demand is also steadily growing in countries without a significant Christian tradition, such as Japan. A very important area now is the production of custom-made items. These are usually 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 cover girl dressed in Christmas attire.

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Online sales are increasingly gaining ground among private customers. While buyers and users think about Christmas calendars at the earliest a few weeks before the start of the Advent season, the production of the paper ornaments at the manufacturer takes 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 go overseas 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 immediately after Christmas. Here you can see how we produce Advent calendars.

While almost everything was painstakingly handmade in the early days of the publishing house, today production and packaging run automatically except for a very few work steps; there is even a machine for applying Glitter. After Richard Sellmer's death in 1969, his son Tim was responsible for rationalizing production. His measures made the large quantities needed today possible. Tim Sellmer died in 2008, and his sons Frank and Oliver Sellmer continue to run the publishing house in his spirit.
The Sellmer publishing program currently includes around 130 designs, with about 15 newly designed ones added annually. Some designs have been continuously in the range since the 1950s; reprints are especially popular – 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 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, played a significant role in this.

Every year, the family business delivers millions of copies of the charming pre-Christmas agendas to distribution partners in over 25 countries. Richard Sellmer founded the publishing house in 1945, and today his grandsons Frank and Oliver Sellmer run the business. Meanwhile, the fourth generation is also actively involved. The publishing house employs nine staff members. About 4 freelance graphic designers are responsible for the artistic design, and printing orders are outsourced.