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The Hampelmann (also known as a Jumping Jack) was a creation of Oberammergau, Germany, one of the oldest regions in the world to make wooden toys, and became famous throughout the world.  Among the townspeople, the Hampelmann, a caricature of disliked people, became fashionable between 1750 and 1850.  However, the strong competition from other toy manufacturers, especially tin toys, contributed to a decline in the production of wooden toys.  After 1880, wooden toys like these were no longer carved and could only be seen in museums and private collections.

A hundred years later, in the early eighties, Karl Braun, Klaus Vogt and Markus Wagner’s interests in local history and sculpture led them to many visits of the Oberammergau Museum with its extensive collection of early works.  In contrast to the ever more developed art of woodcarving, including machine made products, they were especially taken by the simplicity of these early works.  Over time, experimentation with techniques, materials, tools and experience gained, as well as the popularity of these Hampelmann, as shown by the demand for them, led to the formation of a small workshop community.  

Each piece of the Hampelmann is made from the stem of a special kind of spruce tree.  Once the exclusive use of woodcarving knives produces the desired shape, the stem is actually split into shingles. The Hampelmann’s limbs are attached to his/her body by small wooden dowels. The limbs are movable around the dowel axis and connected to each other by cords. Pulling the cord down causes the figure to lift his/her arms and legs. Once the Hampelmann has been carved and carefully assembled, the typical Oberammergau painting style known as "Fassmalerei" is applied.  Traditionally used for painting church figures, a secret combination of pigments and lacquers are layered on a base of chalk.  The fiber structure of each shingle, combined with the carving, make each and every Hampelmann toy unique.

Karl, Klaus and Markus use the extensive collection of wooden toys at the Oberammergau Museum as inspiration as well as models.  In their early attempts to replicate these toys, it became very clear that a number of lost techniques and materials had to be re-discovered.  Their workshop has an ideal division of labor for the diverse specialization associated with this old world method of production. Thus, they strive to combine the charming appeal of handcraftsmanship and natural materials with the pleasure that comes from an unending repertoire of contemporary Hampelmann, whose shapes, as in early centuries, are finding admirers throughout the world.  
Complete with their signature sealing wax, Oberammergauer Hampelmann guarantees that all of their figures are 100% handmade exclusively in Oberammergau, Germany.