The history of the
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The company PUSTEFIX: A Success Story
People have been playing with bubbles for centuries. They mixed soapy water in a bowl and then used a straw or a meerschaum pipe to make bubbles after bubbles.
Fascinating, but laborious, because the preparation was just that, laborious. This only changed in 1948 in a small suburb of Tübingen…
The 40s and 50s
Poverty and hardship was spread far and wide across Germany there is need, cities and factories lie in ruins. Money is no longer worth much, instead barter is flourishing.
In these difficult times, Rolf Hein, a chemist with a doctorate, experiments with recipes for detergents. He would like to exchange these for food with the farmers around Tübingen and thus provide for his family.
Rather accidentally, he discovers a recipe that produces beautiful rainbow bubbles. He would like to make the colorful shimmering, slightly floating bubbles available to all children without them having to laboriously mix a soap bubble solution beforehand. He thinks about making a ready-made game: soap bubbles at any time and without preparatory work.
When the Deutsche Mark is introduced, the economy gains momentum. And bartering ends abruptly. For Dr Hein, this is the perfect time to realize his vision: a toy production for soap bubbles.
The beloved yellow teddy bear of his children becomes the symbol of the new brand, the soap-blowing bear. The idea of a ready-made soap bubble solution itself inspired the company name PUSTEFIX, made of the German words for “blowing” and “quick”.
The first PUSTEFIX can is made of aluminum. It is labelled and then sealed with a natural cork. The blow ring, on the other hand, consists of a spring wire spiral on a metal pin.
The new bubble game looks nice, but still has two weaknesses: On the one hand, the cork closure is never completely tight, which often leads to transport damage. This is because when the liquid comes out, the label detaches quickly. On the other hand, the soap bubble solution decomposes the wire spiral, just like with a battery. The game isn’t quite ready yet.
The 60s
The problem was not solved until the end of the 60s with the wider introduction of plastics. From now on the container and the blow ring are made of plastic, but Dr Hein insists that the already well-known shape of the slim PUSTEFIX cans be retained.
Like the cork, the plastic cap should also be smooth on the outside with the new container. For this purpose, an elaborate internal thread is developed. The oval shape of the bent spring wire spiral is also adopted for the blow ring made of the new material.
Thus the PUSTEFIX Classic still presents itself today in a unique, unmistakable design.
The design and the plastic packaging make PUSTEFIX a leading brand. Finally, the bubble solution container is completely sealed and the printed trademark, the golden PUSTEFIX bear, keeps its perfect appearance permanently.
These are ideal conditions to ship PUSTEFIX worldwide.
The ever improving quality of the PUSTEFIX Rainbow Bubble leads to constantly growing demand.
Until now, the bottles have been filled manually or with simple dosing valves; this is no longer possible by the end of the 1960s.
With new filling and capping machines, the PUSTEFIX production is gradually automated.
The 70s and 80s
In 1973, Gerold P. Hein takes over the company from his father. In previous years, the declining birth rate in Germany has affected the sales numbers of the PUSTEFIX games.
Gerold Hein pushes the export business. In addition to growth in neighboring European countries, he is particularly successful in the United States and Japan.
At the same time, PUSTEFIX is expanding its product range. In addition to the original bubble can, a complete assortment of different and completely new bubble games is created.
The 90s
In search of new sales channels, the grandson of the company founder, Frank W. Hein, discovers PUSTEFIX in 1993 as a popular product for others. The idea of PUSTEFIX as an advertising medium was born.
Companies can order individually designed Rainbow Bubble cans from the specially founded sales company SUCCESS and successfully advertise themselves using the PUSTEFIX Rainbow Bubbles.
50 years after PUSTEFIX was founded by his grandfather, the management of the company was transferred from his son Gerold Peter Hein to his grandson Frank W. Hein in 1998. The FAN SHOP is launched at the same time as the first PUSTEFIX website during the company’s anniversary.
The FAN SHOP offers a varying collection of different PUSTEFIX fan items. It consists of the on-site factory outlet and the PUSTEFIX online shop, which serves the needs of amateur and proffesional artists alike with the BUBBLeVENTS offer.
In addition, the FAN SHOP team offers Rainbow Bubble events and company tours and answers all inquiries about PUSTEFIX and soap bubbles. It also coordinates the PUSTEFIX donations to charitable organizations.
After taking over, Frank W. Hein begins to expand the PUSTEFIX range of games into completely new areas. He implements his own ideas, but also cooperates with well-known bubble artists such as Louis Pearl and Fan Yang, and develops new game ideas with them. The product range is growing rapidly, above all because globalization is making the production of accessories much easier.
The wide assortment, the outstanding quality and the meanwhile well-known reliable service not only brings PUSTEFIX numerous new markets, but also constantly expands the existing ones. Due to participation in international trade fairs, PUSTEFIX now also sells in New Zealand, Australia, China, Taiwan and India.
Since 2000
Image Stadtlbauer 1
After careful consideration and long negotiations, the Hein family decides in 2010 to sell their entire business shares to the Stadlbauer company in Salzburg. The company, which is also family-run, thus incorporates the PUSTEFIX brand into its group of companies and toy brand world.
However, at the express request of the Stadlbauer family, management remains in the hands of Frank W. Hein. As part of the Stadlbauer Group, all soap bubble activities are bundled under the new company name PUSTEFIX GmbH.
Image Stadlbauer 2
The internet is increasingly changing the retail landscape. PUSTEFIX recognizes this development and expands its internet presence with a new website and social media channels. The online shop is also continuing to gain in importance.
The experience and competence of the employees in Tübingen contribute to the fact that PUSTEFIX continues to grow. Increasingly, special editions are being developed, such as, for weddings or celebrations, to complement the classic PUSTEFIX range.
MyPUSTEFIX enables customers to have their PUSTEFIX cans designed individually. Magical gift ideas for children’s birthdays, weddings and many other occasions are created using individual motifs and additional personalization.
Just in time for the 70th company anniversary, PUSTEFIX modernizes its factory outlet in Tübingen in 2018. The small Bubble World in the middle of the PUSTEFIX production is an attractive destination for a trip into the world of bubbles.
A warm invitation!
