ZZ is for Whatever You Want to Believe!

But belief is the realm of the religious zealot, or the tabloid-reader of limited mental-faculties, not the empirical researcher.

A funny thing happened recently, or, at least; I think it's funny, but then I seem to have a lot of amusing enemies at the moment, enemies and critics, or critics equating to enemies (or 'emies' as TJF calls his!), so when they advertise their own idiocy, it amuses me, if it doesn't amuse you, read no further and I'll try to post some toys later.

Back at the beginning of August 2016 I published the results of much digging by several people on the subject of cheapo-knockoff plastic figures, farm & zoo animal rack-toys and tin-plate tree-hangers by Ingo Roggatz's ^Z_Z-branding here, yet recently Hildabreath Dildobrand (side-taking, self-identifying, associate of the PSTSM, so 'fair game') has been informing people (as fact) that the brand actually pertains to George Zimmermann's ZZ-branded metal fabricator's in Zirndof, Germany - this is a falsehood.

Firstly because '^Z_Z' the rack-toy importer started after 'ZZ' the German household goods manufacturer ceased trading and second because 'ZZ' the German household goods importer has been associated with few toys or playthings, there being a reference to their tin-plate 'piggy-banks' and a single example in the local museum (above link) of a toy truck, around 1:24th/25th (or larger) which is a huge chunk of beach/garden/sand-pit plaything composed of tin-plate, rubber and die-cast parts, showing its age, not a shiny, minty, 1990's, small tree-hanger of the sort imported by '^Z_Z' the rack-toy importer!

Now, this is not me being a 'clever-dick' (as someone calling herself 'Pardeilhan' would have you believe), this is my putting the record straight before more damage is done to the hobby by that group of loudmouthed, gobshite, blowhards centred on TJF and the Penn State Toy Soldier Mafia and their various AFD associates, idiot affiliates and Vichy hangers-on.

Witness the fact that some people are still using DGN in feebleBay listings as a brand-mark, despite the fact it is now appearing on other toys, by other brands, for its true purpose; to denote the English word 'design' as an abbreviation.

It should be noted that while the above illustrated dealer has tried to ride the coat-tails of 'vintage' tin-plate, he knows he's pulling a fast-one, hence the £3.50p start price, and the single bid was either speculative or made by someone who wasn't taken-in! £6.75p - with postage? . . . bargain; but only a small one!

Source:

https://www.zirndorf.de/Die-Metallwarenfabrik-Georg-Zimmermann-100-Jahre-Zirndorfer-Industriegeschichte.o4167.html

The dates may refer to a temporary exhibition, but there seems to be a permanent display (or collection) at the museum as well?

Text reads:

"Founded in 1880 by Georg Zimmermann sheet metal processing company employed in the year of the city survey 1912 over 700 employees. Today only a few things are reminiscent of the once flourishing metal goods factory Georg Zimmermann, which exported to the whole world. The company founder, who was awarded the title of "Kommerzienrat" because of his pronounced social commitment, was given a street. The former family villa on Nürnbergerstraße is still standing today. Behind it was the large factory area with an imposing main building and numerous workshops, sheds and other attachments. In the exhibition you can still admire them on old photos. To trace the former importance of the company, the museum team has spared no effort in recent months to reconstruct the wide range of Zimmermann products. Some came from far away by mail, others were carried by Zirndorf citizens and former employees into the museum. In addition to metal and celluloid mirrors adapted to the respective zeitgeist, smoking sets, picture frames, housewares, gift items and children's money boxes made of sheet metal, the broad assortment. Because they were usually cheap commodities, their lasting preservation was given little meaning. All the more we smile today about the shiny table accessories and household goods of bygone days, some of which are now quite in the status of an antique ascended. Since over the decades a comprehensive modernization of the company and the product range did not occur, the company, which was run in third generation, ceased operations in 1972. This ended a large chapter Zirndorfer industrial history. In 1990, all buildings were demolished and the whole area with a supermarket and parking built."

The upshot being; the factory Mr. Bildaburg Beiderbecke wants us to believe imported plastic shite from Hong Kong into the 1980's and carried the same tin-plate tree-hangers as Schilling through the 1990's, actually ceased trading in 1972, and seems to have made few toys, and then only larger ones; manufacturing them, not importing them?

Meanwhile - and well within a year of Zimmermann's demise - Herr. Ingo Roggatz was registering a ZZ trade-mark (after all: one had just been 'freed-up') with the German authorities responsible for such things . Now the fact that he would select a moniker rendered as a cipher, similar to one recently defunct, would add weight to the theory that the Rissen Farm and Riesen Zoo logos were deliberately similar to Stock chocolate's brand marks . . . what we have here is a consummate entrepreneur, exploiting the visual power of brand-recognition! And . . . as far as listings go; ZZ is second best to AAArdvark; one tends to look at both ends of a list first!

Nice try Deadleaf Hairbrand, but no banana! The red triangle is an old Victorian/Edwardian shipping-trope signifying 'quality' as Nabisco used to tell us on their cereal packets . . . every cereal packet! I think it goes back to old dock-side or Customs/Revenue stamps on imports (or exports?), but I haven't studied the origins, maybe they painted a corner of the crate to show it had been checked or passed or something?

We shall return to the ^Z_Z (not ZZ) tin-plate when I find my three in the garage . . . which - according to my notes - may only be two, after-all! I found them! There are only the two, and you can see from the 'Berserker' that they are actually very small, 1990's Tree-hangers!

Carried by Ingo Roggatz's ^Z_Z (in Europe), Schilling (in the USA) and possibly/probably Tobar and/or Hawkin's Bazaar (in the UK), not Zimmermann, who further; definitely, never handled the plastic tat from Hong Kong!

And while these state 'Germany' it is cleverly positioned before the ©-sign, the ©-sign being positioned alone, meaning nothing (officially), the whole basically saying whatever a lawyer might need it to say at some point in the future! This is modern Hong Kong-Chinese production for Herr. Roggatz.