It all began with an old Korrex printing press, a 50 x 70 cm print format and a magician.
The story of the magician Fernando - a circus fairy tale. Hand-printed and hand-bound in an edition of 500 copies. We sell the "Magician" at flea markets, because in 1978 there were no craft markets yet.
At the first market stall sat an old teddy bear with an even older top hat on its head. In its hand it held a bell and a string led from its arm behind the stall. We pulled on it, the bear rang, people looked - the Bärenpresse was born.
Market life is tough, in Nuremberg our ringing bear was stolen during dismantling.
The Bärenpresse did not go under. New children's books were created, large-format prints, postcards, letter paper. And because old teddy bears were still available for very little money at flea markets back then, soon there was a new market bear again and a rapidly growing bear family that watched us work at home.
Craft markets were emerging all over Germany in the eighties and the Bärenpresse went on a journey with its "paper circus". The Bärenpresse also made its way to the big Christmas markets in Cologne, Aachen and Essen, delighting the audience.
In 1998 Dirk Lampe joined the Bärenpresse. He took over the craft sheet publisher from Steffen Mühlhäuser and Roland Adam and has successfully run the business ever since. Production, marketing and distribution moved with him to Halle/Westfalen. With new energy, he expanded the Bärenpresse distribution radius. The two "old gentlemen" retained the pleasant task of new product development.
In 2006, Dirk Lampe began expanding his workshop and developing the first "Living Cards" using lamella technology. The innovative cards quickly delighted many people and soon became the main business.
Around ten years later, Dirk Lampe founded the Curiosi brand together with Hilke Arends. Under this name, puzzles are created that are much more than mere entertainment. With high quality standards, extraordinary motifs and loving details, they appeal to everyone who understands puzzling as a real experience – from the creative occasional puzzler to the discerning collector.
In 2022, Sabri Mustafa joined the team. Together with Dirk Lampe and Hilke Arends, the Curiosi GmbH was finally founded in 2026. This brought together what had long belonged together: creative ideas, craftsmanship, and a passion for special products.
The two brands continue to exist and are now managed together under the roof of the Curiosi GmbH.
Visit us at markets and trade fairs and discover for yourself how much joy, creativity and attention to detail can be packed into a single product.
Dirk Lampe, Hilke Arends & Sabri Mustafa
