Sieper-Werke (The Sieper Company) was founded in 1921. It was originally a manufacturer of metal tools and cutlery in zamac and aluminum and, later on, ashtrays, badges, medals, belt buckles, and buttons. The factory located in Ludenscheid, Germany, was outfitted with new casting molds in 1949 for grating, sandblasting and painting zinc cast goods. The company was even contracted to make Mercedes-Benz's star-shaped hood ornament. The company also experimented with early plastics. In 1943 the company expanded to a facility located in Hilchenbach, about 30 miles from Lüdenscheid, though the latter has always been the Sieper-Werke's headquarters. Still, consumer products like plastics, furniture, mirrors and cabinets have been developed and manufactured in the Hilchenbach facility. The Lüdenscheid facility, in turn, generally focused on promotional items for other major brands. It was not until 1950 that the company started producing toys in Lüdenscheid, registering the trademark SIKU for the new products. SIKU originates from abbreviating the name of the founder of the company, Richard SIeper, and the German word for plastic, KUnststoffe (e.g. Sieper Plastics). Originally, there was a broad variety of SIKU toys, which at first were plastic, including figures and animals. These were often called 'margarine' figures because they came in margarine packages in a food “give away” promotional. The success of the plastic figures gave capital for SIKU to start their post WWII vehicle line.
Small plastic body with details of the windows, door seams, front hood, headlights, bumpers and a circle for the front hood emblem. Brown (early) or black (late) composition-cardboard wheels in wire axles glued to the body. Seldom found versions had black plastic wheels. A promotional toy VW produced by SIKU for various companies. FRI-HOMA or WEEN or DÜKA or SCHIPKA or JUWEL lettering molded on the roof or with paper tags glued on the roof. Also produced with no lettering (but tooling mark visible on the roof). The FRI-HOMA version was part of a promotional game with 68 different pieces.
These promotional versions mostly came in white color, but also colored version are known. Most often, the colored, unmarked, versions (blue, yellow) were issued in plastic bags and sold as "Siku Spielzeug Sortiment Nr 220" (Siku Toy assortment 220).
