The basis of the Höfler Company was laid in 1923 when the 3 Höfler brothers, Johann, Georg and Leonhard, started a Company for production of metal products in Fürth. In the 1930’s, Johan decided to build his own toy Company, named "Metallspielwarenfabrik Johann Höfler". He produced cheap penny toys, like cars, planes, figurines, trains, etc. In the early forties, the Company was forced to produce for warfare. In 1954, his son in law, Ernst Bettag, took over the Company. Ernst Bettag was one of the first to recognize the importance of plastic and –as one of the first, he started in 1957, with the production of plastic toys and in 1958 the Company was renamed into "Johann Höfler Metall und Plastikspielwarenfabrik". In 1960 they changed the name again into "BIG Plastic, Johann Höfler" and in 1962 "BIG Spielwaren Fabrik Dipl.-Ing. Ernst A. Bettag". They used the JEAN brand starting from the early 1960's for cheap plastic toys.
The small scale hard plastic construction JEAN VW T1 Busses came in various configurations such as a Firefighter Bus, Cargo Bus, Transporter, Pick Up Truck with and without hoods. Details included cut out windows and door seams. Black plastic wheels and axles. Chassis has some detailing and is marked DBGM (Deutsches Bundes Gebrauchs Musterschutz) or German Patent.The siren on the Firefighter Bus and the Cargo Bus came in two versions: integrated into the roof or mounted in a drilled hole. They also came with advertising for ERI and NIGRIN (both are shoepolish brands), to mention a few.The advertising was with paper stickers on the toys.
