Wilhelmine Walter founded the company in Lobositz, a small town in Bohemia in the western part of the Czech Republic, about 30 miles north of Prague in 1925. Wilhelmine originally started making stuffed animals for her children. The name "Kersa" started in 1933, derived from "Kunstlerisch Erzeugte Spielsatchen" which means "artistically produced toys". Until 1956 all toys had a small metal label on their base with the name Kersa. In 1948 Kersa moved to Mendelheim, Germany, where he produced teddy bears, cats, dwarfs and Easter bunnies. In 1960 Kersa stopped producing teddy bears and concentrated on the production of cloth and wooden dolls. Today Kersa Spielwaren-Atelier GmbH & Company KG is the leading manufacturer of hand puppets in Germany.
