The Art of Wonder: A History of Papier-Mâché Figurines, the Legacy of Ino Schaller, and a New Generation of Treasures Arriving Soon
There is a particular magic to objects made slowly.
Not the kind of slowness that suggests hesitation, but the kind born of lineage, patience, and the quiet certainty that beauty reveals itself only to those willing to meet it halfway. Papier-mâché figurines belong to this world: a world shaped by hand, by tradition, and by the understanding that the most enchanting things often begin as humble materials transformed through skill, imagination, and time.
The story begins in 19th-century Germany, where artisans discovered that layers of paper, paste, and pressure could create forms unexpectedly strong and endlessly expressive. Before plastic existed, papier-mâché was the medium of clever, resourceful craftspeople. It was light enough to be handled by children, sturdy enough to survive generations, and malleable enough to echo the warm curves of folk carving, the delicacy of porcelain, and the charming imperfections of human touch.
These objects were never trivial. They were meant to hold stories. Many were designed as Candy Containers—ingenious hollow figures that opened to reveal sugared surprises, an idea that belongs to an era when holiday giving was intimate, imaginative, and crafted by hand rather than produced by industry. A paper figure could hold sweets, wishes, or secrets; it could be reused year after year; it could be treasured. It was an object made to be loved.
Among the families who shaped this tradition, one stands apart: the Schaller family of Steinach, in the heart of Germany’s historic toy-making region. What began in 1894 as a small family workshop eventually grew into the most iconic name in papier-mâché Christmas artistry. Each generation preserved the techniques of the one before, not as a matter of obligation but as a form of devotion. The methods remain unchanged: molds carved in the 19th century, layers of paper pressed and dried, each figure hand-painted, embellished, and finished in the studio exactly the way it was over a century ago.
Ino Schaller, for whom the contemporary atelier is named, elevated these creations into true collector’s pieces. His designs were whimsical yet dignified, filled with the character of German folk art and the sophistication of European holiday traditions. Today, the workshop is one of the last in the world still producing these figures by hand in the original way. When the molds finally fail, they are gone forever; no mass-manufacturing can replace them. Their rarity is real, not manufactured. Their value is earned.
This is why collectors across the world search for them.
This is why BON TON goods has become one of the most trusted homes for them in Scandinavia.
And this is why the next week feels momentous.
We are preparing the arrival of more than sixty new one-of-a-kind Ino Schaller Santas—figures so large, so richly detailed, so utterly unique that describing them barely feels adequate. Each one has its own posture, expression, palette, and temperament. Some shimmer with mica dusting, some carry miniature toys or trees, some wear coats brushed in deep winter reds or dusky greens, others gleam with antique gold and soft snowfall whites. No two are alike. They are not the small ornaments you see on market shelves. They are statement pieces; heirlooms-in-waiting; sculptures of charm and character that only grow more compelling with age.
There is something irresistible about holding one.
You feel the weight of the paper, surprisingly firm yet warm.
You sense the history in its making, the echo of hands that shaped it.
You notice details that could never survive a factory line: the softness of a beard, the brightness of a painted eye, the gentle unevenness that marks a piece made by a human rather than a machine. These figures feel alive.
And this particular shipment may be the most extraordinary we have ever received.
The scale alone is breathtaking.
The rarity is undeniable.
The individuality—astonishing.
They are treasures for collectors, for decorators, for dreamers. They belong in homes that appreciate the poetry of craftsmanship and the joy of tradition. They are made in small numbers not because scarcity is fashionable, but because one family’s hands can only move so fast. Every stroke of paint, every pressed mold, every dusting of glitter is an act of care.
In a season that loves abundance, these pieces remind us that the most meaningful abundance comes from intention: from choosing beauty made by people, not corporations; from surrounding ourselves with objects that carry history; from celebrating the holidays with pieces that will be unwrapped year after year with the same quiet awe.
When these Santas arrive in the shop next week, they will not simply appear. They will enter. And we suspect many of them will not stay long.
If you have been waiting for a particular expression, a particular color, a particular presence—this is the moment to watch closely. The one-of-a-kind pieces always find their person. And with a collection this large, this rare, and this beautiful, the anticipation feels almost like electricity.
Prepare to fall in love.
The kind of love that begins with craft, deepens with story, and ends in a holiday tradition that feels entirely your own.