Gerhard Skrobek (May 22, 1922 – July 1, 2007) is best known as the premier artisan of Hummel figurines since the Second World War. Skrobek was born in Leobschütz, in Upper Silesia and studied art in Berlin. Skrobek worked for the Goebel company in Rödental, Germany between 1951 and 2002 and designed many of the figurines eagerly sought by collectors.

The Goebel Company, based in Rödental, northern Bavaria, has been creating fine porcelain tableware and decorative items since 1871. Most famous for producing M.I. Hummel decorative pieces, in particular handcrafted figurines.

The company of F&W Goebel was founded in January 1871 by Franz Detleff Goebel, a porcelain merchant, and his son William. It was not until 1879, with the permission of the Duke of Coburg, that they fired up their first kiln, however. n 1876, the first building was erected beneath Coburg Castle on the outskirts of what was then the town of Oeslau, in central Germany´s porcelain-producing region and close to the legendary Kipfendorf clay deposits. Oeslau is today part of Rödental, named after the river Röden.