7 East German design classics

The classic East German motorbike Simson S50 was designed by Karl Clauss Dietel from Chemnitz. He was also the one who conceived the "Erika" typewriter. He is the first product designer from the GDR to win the German Design Award. "This is also an acknowledgement of the work of many of my East German colleagues," he said when he received the prize.

This model was produced by the East German toy manufacturer VEB Plasticart Annaberg-Buchholz. The company manufactured roughly 700 different toy models for the west and east European market - and only a few items were left for East German customers. In 1989, 47,000 of these toy cars were produced, of which only 1,000 remained in the country.

East Germany started manufacturing more and more plastic products, such as this tea set made of a synthetic material called meladur. This trend led to older forms and designs to be replaced and disappear from the market.

The Socialist Unity Party (SED) did not get the point of this design, describing the vases as "cut off porcelain tubes." Despite the official criticism, they were in high demand in East Germany - and hard to obtain.

This orange-colored mixer will even star in an upcoming movie to be released in the fall of 2016. In his film called "Kommen Rührgeräte in den Himmel" (Do mixers go to heaven), director Reinhard Günzler explores the indestructibility of this East German household item.

The state-owned company Anna Seghers Neuhaus started manufacturing this radio in 1987. The device, equipped with an automatic doze function, was even awarded a prize for its outstanding design.

The famous universal time clock on Berlin's Alexanderplatz was to symbolize the cosmopolitan mindset of the East German state. This miniature was a gift offered to former ruler Erich Honecker on his 60th birthday by employees of the company Narva.