I haven't the foggiest. My Playmobil sales rep wouldn't tell me. However, if you happen to be closest, you can win a Playmobil Circus set - worth $110!
Each year, guys from the Mitchell's train department would head out to Nuremberg, Germany to see the train building. They'd stop by the massive Playmobil booth to pick up the latest German Playmobil catalog. Why? Because Playmobil would debut their newest toys in Europe, then roll them out in the US the next year. So, if I wanted a sneak peek at next year's Playmobil items, all I had to do was to get a copy of the German catalog and see what was new.
File this under, "give me a break."
According to this New York Times article, one Playmobil set has hit a nerve with lots of people reviewing the toy on Amazon's web site.
The Airport Security Checkpoint set was made by Playmobil from 2003-2007 as part of their Airport theme. The toys, made for children 4 & Up, were apparently too realistic for some parents, who viewed the set as an example of our 'security state' in a post 9/11 world.
One review states "I applaud Playmobil for attempting to provide us with the tools we need to teach our children to unquestioningly obey the commands of the State Security Apparatus, but unfortunately, this product falls short of doing that. There’s no brown figure for little Josh to profile, taser, and detain?"
Wow. All that from a toy showing people getting their luggage scanned?
The set was part of a much larger airport set, that included such controversial sets as the 'Ground Crew' or 'Luggage Transport' pieces. Apparently, these sets weren't as offensive.
Seriously, it seems as if some people have lots of time to post biting commentary on a kids toy. Hey, I've seen toys that deserve such feedback, but come on, it's just an accessory to an airport set. And it's not even available anymore, except apparently at exorbitant prices on Amazon...thanks largely to the publicity surrounding it's silly reviews.
For fun, check out the reviews page at Amazon on this item.
The man who invented one of the core toys of specialty toy stores in the United States, has died at the age of 79.
According to the Playmobil website, in 1971 Beck was asked to create a system toy for his employer, geobra Brandstätter. Beck created the signature Playmobil figure - the 'clicky.' At just under 3 inches tall, it was the perfect size for little hands. The figure was also articulated, allowing for both the arms and legs to move. The hands were shaped in a kinda U shape, allowing for the clicky to hold things like tools, swords and more.
Apart from a Dutch customer, buyers at the 1974 Nuremberg Toy Fair reacted hesitantly, but soon the demand exploded for the classic toys. Beck always worked under his motto "no horror, no superficial violence, no short-lived trends," which is why you've never seen 'Star Wars' Playmobil figures.
The clicky figures remain remarkably similar to the ones he initially designed. More than 2.2 billion of the clicky figures have been produced and popularity for the toy has only grown in the last year. Still made in Europe, Playmobil has bucked the trend to move manufacturing to China.
Playmobil has established a somewhat fanatical following, with websites like Collectobil, Playmofriends and Just For Klicks. There is even a Facebook fan page with over 150,000 fans. There is also a category dedicated to Playmobil on ebay, where people pay hundreds of dollars for old and rare sets, like this 1990's era Western Train Set (at Mitchell's, we sold piles of these - we still put one around our Christmas tree).
My favorite Playmobil set? I remember when we first were getting Playmobil at Mitchell's in the 1990's and they sent over some displays. One of the displays was a Playmobil bulldozer set - which included the bulldozer, a construction clicky and, of course, a six pack of beer. Ah, those Europeans. Drinkin' beer and drivin' bulldozers. Yee-ha!
Playmobil is much larger in Europe, where it enjoys a reputation much like the huge toy companies in America - comparable to Hasbro and Mattel.
A couple things are running through my mind at 4 am on Saturday as I just finished checking a pile of massive orders.
What's that? You're already sick of the pirate ship? Tough cookies, mister, you're gonna read more about it and you're gonna like it! Here's a short video shot yesterday of the pirate ship and our own lifesize Playmobil pirate dude.
