Playmobil

The Playmobil logo
General information
Manufacturer	Brandstätter Group
Era	1975–present
Category	Plastic figures
Country of origin	Germany
Commercial?	Yes
Themes
Playmobil's "City Life" set
No. of available themes	33
No. of defunct themes	19
External links
Website	Playmobil.com

Playmobil (pronounced play-mo-beel) is a line of toys produced by the Brandstätter Group (Geobra Brandstätter GmbH & Co KG), headquartered in Zirndorf, Germany.

New products and product lines developed by a 50-strong development team are frequently introduced by Brandstätter. Some of these, such as promotional products, are only produced in limited quantities. For example, Playmobil introduced limited edition sets with the logos of seven different airlines, sold only aboard flights and in duty-free shops. These practices have given rise to a sizable community of collectors. Collector activities extend beyond collecting and free-form play with Playmobil and include customization, miniature wargaming, and creation of photo stories and stop motion films. Adult Playmobil people are approximately 3 inches tall and are a 1:22.5 scale.

History [link]

A Playmobil street scene, featuring a custom model of the Pope.

Hans Beck (1929 – 2009) is often called "The Father of Playmobil." Beck received training as a cabinetmaker but worked simultaneously on model airplanes, a product he pitched to the company Geobra Brandstätter. The owner of the company, Horst Brandstätter, asked him to develop toy figures for children instead.

Beck spent three years developing what became Playmobil. Beck conducted research that allowed him to develop a toy that would not be too complex but nevertheless flexible. (Too much flexibility would be in the way of children's imaginations, and too much rigidity would cause frustration.) Playmobil hands were capable of gripping and holding objects. The toy, at 7.5 cm tall, would also fit in a child's hand and its facial design would be based on children's drawings (large head, big smile, no nose). Today, figures occasionally sport eyebrows or semicircle-shaped eyes. "I would put the little figures in their hands without saying anything about what they were," Beck remarked. "They accepted them right away ... They invented little scenarios for them. They never grew tired of playing with them.".^[1] Earlier figures had arms of one piece and another piece for the legs. Later sets allow hand rotation. Also, Playmobil figures do not have names, thus allowing the children to invent their own characters.

The 1973 oil crisis made it possible for Playmobil to be considered a viable product. Rising oil prices imposed on Geobra Brandstätter, for whom Beck worked as Head of Development, demanded that the company turn to products that required less solid plastic material (during the 1960s, the company had been producing hoola-hoops and large plastic toys).

In 1974, the company put the series on show in its display rooms. Initial visitors were reluctant to accept the toy. Nevertheless, the toy was shown at the International Toy Fair in Nuremberg, which was taking place that same year. The toy remained popular with children. A Dutch firm subsequently agreed to buy a whole year's production.

Playmobil began to be sold worldwide in 1975, and has grown ever since.

Playmobil pop-up books, in which buildings and settings corresponded to the height of actual Playmobil figures, were sold for a time, as well as a series of comic books, coloring books, and puzzles.

Playmobil has been a successful toy line for more than 25 years and they have been a major competitor to Lego toys. Examples of directly competing toys in both their product line are not hard to find. Within the limitations of the Playmobil toy world, the Playmobil toys are usually realistic, and present accurate representations of arms, armor, costumes, and tools from a recognizable time period. Especially notable for a fine attention to detail are the modern construction and city life toys (cars, cranes, fire-engines, trains, boats, etc.).

Playmobil toys are specifically aimed at children from the ages of six to twelve. The company believe that older children tend not to play with these types of toys and so they have resisted creating toys from other, less well-known historical time periods. However, many adults own or collect Playmobil and make movies with the toys.^{[citation needed]}

System X is a line of building products for Playmobil. It consists of wall-like pieces, roof pieces, floor pieces, blocks, and connecting pieces.^{[citation needed]}

Figures and licensing [link]

The first Playmobil sets were themed around Native Americans, construction workers and knights. The first construction worker set included a wheelbarrow, a road roller, ten traffic cones, as well as three crates holding 18 bottles of beer.^[2]

A number of different companies were licensed throughout Europe and Latin America to produce and distribute Playmobil figures.

In Spain, figures were produced by the leading dollmaker Famosa, and marketed as "los clicks de Famobil". Spanish package marked the quantity of male dolls (clicks) and females (clacks). Females are distinguished by hairstyle, some have arms that look bent, but aren`t and a wider chestpiece suggesting a skirt.

Greek figures were produced during the 1970s by a company called Lyra. In Argentina Playmobil is licensed by Antex, for distribution in all South American markets. Previously Playmobil was licensed through a number of different companies, including Brazil's Troll, Estrela, Industria de Brinquedos do Amazonas and Peru's BASA. From 1976 to 1980, Playmobil was licensed by Louis Marx and Company in the United Kingdom and sold under the brand name Playpeople.

In 1982, McDonald's in the United States ceased distribution and promotion of Playmobil at its restaurants after tests showed that the toy failed to comply with Consumer Product Safety Commission tests designed to prevent children under three from choking on dangerous items (The Playmobil toys, however, were not involved in any reported choking incidents). The five Playmobil toys that were to be distributed nationwide included a Sheriff, Indian, Sheriff's Horse, Umbrella Girl and Farmer. Approximately 10 million of the Sheriff and Indian Playmobil toys were distributed from October 22 through November 1, 1982. McDonald's customers with children under three who received these toys were advised to discontinue their use and return the toys to a McDonald's in exchange for a dessert, a cone, or a refund.

Over the years, some proposed sets have included Chinese Railroad Workers and a Grave Digger for the Western theme, as well as a Medieval Torture Room. Prototypes were made. However, these sets were considered insensitive and inappropriate for young children, and were never released.^[3] There are however sets including ghosts and a mummy containing a skeleton.

In 2004 BMW licensed the familiar Playmobil look and feel to release an exclusive BMW Z4 done in Playmobil scale. It also came with two Playmobil passengers. Originally, the only way to get one of these Z4s (available in deep red or blue) was to take a test drive at a BMW dealership in Germany. Shortly thereafter, versions in a pale yellow or eggshell blue were available in European toy stores. Though not manufactured by Playmobil, they were officially licensed.

Bootlegs and unauthorized figures [link]

In 1978, Schenk, a Hungarian firm, began reproducing bootleg Playmobil figures. They had not received any authorization or license from Geobra Brandstätter. Schenk produced exact copies of the original toy, though some sets were modified to create new types of sets, usually military, from Hungarian history. Thus, Schenk produced the Hussar (Huszár), from the period of the Hungarian War of Independence and the Hungarian hussar series (Magyar huszár sorozat). Other sets included the Austrian soldier (Osztrák), Turkish soldier (Török), William Tell (Tell Vilmos), and the Hunyadi series (Hunyadi sorozat).

Schenk figures, like the early Playmobil figures, do not have moveable hands. But unlike the Playmobil horses, the Schenk horses do not have moveable heads. Schenk figures also bear different colors from their Playmobil counterparts. They were also made with inferior plastic. Following the collapse of communism, a 1995 court ruling forbade the manufacture and distribution of the Schenk figures. The owner of Schenk, Károly Schenk, was allowed to sell off his remaining toy figures only in Hungary until March 1996. However, Schenk bootlegs may still be available in toy shops in Hungary. A famous and rare collection of Schenk reproductions was created by Tricornejock.

Bootleg sets also have been manufactured in China. These sets are not marketed as Playmobil, though they are identical in terms of appearance (but not in regards to quality). Sets include a "Noshery" (fast food eatery), "Pirate Island", and medieval figures.^[4]

Distribution [link]

New Playmobil sets are released over a two year period, with the non-export markets getting new sets first, then the export market a year later. This is done so that Playmobil will only have to make one mold for each new piece, and still be able to manufacture the initial stock of the new set. This first stock is what initially stocks store shelves, then Playmobil just makes smaller quantities just to refill store shelves. In order to release the new sets to the entire world, Playmobil would need to buy two of each mold. Eventually, as production for the piece slows down, the second mold would be useless. ^[5]
Non-Export Market:

• Germany
• Austria
• Switzerland
• Belgium
• The Netherlands
• Luxembourg
• Denmark
• Sweden
• Norway

Export Market:

• Worldwide

Themes [link]

Coming Soon (in Non-Export countries) [link]

• an asian theme,new fi?ures,going to cinema,winter fun [new],hotel,modern house [new],earthsquake,forest wrestlers,kindergarten,top agents [new],vets [may be],school [may be],musketters,1900's [new],future city,hollywood

Current [link]

Discontinued/Not Available [link]

Antarctic Color Easter[now there are easter eggs] First Smile Gifts Grocery Halloween Jungle Noah's Ark Old Houses[in 2011 out one new set] Outdoor[back in 2011]

The hot dog vendor set, which is currently not available. Playmospace Racing[back in 2011,in 2013 will be more] Security Check Point[6] Space[back in 2013] Steck Castles Television[back in 2013] Traffic Train[back in the end of 2012] Vikings Waterworld [back in 2013] Western (Cowboys & Indians)[back in 2012] Winter Sports[back in 2013]

Catalogue [link]

An annual catalogue featuring all of the current items is available for free at various toystores. The catalogues, and the products therein, vary from country to country because products are lanuched in Europe one year before export markets.

FunParks and FunStore [link]

This section may be confusing or unclear to readers. Please help clarify the section; suggestions may be found on the talk page. (February 2009)

Playmobil amusement parks, called The FunParks and also large FunStores are at the following places:

• Athens, Greece
• Playmobil Park, Ħal Far, Malta
• Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA
• Paris, France
• Zirndorf, Germany
• FunStore Woodbridge, New Jersey, USA - closed in 2011.
• FunStore Playmobil, Brazil^[7]
• Orlando, Florida, USA - closed in 2007.

FunStores offer a wide selection of Playmobil merchandise.

Movies [link]

• The Secret of Pirate Island (2009): A 3D animated interactive DVD based on the Pirates playset.^[8]
• The Quest for the Golden Scepter (2010): A animated interactive DVD based on Knights playset.
• Animals to be Animals (2011):A animated interactive DVD based on African Wildlife Playset
• Stunt-Playmobilian The Movie (2012?) A stop-motion movie based on a YouTube mini-serires from late 2009 by KhAnubis productions

Video games [link]

• Alex Builds his Farm: A game for young children helping Alex throughout the farm.
• Hype: The Time Quest: When Hype is cast back into time by an evil Black Knight he must strive hard to find the jewels that will take him forward through time, Gogoud, a magician, also plays a part in the story by helping Hype.
• Laura's Happy Adventures: A magical adventure set in and around the Playmobil Doll's House that begins when Laura discovers an enchanted diamond in her grandfather's rock collection.
• Playmobil: Knights;for Nintendo DS.
• Playmobil: Pirates;for Nintendo DS.
• Playmobil: Circus;for Nintendo Wii.
• Playmobil: Top Agents;for Nintendo DS.

Playmobil in art [link]

• German artist Loka Daun and Austrian art group monochrom created "Bio Squad", a satirical photo series dealing with biological warfare.
• New York City-based artist Nick Musaelian created "The Little Nietzsche" paintings in which Playmobil people act out Zarathustra's words.

Cultural references [link]

• The Brazilian soap opera Bang Bang featured an opening sequence with toys that clearly resembled Playmobil's Old West collection (which were very popular in Brazil during the 1980s).
• A very popular comedy in Greece, Sto Para Pente (2005–2007), also used Playmobil-like characters, which resembled the leading actors in the opening sequence.
• Robot Chicken episode 216 included a Playmobil sketch including the "Playmobil Mansion" and a character appearance by Hugh Hefner, who also lent his voice.
• On April Fools' Day 2011, ThinkGeek advertised an Apple Store Playmobil set.^[9]
• In the movie Searching for Bobby Fischer there are some scenes with Playmobil in it.
• Venus Hum made a video for their song, "Fighting For Love", with Playmobil characters in it.
• The biggest hit song by the band Boyzvoice in the Norwegian mockumentary Get Ready to be Boyzvoiced is We Are the Playmo-men, in which the band members sing about being Playmobil men.
• The people shown in English post prog band Muse's video for their single "Invincible" resemble Playmobil figurines.
• Televisió de Catalunya documentary "Adeu Espanya?" about the viability of a independent Catalonia. Used Playmobil figures animated clips to represent a resume of the history of: Greenland, Scotland, Quebec and Catalonia.
• Featured in the movie Jumanji

See also [link]

• Kubrick (toy)
• Minifigure

References [link]

History of Playmobil [link]

• Ruth Walker "One Man's Tiny Plastic Universe," Christian Science Monitor, 1997
• The swashbuckling Playmobil pirate captures children's imaginations
• McDonald's Voluntarily Stops Playmobil Promotion And Recalls; November 3, 1982
• Schenk Bootlegs Playmobil in Hungary

External links [link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Playmobil

• Playmobil official homepage