Playmobil

Playmobil [1][2] is a German line of toys produced by the Brandstätter Group (Geobra Brandstätter GmbH & Co KG), headquartered in Zirndorf, Germany. The signature Playmobil toy is a 7.5 cm tall[3] (1:24 scale) human figure with a smiling face. A wide range of accessories, buildings and vehicles, as well as many sorts of animals, are also part of the Playmobil line.

Playmobil toys are produced in themed series of sets as well as individual special figures and playsets. New products and product lines developed by a 50-strong development team are introduced frequently, and older sets are discontinued. Promotional and one-off products are sometimes produced in very limited quantities. These practices have helped give rise to a sizeable community of collectors. Collector activities extend beyond collecting and free-form play and include customization, miniature wargaming, and the creation of photo stories and stop motion films, or simply as decoration.

History

Playmobil was invented by German inventor

Products

Playmobil toys are specifically aimed at children from the ages of four to twelve. The company believes that older children tend not to play with these types of toys and so they have resisted creating toys from less well-known historical time periods. Many adults own or collect Playmobil and make movies with the toys.

The first Playmobil sets were themed around Native Americans, construction workers and knights.[8]

Playmobil hands were designed to be capable of gripping and holding objects. Earlier figures had arms of one piece. Since 1982 all figures have hands that also rotate at the wrist.[3] Almost all Playmobil figures are unnamed, thus allowing children to invent their own characters. Exceptions to this include the many characters from the three Playmobil-inspired computer video games produced by Ubi Soft Montreal between 1998 and 1999, such as Alex, Hype and Laura, the protagonists from their respective games. The first figures used a chiseled out hairpiece with a button shape for adding headgear, until a later redesign gave the hairpiece a more natural rounded shape, also prompting a redesign of the headgear. The first female figures were distinguished by hairstyle and a wider chestpiece suggesting a skirt, until a redesign replaced the chestpiece with more displayed breasts, smaller waists and slightly thinner arms.

Most Playmobil sets require some assembly by the owner. Buildings especially come with detailed instructions for putting them together. Playmobil building parts were originally designed to fit together using a system of tabs and slots known as "Steck-System". In recent years a new construction system has been introduced that dispenses with the tabs and instead uses small connector pieces and a special tool. This is known as "System-X" and is now the standard Playmobil construction system, Steck-System having been retired except for special reissues.

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.[9] There are however sets including ghosts and a mummy containing a skeleton.

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.

In early 2019, a prototype for a product named Playmobil Pro was posted on LinkedIn. The product line introduced the Playmobil figure into corporate settings, targeting adult professionals in place of children. The concept aimed to rival Lego Serious Play, by incorporating the Playmobil figure into a modelling kit used for corporate creative workshops. The Playmobil Pro figures differ from classic Playmobil figures by their white colouration and simple designs. Playmobil Pro was made available in the United States in January 2020.[10]

Licensing

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 packages listed the quantity of male dolls (clicks) and females (clacks). Females were distinguished by hairstyle 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 Trol, Estrela and 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.

Playmobil was introduced to the United States by Mattel and Schaper.[11]

type	Plastic figures
inventor	Hans Beck
country	Germany
company	Geobra Brandstätter GmbH
from	1974
to	present
materials	Plastic Rubber
website	https://www.playmobil.com

History

Products

Licensing

Distribution

Collectibles, Themes & Figures

Themes currently in production

Intended for Younger Audiences (3 and under)

Playmobil World/Adventures (4 years and up)

FunParks and FunStores

Films

TV series

Video games

See also

External links

References

Bootlegs and unauthorized figures

European factories

Playmobil Vehicles/Collector Cars

Intended for Younger Audiences (3 and under)

Playmobil World/Adventures (4 years and up)

Playmobil Vehicles/Collector Cars