Toy stories: Four decades of Playmobil
As the year-end toy-buying season switches into high gear, Relaxnews looks at some of the legendary names that make children's wishlist items. German toy brand Playmobil was launched in 1974, enabling kids around Europe, and then the world, to use their imagination and storytelling powers to bring plastic worlds to life. While rival toy companies turned to Hollywood licences to peddle their box sets, Playmobil stuck to its original concept. Here's how.
It all started in 1971 when toy manufacturer Geobra Brandstätter (based in Bavaria) asked employee Hans Beck to work on the design of a toy figure rather than the model airplanes the latter had in mind. According to The Christian Science Monitor, Beck noticed that the market was still dominated by the type of tin soldiers that had been around since the 1800s, which couldn't bend or move. Enter the first Playmobil figures, launched in 1974 to resounding success.
Thirty-eight years later, the toys have become ubiquitous in the 4-12 age group. France and Germany are its biggest markets in Europe, but Playmobil boxes now ship across the world, including to North and South America. Since 1974, Playmobil's factories have put out 2.5 billion of the 7.5 cm toy figures, with 150,000 boxes coming out of the Dietenhofen, Germany production site every day.
An original concept that still stands up
Parents who buy new box sets for their kids will notice that the concept hasn't evolved much over the decades. "As the years go by, Playmobil managed to eradicate its rivals. Nowadays, the brand doesn't have a direct rival, even though Lego exploits similar themes. Playmobil stayed true to its original concept, without having to resort to licensing or celebrity tie-ins", comments Frédérique Tutt, a European toy market analyst for NPD EuroToys Group. Playmobil's stance is rather unusual in the toy market: while Lego and Barbie have no qualms banking on popular franchises such as Star Wars, Dora and Hello Kitty to sell their wares, Playmobil sticks to expanding its own themes and worlds.
Non-gendered toys
One of the factors behind Playmobil's success is that its toys cater to both boys and girls. This Christmas season, the brand is promoting its popular pirate sets, including the Battleship and Adventure Island sets, as well as the Princess-themed Magic Castle sets, which include fairytale classics such as the Princess Fantasy Castle and the Royal Dressing Room. Despite the wide range of non-gendered sets and those designed specifically for girls, the brand does attract more boys than girls. "Two thirds of our sales are for boys, but the gap can mostly be explained by the fact that girls grow out of toys faster than boys. Around the ages of 4 or 5, the gender gap is insignificant, but it grows wider for kids from 8 to 11, because girls start showing interest in other items than toys," explains the analyst.
Collectible worlds
A team of around 60 designers work in secret on updating the brand's 700 figures and 30 themes, expanding the playable plastic worlds available, with two overarching categories: "fantasy" and "reality" sets. Playmobil sets range from just the figure to a complete set, and that variety is also reflected in the wide range of prices.
"The brand updates its lines on a regular basis, but its stronger themes like the city, the zoo, pirates, are here to stay. That way, Playmobil manages to hook its clients and to introduce the idea of collections to the children," notes Tutt.
