Playmobil products

Playmobil is a line of plastic toys manufactured by the Brandstäter group (geobra Brandstätter GmbH & Co KG) based in Zirndorf (Germany).

The base of these toys is a 7.5 cm tall doll. Its moving parts are the head, arms and legs (and in a few cases, only one) and depending on their age also the dolls, in older dolls from 2014. These figures have a multitude of accessories, vehicles, buildings , plants and animals on the same scale that allow creating a large number of scenarios and situations in which the child takes control by giving movement and voice.

In 1876, Andreas Brandstäter founded the company in Fürth (Bavaria) to produce ornamental and safe articles. In 1921 the company manufactured mainly metal products such as telephones and cash registers. In 1954 he changed his production towards plastic, developing, among other things, some plastic toys such as cars or the famous hula hoop.

In 1973, in the midst of the oil crisis, 1 the company decided that it must reduce the size of its products. Hans Beck, Geobra's head of development, had the idea of ​​making plastic vehicles smaller than those made by the company with small figures. The engineer ended up focusing more on the figures themselves and their accessories. Hans Beck is unanimously recognized as the father of Playmobil.

The design of the Playmobil dolls was made by observing the drawings that children make: head and big eyes, smile, without details such as nose or ears ... in short, a human figure but very simple. The figures are also the ideal size so that the child can keep them in his pocket. In this way, an always smiling figure is obtained that the child can easily manipulate and turn into an individual of any age or profession through accessories. The limit is only in the imagination of the player. Unlike other human-shaped toys, the playmobil stands easily, allowing for greater flexibility for play. In addition, his U-shaped hands take accessories (weapons, tools, medical instruments and even toys) very easily, the head also has a special mark to exchange hats, headbands (headbands), and helmets.

The Playmobil include figures of adults, the elderly, children and babies. There are also all kinds of animals, including a model of Noah's Ark. For a long time the hallmark of adult female figures was the miniskirt; later the long skirt was incorporated and one of the last modifications was to add breasts to the female figures.

There is a special line for children under three years old, called Playmobil 1.2.3., Whose figures and objects have similar characteristics to the original series, but even more simplified. In this way, small parts, dangerous for minors, are avoided.

In 1974 Playmobil was presented for the first time at the Nuremberg Motor Show with great success.