In 2004 PLAYMOBIL celebrated its 30th. Anniversary. The first figures were presented to the public in February 1974 at the international toy fair in Nuremberg. At that time nobody predicted such a steep international career.

The PLAYMOBIL figure is approximately 7.5 cm tall, (approximately 3 inches) made of colorful plastic material and has a friendly smile. Its father, Hans Beck, created the figure for the manufacturer geobra Brandstätter. The company is located in the Franconian town of Zirndorf, near Nuremberg. Almost 2.2 billion of the small and beloved play figures have been produced. They are part of children’s bedrooms in all five continents.

The movable, congenial figure was born by coincidence. In the beginning of the 70’s, the owner of the family business Horst Brandstätter asked his designer Hans Beck to develop a figure for a series of toy vehicles with a simple and immovable figure.

But Hans Beck let his creativity play. His figures had a rotating round head with movable arms and legs. Besides he designed accessories which fit exactly in the hands, making the figures capable of gripping and holding objects. Knights, Indians and construction workers were created.

In the beginning only men figures existed in the PLAYMOBIL world. But two years later, women figures joined the assortment. At first they were only wore miniskirts, but now they also come with long skirts and trousers. Fans stopped waiting when a junior set of boys’ and girls’ figures, 2 cm smaller than the original figures, was created in 1981. Only a little later the PLAYMOBIL family was completed when babies measuring 3.5 cm were created.

The product range is wide: Pirates, Knights, Sportsmen, Fire Fighters and Explorers together with many accessories, animals and buildings make a complete play world in a miniature size. While turnover in the toy industry is generally on the decrease, over the past years, geobra Brandstätter succeeded in increasing its turnover. In 2008 a total of 2,973 employees worldwide reached a turnover of 496 million €.

Everyday the company receives letters in which children express their wish for more new figures and themes. Their ideas are passed on to the R & D department. The figures are developed so that they can be used for several different roles. According to the product philosophy, there is absolutely no place for horror scenes and short-lived fashion trends. High play-value and top quality are the present mottos and will remain the same in future.

PLAYMOBIL figures are not only found in children’s bedrooms, but also in medical centers and galleries. Even artists find these figures interesting. The figures and sets have become a collector’s item and these collectors spend quite a bit of time and money looking for and purchasing western sets and vehicles from the 70’s.

January 2009