Playmobil Reformation

The big news in Playmobil land is the sellout in 72 hours of the first-production run of their latest figure: a smiling Martin Luther, the famed 16th-century reformer.  Most of the 34,000 figures were sold in Germany.  Cheeky commentators have been suggesting additions such as an historically accurate beer stein in Martin’s hand and a…

Playmobil Creator

In a 1997 October 7 interview with Ruth Walker of the Christian Science Monitor, Hans Beck, the creator of Playmobil, talks about first making toys for his eight younger siblings.  His (then) favorite Playmobil item was the pirate ship.  He says that you have to have fingerspitzengefuhl, a German word meaning “a special sensitivity in…