Toy Fair 2009 : Playmobil

I’ve made it abundantly clear that I dig Playmobil for a thousand reasons, but mostly, I enjoy them for the complex universe that they create – and at a cheaper price than that ol’ Lego universe. Through the distinct lens of Playmobil, you can experience everything from the dinosaurs through to space travel, with fairies, grandpas, pirates, Romans and cephalopods in between. Because of this breadth, it’s hard to get tired of the total collectability and interchangeability of the collective lines, while they still remain awesome for children.

What other line has such wacky sets as illegal alligator poachers next to something so charmingly mundane and detailed as The Home Office?

After six or seven years of attending Toy Fair, I’d never visited Playmobil. It was a place that just disappeared under the collective weight of my enthusiasm for hunting new action figures – but I think that my radar was spread a bit wider this year. So, at this year’s Toy Fair, I had the unique pleasure of being walked through the Playmobil booth before being set free to take a whole mess of photos.

All of the items on display were scheduled for release throughout 2009 at very specific intervals. This year’s schedule includes the usual variety of affordability and depth : single packs of characters and accessories in the $5 or less range, the figures with compact playsets or accessories for around $10-$15, and the much larger, higher-end playsets that range all the way up to the gargantuan Egyptian Pyramid and Suburban House – both of which are large enough to support a small civilization of Playmopeople and are furnished nicer than my own house.

Playmobil will be continuing their long-running themes, such as Pirates, while adding on and creating new themes, to be released every few months in large groups.

Since my heart (and most of my sushi-heavy stomach) belongs to the sea, I’m looking forward to April’s seven ‘Underwater Expedition’ sets – keeping in mind that almost all of their nautical items that would float in real life will really float when submerged in water. A shark diver in a cage (with his own threatening shark, at right), a researcher on a boat accompanied by a huge whale, a colorful coral reef populated by divers and fish life, and a Steve Zissou-lookin’ research submarine, among other items. If ‘Shark Diver’ isn’t the coolest bathtub toy ever, I don’t want to see what is. Seriously, get back in the bath. Or at least put a towel on.

April will also see the release of a collection of wedding sets, full of churches and gazebos. If those aren’t ripe for barbarian invasion or an impromptu Darth Vader appearance, I don’t know what is. I’m partial to the general neatness of the Piano Player (who has a saucier mustache than anyone should legally be allowed to wear), and the Wedding Photographer – both figures that work in a large variety of contexts.

August will see the arrival of the huge and complex series of nine ‘Egyptian’ sets, and since you can’t have a storybook Egypt without the great pyramid, we got ourselves a pyramid – curiously topped with an Eye of Horus, like the back of a twisted dollar bill. The whole thing is almost 2 feet tall. If you can’t go so crazy huge, there’s always the smaller (and similarly iconic) Sphinx set, which even includes a mummy, or the Pharaoh’s temple, which is a large decorated gateway accompanied by an obelisk. The rest of the sets are populated with small buildings, warriors, thieves, camels, and a big ol’ boat. Between all of this, there are at least 22 Egyptian figures, with at least eight more than can be added on from Playmobil’s exclusive Add-Ons catalogue.

Accompanying the Egyptians to the shelves will be the Suburban Life sets, which can be collected into a suburban home that’s over 2 feet tall – each room furnished with a different Playmobil set, including the Laundry Room, the Kitchen, the Family Bathroom, the Master Bedroom, and even a Sun Room that can be added to the side of the house, and comes with an old dude reading the paper. It’s all so tranquil and basic, and filled with so many domestic details that even my wild, robot-and-rocket-and-naked-lady lovin’ heart can’t help but be charmed.

And don’t forget to check Playmobil’s online shop in March and September, when extra figures will be added for the existing playsets. The online shop has a huge variety of things that are too specific or obscure to be sold in stores, so it’s a great place to look for the odd piece.

Playmobil was a great visit, and I hope to bring periodic, in-depth reviews of their stuff to the site throughout the year. This was just one stop on the whole Toy Fair tour, so for now, check out our online Playmobil gallery, and stay tuned for more.