Was 1995 the best year for PM box backgrounds?

[Alex4420]

In order to bring myself up to speed on all things PM in the 90s, I finally bought Alex's book covering 1974-2009. One thing which really struck me while going through the years was the beautiful, easy-to-understand box backgrounds in 1995. They instantly tell you which sets go with what, the colors are all complementary to the toys and they are designed to be simple enough for a child to understand. Though 1995 was not the first year nor the last for these backgrounds, it does appear to my eye to have been the high-water mark (prior years not being as uniform or as widely used, while later years in the 90s the backgrounds were changed to the detriment of the look).

[Rasputin]

Yes

[Joshua D]

Yes the late 80’s through the early 90’s were some of the best years for boxback and catalog dioramas. For me, the scenes on the back were a major part of the appeal. 1991 and 92 were my favorite catalogs. The action scenes they created for the Knights and Pirates were especially imaginative and inspirational to me. I wish they had kept that tradition up for later themes like Vikings and Romans.

[Rasputin]

Not only were the box & catalog art considered the “best” but the overall playmobil brand during this time is commonly referred to as the “golden years” of playmobil. Many themes had classic’s that are still cherished today . There certainly have been great themes since then but it seems to be more of a random success. Back then you had a catalog full of classic trains, Victorian, Western, Medieval, Pirates/Privateer’s , etc…….

Plus you get the clever marketing  suggestions on how to mix parts from other themes into non-traditional themes. Safari building foundations into boat docks or Medieval castles mixed into farm theme

[Alex4420]

It's really funny how, when you look at the 90s product lines, everything just makes "sense." I have no idea how deep or strong the PM collectibles market is, outside of ebay historical data, but regardless of whether PM from those years will gain in value I am going to concentrate most of my collecting on that period.

[Rasputin]

It's really funny how, when you look at the 90s product lines, everything just makes "sense." I have no idea how deep or strong the PM collectibles market is, outside of ebay historical data, but regardless of whether PM from those years will gain in value I am going to concentrate most of my collecting on that period.

Collecting with a eye on “future earnings potential” is not recommended with this brand

If your needing future value….collect for resale women’s water jugs  or some other trendy item

[Alex4420]

Oh no I don't collect PM for monetary value

That's what the 400 pieces of mid century pottery in my basement is for 😆