PlaymoFriends
General => Brainstorming For Playmobil => Topic started by: JPSA on April 16, 2024, 08:10:54
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Well, plenty, apparently. In case you missed it, here is a video that came out a month ago ( turn on captions for English subtitles ). Geobra seems to be in trouble, both financially and culturally.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQwUMQ1hc38 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQwUMQ1hc38)
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It's being run by idiots in other words. The lack of anything interesting in the 50 year theme is proof of that. Something simple like a Horst and Hans set; a display box showing the changes in design of a single character like a fireman from the 70s through to the present; a bunch of city life people with 50 jahre or similar on their clothing; lots of ideas spring to mind that would only require parts being done in different colours and some prints to provide unique klickys. Did the deciders approach anyone in the collecting community before making a final decision on what to include for a half century celebration?
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WOW PM is now LOSING money?!? Holy cow... The only silver lining I see is in the example of Lego -- they came right to the brink of bankruptcy before they made the necessary changes to save the company. Whether PM can do the same, only the future knows.
On a side note, for a country as highly regarded as Germany is in the field of manufacturing, they sure have a hard time producing decent management talent. The degradation of the company's image and profits is entirely the fault of top management, period.
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WOW PM is now LOSING money?!? Holy cow... The only silver lining I see is in the example of Lego -- they came right to the brink of bankruptcy before they made the necessary changes to save the company. Whether PM can do the same, only the future knows.
On a side note, for a country as highly regarded as Germany is in the field of manufacturing, they sure have a hard time producing decent management talent. The degradation of the company's image and profits is entirely the fault of top management, period.
Many German businesses are family owned and though it is not exactly so in this there is an old British Victorian in relation to such firms "Clogs to clogs in three generations", meaning the first generation start the business and build sound foundations, the second generation build on these and expand the business successfully while the third generation run the business down. Broadly speaking, this seems to be what has happened with Playmobil, not in terms of family generations but in terms of management generations.
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WOW PM is now LOSING money?!? Holy cow... The only silver lining I see is in the example of Lego -- they came right to the brink of bankruptcy before they made the necessary changes to save the company. Whether PM can do the same, only the future knows.
On a side note, for a country as highly regarded as Germany is in the field of manufacturing, they sure have a hard time producing decent management talent. The degradation of the company's image and profits is entirely the fault of top management, period.
It's been a problem for a long time. German collectors fought hard to get the adult fanbase a foot in the door several years ago but the resultant club was treated with disdain by those at the top and very little interaction took place. The vast majority of the members were interested in history but instead the club provided modern themes for sale and the lack of interest in those coupled with the disgruntled comments due to lack of wanted merchandise ended the club after about four years.
I don't know about Germany, but as another article mentioned a quarter of toy sales in Spain are to adult collectors. That's a huge customer base being ignored currently.
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They did it to themselves , Germany ate the goose that laid the golden eggs . It’s not just a Playmobil problem, the whole German manufacturing industry is apparently suicidal
Hope some one with a brain gets voted in and steers the ship away from the rocks
As for the PCC , it was just a pet project of a few and had no company wide backing , it was doomed to fail from its inception unfortunately .
Mr B didn’t want to leave the brand to his kids so he left it in the hands of a secretary. Great
I guess he tried to out smart Clogs to Clogs in 3 and failed
English subtitles did not work for me , only in German
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German collectors fought hard to get the adult fanbase a foot in the door several years ago but the resultant club was treated with disdain by those at the top and very little interaction took place. The vast majority of the members were interested in history
This is not entirely true
There were a lot of collectors from all over who not only worked and petitioned but actually spent their personal money to make it happen from all over the globe. There are quite a few in here actually. I am still thankful to them for all the extra work they did. Some even flew to Germany
The high up were the ones who allowed it to happen at Playmobil. With out their blessing it never would have had 1 month let alone 3 years
The people at Playmobil who were tasked with babysitting irrational, sensitive, emotional & crazy collectors tired of all the drama
Go ask the Green Goblin who resides in a swamp of all the special treatment he demanded
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This is not entirely true
There were a lot of collectors from all over who not only worked and petitioned but actually spent their personal money to make it happen from all over the globe. There are quite a few in here actually. I am still thankful to them for all the extra work they did. Some even flew to Germany
The high up were the ones who allowed it to happen at Playmobil. With out their blessing it never would have had 1 month let alone 3 years
The people at Playmobil who were tasked with babysitting irrational, sensitive, emotional & crazy collectors tired of all the drama
Go ask the Green Goblin who resides in a swamp of all the special treatment he demanded
I'm aware of your spat with The Green Musketeer? but the total lack of interest beyond the contact person who wasn't able to provide any information made the whole thing a waste of time. It felt like the club was set up for children, other than the yearly sale practically nothing happened for the rest of the year, it was disappointing.
Thanks for the bit about the international fans input into setting up, I just assumed it would have been people who were closer.
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I don't know about Germany, but as another article mentioned a quarter of toy sales in Spain are to adult collectors. That's a huge customer base being ignored currently.
I don't really think that's accurate. What service it was meant to provide, I've never quite understood. But the simple fact is, without the Collectors Club in place we have more sets aimed at the 'adult' market than ever.
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I’d also agree that there have been quite a few classic sets re-released lately that I’m very pleased with. I’m thinking western and Victorian
Then you have all the modern cars that seem to be more adult oriented
Then the Star Treck
The anima
Then the Scooby Do, ghost busters, Ateam type sets
There’s actually quite a few that happened well after the PCC disintegrated
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Perhaps it is a late 20th century problem endemic to all organizations. I worked for a large and highly esteemed organization which lost its way 15 years ago when it stopped identifying and growing management candidates internally and went to "bias-free" applications and blind candidate boards. They even halted a program wherein each unit had primary and secondary alternate supervisors, which was a wonderful way of testing prospective candidates. As a result, an organization with a 100 year history is now in disarray and has seen its reputation fall considerably. It is the old adage, "Don't fix what isn't broken."
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That’s one of the problems of being a fan and thinking “I know what’s best”
When a person is looking in from the outside they have no perspective at to why certain decisions are made. We don’t know actual sales figures and Playmobil isn’t about to share them. We don’t know if a historic theme was a success or a total flop. We have our preferences but are they realistic at turning a profit .
Playmobil recently has been hit with a 1,2,3 punch
Lost its leader
Brick and mortar shelf exposure (on the web you have to search for it by name)
Economic downturn
They bet on licensing but then again the collectors have no idea if it panned out on the books
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I think that a Chinese company should just start making Playmobil with out permission from Branstater Company. If the Chinese manufacturers just employ high quality injection tech, use quality ingredients, I’m more than sure they can make the durability just as good
Seeing as the EU is bending laws, it’s a win for fans and will bring down prices . Then collectors might get all the Asian themes they’ve been clamoring about
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I don't really think that's accurate. What service it was meant to provide, I've never quite understood. But the simple fact is, without the Collectors Club in place we have more sets aimed at the 'adult' market than ever.
Two different things. The failure of the club is an example of failure of playmobil management in keeping it viable. The things the members were interested in just weren't what the company was interested in providing. They re-released some steck sets as part of the add-ons catalogue which was great but the add-ons wasn't available for much of the world. That similar sets with new figures have since been made available is excellent and I think the nostalgia car market is also a good idea but unfortunately these ideas have come at a time of global belt tightening.
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There’s actually quite a few that happened well after the PCC disintegrated
I'm not suggesting the PCC was some ray of light for collectors, just that it was poorly handled. That they've gone on to offer collector based sets is the way forward. I don't collect minifigs so can't price compare but it seems that the franchise figures like Asterix and the bug one are quite expensive and I wonder if they will sell that well given the price. Anyone know how pricing compares with equivalent lego themes?
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I think that a Chinese company should just start making Playmobil with out permission from Branstater Company. If the Chinese manufacturers just employ high quality injection tech, use quality ingredients, I’m more than sure they can make the durability just as good
Seeing as the EU is bending laws, it’s a win for fans and will bring down prices . Then collectors might get all the Asian themes they’ve been clamoring about
For a short time, Playmobil did have some things produced in China. One of these was a free, special 25th anniversary torch to go with a set and it was an absolute disaster as the torches didn't work. There were problems, too, with other items produced for them there.
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The PCC had some great long term benefits. The parts ordering system at the European sites is the result of the initial meetings with the collectors setting up the club. Making part ordering easier was a top priority and it is still there, though less effective compared to a couple of years ago. Online availability of the instruction sheets was also a result. The issue at the time of the club was that Playmobil management didn't understand the resource they had in the collectors or how to take advantage of it. We as a community know more about the history and possibilities of their product than most of their management does.
The real issues the company has are the result of HOB doing a bab job of succession management. He didn't understand that making radical changes in the upper structure of management would destabilize the company and lead to erosion to the point of possible collapse. The company went for most of its life with a strict heirarchical structure with one leader having a final say, to a diffuse structure with a three person committee trying to lead things and a board dominated by someone with limited understanding of the things that made the company successful. Coupling all that with the changing face of the toy industry as a whole has been disastrous.
To end on a positive note, they are focusing on smaller sets this year and doing a good job of packing in play value. I have been very happy with the smaller sets this year.
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Von der Entstehung bis zur Einführung: Playmobil bündelt Prozesse (https://www.markenartikel-magazin.de/_rubric/detail.php?rubric=marke-marketing&nr=75447&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0JRHV3VOaL_WaIWBYbxEd8D7b3GffX4cHUKPsb-HbVpDijqY0JiwVkpT0_aem_AfFqxolg-wxg9u8QEHB6myNY_k9QZFt2YSH1WnjPOBCRQ4thNF0OgsVeKPHFiPZlXl31llKZ1C0WBdU94yxVfprj)
TRANSLATION from Google
From creation to introduction: Playmobil bundles processes
The stumbling toy brand Playmobil, Zirndorf, is restructuring its marketing and product organization. From May 2024, all product development processes will be bundled at Playmobil International GmbH - from the idea to the product launch. In doing so, the toy brand wants to “strategically readjust to the rapidly changing and ever shorter product cycles,” the company said. The newly founded Playmobil International will bring together the areas of Global Marketing and Brand Management, New Business Development, Technical Product Development, Licensing and Operations under one roof at the company's Zirndorf location. According to Playmobil, there are no plans to cut jobs as a result of the change.
“With our new, powerful marketing and product organization, we are creating the basis for an optimal portfolio strategy and relevant brand positioning in a dynamic environment,” says Playmobil board member Bahri Kurter. "With the new structure, we are creating the conditions to put consumers back in focus, expand the Playmobil brand internationally and strengthen internal collaboration through efficient communication."
For long-term success, the brand must become more relevant again and grow with new offers and customer segments. In January, Kurter announced the Playmobil brand's new strategy under the motto 'Heading into the future' at the Toy Fair in Nuremberg as part of the 50th anniversary. The first measure in 2024 is the launch of Playmobil Junior made entirely of plant-based materials, the expansion of the range for adults through so-called collectibles, as well as collaborations and alliances with other brands.
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So, re-arranging the deck chairs on the sun deck then.
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Thanks for the translation . It seems like a management trying to talk their way out of bad past decisions. The only thing they really are changing is where departments are located .
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The PCC had some great long term benefits.
Yes there are
Thank you for all you did
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For a short time, Playmobil did have some things produced in China. One of these was a free, special 25th anniversary torch to go with a set and it was an absolute disaster as the torches didn't work. There were problems, too, with other items produced for them there.
Yes the limited sets and or parts they made were craaap . It was more of a financial decision though to keep the set price low so they went with low quality. China is fully capable of making high quality if ordered.
Tim Cook of APPLE
“There’s a confusion about China. The popular conception is that companies come to China because of low labor cost. I’m not sure what part of China they go to, but the truth is China stopped being the low-labor-cost country many years ago. And that is not the reason to come to China from a supply point of view. The reason is because of the skill, and the quantity of skill in one location and the type of skill it is.”
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The PCC had some great long term benefits. The parts ordering system at the European sites is the result of the initial meetings with the collectors setting up the club....
Thank you Tim. I hoped you would add your first-hand knowledge of the PCC to this discussion. And thanks for adding a positive voice. We must hope the company makes some good decisions (outsourcing mould-making was not one of them!) and continues to produce one of the finest toy lines ever.
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The reason is because of the skill, and the quantity of skill in one location and the type of skill it is.”
That's rubbish, wages are still lower there than the West and the cost of doing business there is still much lower. If these factories were in America the same level of skill would surround them. I'm reminded of Disney several years ago making one of it's IT departments redundant and instead filing the roles with Indians on H1bs who had to be trained by the staff being given the boot. It was a cost cutting measure and nothing more.
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In mass manufacturing industry it isn't wages per individual that are important but cost of production per item.
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That was a pretty well made video, fun to watch. Sad to understand though. Ah well sic transit gloria mundi :-\
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If I may don my armchair-CEO hat, for a moment, here is what I would do to 'save' Playmobil:
PLAN A:
1) New upper management: Obviously, we need new, credible — legitimate — involved upper management. The toxic atmosphere likely grew from upper management either making inept calls, and/or refusing to make decisions, being too removed from daily operations, thus leaving employees to take initiatives without support, and to fend for themselves, eventually turning on each other. There is clearly an authority and accountability problem, and this power vacuum must be filled asap. The old adage "fish rots from the head down" applies, here.
2) More franchises. Worked wonders for Lego.
3) Enhance in-system construction play: I'd like Playmobil to pay special attention to the construction aspect, and design in-system — both System-X AND Steck — playsets that are easily expandable. Extending Steck with new pieces wouldn't be a bad idea, as well ( ex: x2-radius towers ). ...Enough with playsets that are essentially composed of a few large molded pieces, and which can't be extended easily. Modularity and reusability should be key. Example: As good as it looks, can Novelmore's Violet Vale - Wizard Tower be extended vertically, let alone attached or integrated into another structure? ...Nope! Can its pieces be used in other sets? ....Uh, not really, for the most part. Note: Lego is essentially a construction toy, and returned to profitability by expanding its narrative-play potential ( via franchises ). Maybe Playmobil can, being a narrative toy at heart, do the converse: expand its construction-play aspect. The lack of expandability in new sets spurred the previous "What's wrong with Playmobil?" (https://www.playmofriends.com/forum/index.php?topic=2115.0) thread, back in 2008 [ which, ironically, included the following, now prophetic, plea from the OP: "PLAYMOBIL WAKE UP ... YOU'RE LOSING BUSINESS (MONEY) !!!" ].
4) Not just themes, worlds! Bring in external toy designers, with fresh artistic ideas and visions. Note: This did wonders for Lego when they brought in art director Christian Faber — Bionicle's designer — in the early 2000s. The Bionicle theme may have been a radical departure from the brick system, but the point is that, being an earnest and compelling paracosm (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paracosm), it did provide a much needed financial boost to Lego during their transition — buying them time — and may also have spurred internal designers to be more creatively ambitious, and design toys kids would actually want to play with ( ex: Chima, Ninjago, Nexo knights, Friends, ... ). New PM sets need to be 'paracosmic': enticing children to want to create ambitious, in-system WORLDS. ...Which comes back to the previous point: elements need to be expandable and combinable into a greater, cohesive whole, that evokes a story. Playmobil is first and foremost a narrative world-building toy. The 'building' part actually matters. Note: With some of the new Playmobil sets, it's hard to even know what you are looking at, which, to me, speaks of poor design ( ex: Sal'ahari Sands - Sand Stormer, Dino Mine )!
5) Tone down the political correctness, and conspicuous progressivism. Boys are boys, and girls are girls, and their play-patterns are naturally different. Also, I personally don't care about "biodegradable" plastics — it's just greenwashing. Playmobil is not in business to save the planet, or to convey ideological / moral messages to kids. At least, they shouldn't be, imo. That's parents' job; let them make those decisions.
...Or, PLAN B:
Get the Star Wars license! :D ( ...whatever the cost, as it will have a halo effect across PM's entire catalog )
Either way, I believe the financial situation will likely have to grow from bad to worse, before we see any improvements at Playmobil. They need their time of ashes, if they are to be reborn. ...It is, however, an opportunity — should they choose to adapt and innovate — after they've put their house back in order.
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The build-ability of playmobil has been talked in great length. When Playmobil started with stecks it was considered the golden years. The medieval, western and safari sets to this day are quite the collectors choice. Then slowly Playmobil went for systemX which in my opinion worked great for modern theme sets.
Then some paper pusher , sharp pencil numb nut decided to go for (as Tahra calls it “system y”) the modular, un-expandable hunk of junk that seemed to appease some lazy parents who were too concerned with no wanting to spend 30 minutes with their child and build a set. “Let’s dumb down the whole brand for a few lazy parents” was probably the marketing pitch.
Luckily someone recognized the blunder and we thankfully were given the re-releases.
I honestly like most of the offerings currently in the catalog , I just think the economy is killing the brand. sometimes you just have to batten down the hatches, throw dead weight overboard and ride the storm out
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When Playmobil started with stecks it was considered the golden years. The medieval, western and safari sets to this day are quite the collectors choice. Then slowly Playmobil went for systemX which in my opinion worked great for modern theme sets. . . . Luckily someone recognized the blunder and we thankfully were given the re-releases.
I get the point of both construction systems, too. System-X is definitely better for some use-cases ( like: building a spaceship! ), though I do think Steck has a lot of untapped potential, and could be developed a lot further — maybe even partially integrated with System-X ( as seen here (https://www.playmofriends.com/forum/index.php?topic=9007.0) ). ...The medieval re-releases, with its multi-colored houses, are beautiful; I almost pulled the trigger ( and now wish I had, as they are no longer available on the US website )!
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I almost pulled trigger
tahra's wallet only has emotions - JPSA's has a gun! :captain:
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The build-ability of playmobil has been talked in great length. When Playmobil started with stecks it was considered the golden years. The medieval, western and safari sets to this day are quite the collectors choice. Then slowly Playmobil went for systemX which in my opinion worked great for modern theme sets.
Then some paper pusher , sharp pencil numb nut decided to go for (as Tahra calls it “system y”) the modular, un-expandable hunk of junk that seemed to appease some lazy parents who were too concerned with no wanting to spend 30 minutes with their child and build a set. “Let’s dumb down the whole brand for a few lazy parents” was probably the marketing pitch.
I'm kind of in 2 minds about this. I don't think that Playmobil is ever going to successfully be a 'building' toy - anymore than I think that Lego ever successfully works as a narrative/dolls house toy.
The flexibility of Steck often seems to be exagerated. As a child, I owned more Playmobil (by a long way) than anyone I knew. Was there much I could do to build interesting, varied buildings? Not really. The Victorian sets aren't actually compatible with any others, the Framework window walla have built in connectors, and in general you just don't have that many parts as a child. But I think it hits the sweet spot where children can build it themselves, it's easy to assemble and the parts are reusable in new sets. I'd also say that for narrative-play the building is probably the least important part, compared to the figures and the accessories.
System-X is obviously more flexible, and I'm sure it was designed with an eye towards build-ability. And while I do think they've gone way too far in the opposite direction with the huge pieces that can only really be used for one design, I can see what pushed them in that direction. As someone who assembled the 3186 Airport (which isn't even the worst of them) - I can understand why the average parent didn't find inserting 5,000 red connectors to be a joyful way to spend time with their children.
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Education never seemed to be much of a “joyful” activity. Just look at math homework
I found the big hospital and large school to be time consuming (especially repeating it a dozen times) but yet I just added a little sugar to help the medicine go down
I too never found stecks to be super customizable with the current parts, but it’s so simple and attractive when built.
Just need a about 50 of set 7400’s
Guns and emotions seem to be the flavor of the month so perhaps those will get Playmobil attention
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When the PCC was set up there were 5 of us representing collectors that attended. I am the only one still active here I think.
At the big meeting we had with the department heads and president, the collectors brought up the concept of Playmobil as a building system. Management at the time felt that the steps they had taken in that direction with System X showed that it wasn't viable. My opinion is that at the toy scale Playmobil is in, the parts are too big and you need too many to do anything creative. Serious collectors like many of us here do end up with that much stuff, but the average toy buyer who is trying to raise kids simply can't afford that. What Rasputin says about the large parts and parents is spot on, that is definitely one thing that was also said at the meeting.
I don't believe any of the Playmobil staff that were at that meeting are still with the company.
Their underlying problem is at the board of directors level, and the inability to stick to a management scheme.
The guy who was in when they developed Novelmore and the beginnings of Wiltopia clearly knew what they were doing, but they didn't give them enough time to make progress.
The collapse of their online storytelling videos due to mismanagement of their business relationship with the producers of them was also a huge error. It really led to collapse of support for Novelmore and the entire Ducklas fiasco since Duck on Call was supposed to be supported by a full video series. They were attempting to follow LEGO in having video series support for their lines like LEGO does with Ninjago. But then they messed up their relationship with the video makers; I suspect by trying to micromanage and holding back payments to them that caused them to go bankrupt. It's a huge error to make and hopefully whoever was really responsible for it is no longer with the company. Sadly as any of us who have been in the world of work knows, it's just as likely that the people who messed up are still there and the good people have all run for the exits seeing what's happening. Once that happens it is incredibly hard to reverse the trend and keep the best people.
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"Sadly as any of us who have been in the world of work knows, it's just as likely that the people who messed up are still there" and have probably been promoted!
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When the PCC was set up there were 5 of us representing collectors that attended. I am the only one still active here I think.
At the big meeting we had with the department heads and president, the collectors brought up the concept of Playmobil as a building system. Management at the time felt that the steps they had taken in that direction with System X showed that it wasn't viable. My opinion is that at the toy scale Playmobil is in, the parts are too big and you need too many to do anything creative. Serious collectors like many of us here do end up with that much stuff, but the average toy buyer who is trying to raise kids simply can't afford that. What Rasputin says about the large parts and parents is spot on, that is definitely one thing that was also said at the meeting.
I don't believe any of the Playmobil staff that were at that meeting are still with the company.
Their underlying problem is at the board of directors level, and the inability to stick to a management scheme.
The guy who was in when they developed Novelmore and the beginnings of Wiltopia clearly knew what they were doing, but they didn't give them enough time to make progress.
The collapse of their online storytelling videos due to mismanagement of their business relationship with the producers of them was also a huge error. It really led to collapse of support for Novelmore and the entire Ducklas fiasco since Duck on Call was supposed to be supported by a full video series. They were attempting to follow LEGO in having video series support for their lines like LEGO does with Ninjago. But then they messed up their relationship with the video makers; I suspect by trying to micromanage and holding back payments to them that caused them to go bankrupt. It's a huge error to make and hopefully whoever was really responsible for it is no longer with the company. Sadly as any of us who have been in the world of work knows, it's just as likely that the people who messed up are still there and the good people have all run for the exits seeing what's happening. Once that happens it is incredibly hard to reverse the trend and keep the best people.
And a big thank you to you, Tim, and the others for going to Germany to meet with them. I treasure my PCC card, and the memories of the great sets from the early days, as well as our klickies with non rotating arms. I think you should start a separate post with PCC in the title and put an explanation in there for the newer members who are unaware. Or you could start a “history of playmofriends post” to acknowledge the group start up, Heather and the data base, etc. Just a thought. :)
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Can I suggest here that we refer to this entire mess as "Playmogate"? :lol: :lol: :lol:
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I'm kind of in 2 minds about this. I don't think that Playmobil is ever going to successfully be a 'building' toy - anymore than I think that Lego ever successfully works as a narrative/dolls house toy. . . . As a child, I owned more Playmobil (by a long way) than anyone I knew. Was there much I could do to build interesting, varied buildings? Not really.
I think it depends on the child. Some kids are narrative-play oriented — in which case, it's all about the figures and accessories, as you said, with environments being secondary to optional. And, for other kids, it's all about construction-play and environment design: world-building ( which includes construction, but not only ). The latter typically transition to building dioramas, and have a greater chance of sticking with the brand into their teens ( and a few into adulthood, though there is often a pattern of rediscovering the toyline, when getting kids, same as AFOLs ). ...That was me. Growing up in the 1970s and early 80s, I still have fond memories of configuring my steck castle. I had sets 3450 and 3449, and eventually combined them into one big castle, at one point ( I built and rebuild the castle several times ). I guess one might say that, to me, the environment was a character, serving the storytelling dimension.
The question isn't wether Playmobil should be a narrative or a building toy. It is clearly, primarily, the former ( opposite of Lego ), but there is — or rather was — a construction aspect, without which, you likely wouldn't see many of those gorgeous dioramas at conventions, today. I think the construction aspect has been neglected in recent years, and should be revalorized, and enhanced to some extent. ...Even the 'new' building system — let's call it 'tabs' — could be designed to allow some combining and reuse, so one isn't stuck with the one form the toy came with. Ex: Being able to add floors to the Violet Vale tower, or to link two such towers. Stuff like that. Other example: Let's say I want to build a seaport with my son. I could get a used set 5139 ( Pirates Soldiers Fort with Dungeon ), for not too much money, but what if I want another dock — or a bridge that connects to another structure? Where do I attach that? As a Dad, given a choice, I'd much prefer combining several 7376s ( Pirate Prison Fortress ) and make one long System-X port, so as to have room for several boats to dock to. Or better yet: several 7400s! The problem, is neither sets are made anymore, and cost a lot of $$$, used ( ...because they are versatile and add value ).
Then some paper pusher , sharp pencil numb nut decided to go for (as Tahra calls it “system y”) the modular, un-expandable hunk of junk that seemed to appease some lazy parents who were too concerned with no wanting to spend 30 minutes with their child and build a set.
I think it's fair to say that Playmobil has a "hunk of junk" problem, which is all the more striking when compared to the steck re-releases. It's like night and day. The re-releases are beautiful, substantial toys. Quality. Toys you could stand on! ☺ ...You definitely get your money's worth. And, they are extendable! However, the cheapo new stuff — hum, 'cost-optimized' — well, it's just going to end up partly disassembled, clogging the toy bin, never to be played with again once the singular, unmodifiable, design grows stale ( which is pretty quickly! ).
The build-ability issue isn't going away, and the reason it is still a subject of ( passionate ) debate is simply because it matters, and makes the Playmobil experience better. Being able to build stuff, and make dioramas in and around those creations, is one of the things I, and many others, like about Playmobil. You're not limited to a singular kind of play — at any age — or at least, shouldn't be.
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(https://i.postimg.cc/jS3PMxk3/899-BD8-F7-B1-F4-468-D-B621-C3-EE62125-C67.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/CRDR1g0b)
Not many impulse buyers are willing to invest lots of funds just so their family can build. Not only is it expensive but Playmobil is considerably larger and requires quite a bit of space
Us nut cases are too few
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...Now that's a bridge!!! That kid (you?) is doing fine. :) ...That's what you want: a kid with ambition!
PM construction-play costs aren't that bad. Just buy two used steck castles, or system-x hospitals, or space bases, and a budding engineer / designer already a lot to play with. We're talking $350 on the US Ebay, at most — much less if you live in Europe — which is fairly reasonable. Also, given that Playmobil tend to keep their value, and can be easily resold, that isn't such a bad deal.
Also, if anyone thinks PM construction-play is expensive: try Lego!!! :D Yes, they're small, but they reproduce very quickly ( ending up costing an arm and a leg, before you know it ).
Room-wise, well...
I think that a Chinese company should just start making Playmobil with out permission from Branstater Company.
...Forget that. I think Brandstätter should consider moving production to the US, instead! With the energy crisis going full bore in Europe, I heard Germany is rapidly de-industrializing, and many deutsch companies are now electing to move production to the good ol' US of A. ...Funny how geopolitics work; it almost seems by design! ☺
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And there is the problem …..
How does a long lasting durable toy that collectors choose to buy multiples of used on 3rd party sites , that can be again resold help playmobil’s balance sheet?
I doubt many target customers are buying with the consideration of future resale value
Me think the target customers are interested in wholesome educational concepts
Me think moving production to the US will destroy the brand. If the Chinese take over then they can move a production facility to Mexico, then i can sent some of my amigos to go “dumpster diving” as is done at Malta
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One of my sons from years back. This is one of the play rooms I had for them
(https://i.postimg.cc/26CmcK8H/886-FA405-E42-B-4-EC2-BAC2-29-D62-A636334.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
One more of “what’s wrong with Playmobil”
You should have seen how their US marketing department dealt with grass roots advertisers such as myself years ago.
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And there is the problem ….. How does a long lasting durable toy that collectors choose to buy multiples of used on 3rd party sites , that can be again resold help playmobil’s balance sheet?
Well, ditto for Lego, and it isn't preventing them from doing well financially.
Also, buying used sets is a way for getting into it, for not too much money — especially if you are into construction-play, and/or have a world to grow ( particularly one that relies on sets that are currently out of production ). But, sooner or later, one will likely end up making new Playmobil purchases, to add this or that ( or simply because it's about the same price, or sometimes cheaper, to get the new edition, or alternate version, of an item, compared to used ).
Finally, selling cheap looking, ephemeral products, doesn't seem to be a winning strategy for Playmobil, so they might as well stick to quality ( long-term value ), even if that bolsters the used market. Incidentally: Are klickies disposable? No, they last forever ( pretty much ). Yet, that doesn't prevent people from wanting to buy more. Durability, and strong resell value, doesn't necessarily hinder long-term sales, imo.
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Speaking of differences between Playmobil and LEGO: a few years ago LEGO purchased BrickLink which had become the largest secondhand marketplace for LEGO. They realize that collectors and their creations are powerful advertisements and that a marketplace for used LEGO actually helps LEGO retail sales. They own and maintain the site. Here are a couple of interesting quotes from Bricklink's FAQ page (https://www.bricklink.com/r3/announcement/lego_bl_faq.page):
"BrickLink was acquired by the LEGO Group because it is interested in strengthening the connection with the AFOL community and finding new ways of doing this through improvements to existing functions on the platform."
"The LEGO Group has been clear that it won’t interfere with how sellers operate or the healthy competition that exists in the marketplace. It sees BrickLink as a complementary service to its own parts selling services."
"The LEGO Group is keen to make sure that the platform develops in collaboration with the community – it has acknowledged that BrickLink already serves its users very well and is not planning to make changes straight away."
On the other hand, when the Collector's Club existed, members who tried to sell their exclusive club items were kicked out or threatened with it. ::)
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JPSA, you've started a very interesting conversation following so many that have taken place here before and you've raised many important points. I have a strong difference of opinion about this, however:
. . . . Boys are boys, and girls are girls, and their play-patterns are naturally different . . . .
My own experiences as a child, parent, grandmother, and school volunteer tell me that every child is different in their interests and they don't have a "natural play-pattern" unless it is somehow imposed upon them. For example, when I was a child I had a variety of toys including stuffed animals and dolls galore (including Barbies), a holster with twin six-guns and a cowboy hat, a toy parking garage with an elevator for the little cars, a pink sheet-metal stove (I used the oven space as a filing cabinet to play office), Lincoln Logs, a cheap plastic set of stagecoach/cowboys/Indians/cavalry, and a wind up car that would crash into a wall and fly into bits (one of my faves!)
Playmobil didn't come along until I was all grown up, but my children and grandchildren have had many happy hours of imaginative free play with the ridiculous amount of Playmobil that I have acquired over the years. My son and I used the steck castle for both a Harry Potter set-up and an Indiana Jones story - kids don't need an actual licensed set to play out the stories they enjoy. The licenses may be good for attracting adult collectors but kids just need a bunch of stuff to play with and they will make up their own narratives.
Just my :2c: ;) :)
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Don’t you dare try to resell your property (yearly PCC gift)
It wasn’t just the PCC that had the odd relationship with their customers
The general attitude from Brandstater Group was very odd, as though the collectors were a nuisance ….”what you want to buy 50 of 30-xx-xxxx ? We have a very tight inventory and only anticipated selling 6 in 3 years”
Luckily we had good civilized collectors that either knew public relations strategy or we’re good friends with the owner.
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The general attitude from Brandstater Group was very odd, as though the collectors were a nuisance ….
It seems BG has a problem with any group they can't control ( ex: collectors, animation producers ), and that may have its roots in Horst Branstatter's anti-union attitude — which has festered in recent years, contributing to the current climate of fear. See article that was mentioned in the video:
Kultur der Angst bei Playmobil - Stuttgarter Zeitung (https://www.stuttgarter-zeitung.de/inhalt.fraenkischer-spielwarenhersteller-kultur-der-angst-bei-playmobil.9b043742-f51f-4005-a026-be81bf001eae.html) [ use Chrome's translate option ]
Quote:
"Arbitrariness, harassment, and bullying, are the order of the day. The experienced trade unionist tells of several Playmobil employees who were laid off, without giving reasons, and then transferred as punishment, over a heated dispute about the interpretation of workplace regulations in hot weather, as well as systematic investigation into employees' union-membership status. Anyone who applies for Christmas bonuses in Zirndorf must present their union card. This way, the employer can find out, by name, who is a union member.
(...)
Things got really heated recently. Franconia and Playmobil have not been spared from the high temperatures nationwide, which prompted IG Metall [ Germany and Europe's largest industrial union ] works councils to send out a notice. First they thanked management for setting up water dispensers, then quoted a passage from the workplace regulations. According to which, employees are entitled to a ten-minute “de-heating phase” every hour at room temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius. 'This doesn’t mean that you stop working, but rather that you move to a cooler room and carry out simple tasks there,' explains Möller. The outcry over the unionists' 'heat slip' was great. It came not only from management, but also from the general works council, in which IG Metall does not have a say and which is obviously divided."
Obviously, this is a far cry from Santa's workshop — more like: the first ring of Hell!
...Excessive control takes the fun out — along with goodwill and positive contributions, let alone creativity — doesn't it?
So, maybe the solution really is to move production to some authoritarian hellhole, like... China! ☺
Fundamentally, I believe it is a management hubris problem (ego). Hopefully, bankruptcy will force them to make amends, and revise their attitude. The company won't survive long, otherwise, if they remain divided.
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PM construction-play costs aren't that bad. Just buy two used steck castles, or system-x hospitals, or space bases, and a budding engineer / designer already a lot to play with. We're talking $350 on the US Ebay, at most — much less if you live in Europe — which is fairly reasonable. Also, given that Playmobil tend to keep their value, and can be easily resold, that isn't such a bad deal.
I mean, you're correct - but if you want to build things, there are other toys that are better suited to it. I do think Playmobil should aim to have a flexible building system - and I actually thought there was more System-X in the present range than there is - but I don't think it's ever going to be the primary strength of the brand.
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Speaking as a rather superficial consumer who bought PM for his children, I did not care less about the building system. What mattered was visibility -- when the toys were in shops, my children could see them and I was inclined to make impulsive purchases for them as well as holiday purchases. PM's withdrawal from US stores -- most notably Target and Wal-Mart -- is dooming sales here more than anything.
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PM's withdrawal from US stores -- most notably Target and Wal-Mart -- is dooming sales here more than anything.
All the more reason for Branstatter to move production to the US: the #1 toy market in the world, in terms of purchases. They'd probably have an easier time getting shelf space if they were made here. Plus, the DOJ might be less aggressive, this time, should allegations of price-fixing surface again ( given that American tax revenue and jobs would be at stake ). It's a "free market", but you need to pay to play [-mobil! ☺].
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Playmobil had a great shelf exposure when it came to brick snd mortar private family shops. The relationships with the store owners was rather odd, but they always , at least in the Bay Area, had plenty of visibility with opened sets to explore. Then most , if not all brick and mortar shops disappeared.
Playmobil trying to negotiate with Costco, wal-mart, toys r us and target never seemed to work for any length of time. Most of the time the rotation was so quick that many sets ended up on clearance
Brand recognition is a huge problem in the USA. Most people thought my convention layouts were LEGO . LEGO has a huge cult following with multi generational recognition. Playmobil ….only rich parents knew of it
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Playmobil had a great shelf exposure when it came to brick snd mortar private family shops. The relationships with the store owners was rather odd, but they always , at least in the Bay Area, had plenty of visibility with opened sets to explore. Then most , if not all brick and mortar shops disappeared.
Several b&ms where I live carried PM but dropped it over the last five years or so. Sales were too slow. :(
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Amazon is the biggest retailer of Playmobil in the US, I suspect they sell more than Playmobil does off their own site. They get exclusive sets, and sometimes early releases of themes not arriving in Playmobil's own store until later. Their influence on the market and the sucking away of sales from local brick and mortar is a huge factor.
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Amazon is the biggest retailer of Playmobil in the US, I suspect they sell more than Playmobil does off their own site. They get exclusive sets, and sometimes early releases of themes not arriving in Playmobil's own store until later. Their influence on the market and the sucking away of sales from local brick and mortar is a huge factor.
They certainly have better sales also
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Several b&ms where I live carried PM but dropped it over the last five years or so. Sales were too slow. :(
There was even a local grocery chain that carried a few small sets, which is where I caught my adult Playmofever, but they don't seem to have them anymore either :sorrow:
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Most of the time the rotation was so quick that many sets ended up on clearance
Does this mean that stores offload lines if they don't sell enough in a given timeframe? Given the mostly empty boxes they sell I can see this making a bigger issue with shelf space taken up by air AND not moving quickly.
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Given the mostly empty boxes they sell I can see this making a bigger issue with shelf space taken up by air AND not moving quickly.
Hahaha. So true!
P.S. I had an argument with my mother over this, once, as I repeatedly instructed her to get rid of the PM boxes, and send me the contents only ( re. sets I had purchased in Germany and France, and had delivered to her house, abroad ). Well, she shipped the boxes anyway to make a point — stubborn! — which ended up costing a bundle in international shipping... for air. 3/4 of the package was air! Now, I can well imagine how this is bound to be an issue with retailers: the profit per sq. inch of shelf space is rather low, when it comes to PM. Something they should consider working on, for the US retail market, especially ( ...and for the planet they make a show of being concerned about, as shipping air across the globe can't be an efficient use of natural resources! ).
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Does anybody really care about the planet ? It’s mostly virtu signaling
Box size was explained many years ago as being an issue with emotional perceived value . A $100 box needed to be a certain size so the consumer felt good and fuzzy.
Playmobil is after all quite an expensive toy. If a customer payed $75 and could fit it into their trouser pocket, we’ll they’d “feel” it wasn’t a good value. Then when the box was given to a child, the first impression would be anti climatic.
Hand a box to a child that they can barely hold, big difference. These aren’t women who expect good things in tiny box’s after all
As for rotation at corporate stores, it was just a seasonal rotation policy similar to clothes. I think Toy R Us rotated a few times a year . With a few members here we figured out the cycles and the internal implementation and would utilize it to our advantage. Then due to lazy managers systematically hit the stores for ridiculously clearanced sets. It was bitter sweet as I knew this couldn’t last economically for the stores
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The reason for Playmobil and other companies' boxes being big compared with the contents is the use of standardised international shipping containers. To get maximum use of space, boxes must be of certain sizes and that may mean an apparent mismatch between box size and contents.
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The reason for Playmobil and other companies' boxes being big compared with the contents is the use of standardised international shipping containers. To get maximum use of space, boxes must be of certain sizes and that may mean an apparent mismatch between box size and contents.
I too thought it was that but then it makes little sense
If a sets box is able to fit 2 in the same space as 1 then there is a major space savings
Lots of sets I bought can easily fit the contents into a box 1/2 the size
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I too thought it was that but then it makes little sense
If a sets box is able to fit 2 in the same space as 1 then there is a major space savings
Lots of sets I bought can easily fit the contents into a box 1/2 the size
I think if you check box sizes you will find that there is a relationship to make the fullest use of space of available space when shipping.
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The box sizes have noticeable changed in the last year or two. They are different shapes and have less air in most of them. Some will always be oversized because certain big pieces just won't fit in the smaller dimensions.
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I think if you check box sizes you will find that there is a relationship to make the fullest use of space of available space when shipping.
Absolutely 100% not
There is a massive amount of wasted space
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Absolutely 100% not
There is a massive amount of wasted space
I am referring to wasted space in the shipping container.
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I am referring to wasted space in the shipping container.
Yes, there is plenty of wasted space, it’s inside the box .
If a company can fit twice as many sets in the same shipping container that either makes the company more profit or brings down the overall price
When one of my business partners buys shipping containers full of product from China he regularly orders 100’s more just so the container is 100% full . Then it’s less likely to get flagged at port of entry for inspection, saving valuable time and funds .
Pack those box’s full, save the space , bring down the price, sell more volume , make more profit, repeat ……..
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There's probably lots of considerations with the box sizes. They need to be a standard range, obviously, but I also suspect there's a belief that the box forms part of the advertising, and a nice, big box with a big image looks better on the shelf in a shop.
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. . . but I also suspect there's a belief that the box forms part of the advertising, and a nice, big box with a big image looks better on the shelf in a shop.
Maybe they could have a 24inch (3:2 aspect) TV on the shelves, displaying a slideshow of box art, surrounded by stacks of volume-minimized, 'flatpack' sets.