welcome from san francisco, betsy. i started collecting as a mom as well, although my children are now 32 and 29. in the late 70s and early 80s playmobil was very different from any other toys we had here in the states ( and a bit expensive). i saved the collection, however, and when we moved a few years ago, i rediscovered the box of smiling faces. thank you for your comments about my medical center, i have always collected medical themed toys, but i only just finished building that recently. now, i confess, i have quite a few pieces, including the victorian house series. i remember that i always wanted to buy that for my daughter when she was young but it was soooo hard to justify the expense. so began the hunt. all of the neighborhood preschool children know that i have a big box of firemen, from my son's collection, plus many of the newer trucks, and they love it when i bring it out for them to play with on the sidewalk. i never worry about them being played with or lost, we spread a big blanket out on the sidewalk and that is the boundary.
this is a really fun forum to be part of, some of the customizing is absolutely incredible. kaethe
