Afrikan Klikies Faces

[Wesley Myers]

I have no problem with it. When you look at a dark-skinned human face the whites of the eyes and teeth are more prominent due to the contrast, so why shouldn't they be on a klicky? That's all that Geobra are trying to achieve,

It would be nice to have matching eyes on the Caucasian faces with colored irises, but they white would look odd without a further outline to add definition. I hate the sneaky sideways eyes though, I hope they don't start putting those on the dark-skinned klickies, I like their open honest faces as they are.

Better said than I would have said it.  I agree completely.

[Jimbo]

I have always HATED them! It drives me crazy, actually. if you look at the african american child klickys, they just have black (or brown? I can't remember) eyes and mouth and it looks fine! I wish they would do the same with the adults

I also dislike the white eyes and mouth on the adult klicky.  Years ago I wrote to Playmobil about this... It reminds me of the vaudeville faces on black actors.  The eyes on the child klickys are indeed just fine!   Thank you for bringing this up...I have been festering for a long time over this,
and have not purchased many adult ethnic klickys because of it.

[BlackPearl2006]

I also dislike the white eyes and mouth on the adult klicky.  Years ago I wrote to Playmobil about this... It reminds me of the vaudeville faces on black actors.  The eyes on the child klickys are indeed just fine!   Thank you for bringing this up...I have been festering for a long time over this,
and have not purchased many adult ethnic klickys because of it.

The reference to the vaudeville faces (there are other terms to describe this) is pretty much what was bugging me as well. 

Assuming the afrikan klickies were introduced in the early 80's (I need to check exactly when they were first produced) I'm going to guess the reason the Afrikan klikies have this difference was originally a reflection of what was then accepted practice in mainstream western contemporary media culture, a sign of the times at which the afrikan klickies were first introduced into the line, when awareness of the connotations this type of facial depiction brought was not as sensitively-approached, even as late as the early 80's especially in Europe (by which time most references to this type of facial depiction had disappeared in USA due to more fervent civil rights movements).  At least 20-30 or so years have passed since that era, and I'm guessing that the fact that current production Afrikan klickies still retain this aesthetic is merely due to being a residual template of the toy's  original design, and as the racial reference nowadays is somewhat dated, probably not many from this younger generation would be aware of the racial implications that this particular aesthetic once blatantly implied.   In parts of Asia, particularly Japan, in Japanese cartoons (anime), characters of african descent are still depicted with such features.  

I know Playmobil is a German toy, but I still find it suprising, if not offensive, that the toys still bare such dated appearance, especially since the toys are sold world wide, including countries like USA where awareness of such things should make this concern more relevant.  It most likely escapes the censors, as I said, because the reference is very dated.   I think if Playmobil were more aware of the connotations this face may imply, they might perhaps consider redesigning them, along the same lines that they do not wish to create Nazi toys so as not to be associated with the racially-sensitive stigma that history already bares upon contemporary Germany.

[bonniebeth]

Yes, maybe this is something that should be brought to their attention by the collector's club. i'm sure they wouldn't want to think the appearance of their toys might be offensive.

[Giorginetto]

The African Klickies look fine to me as they are . I remember in the early 80s when i first got my hnad on some of these , they were very sought after . I have bought about 60 african warriors as part of my egyptian/roman / african/ gaul theme as they all look fantastico

[Bolingbroke]

Much ado about nothing if you ask me, and an over-sensitivity that is nowadays bordering on mental illness (hoping I haven't offended anyone by writing down the words 'mental' and 'illness'.

Next thing you'll be asking PM to do is remove the 'slanty' eyes on their Asian figures. I can understand *some* sensitivity towards racial issues: I am Maltese, after all - they used to call us wogs (and worse) in some parts of the world because of our swarthiness, so yeah, we did have to bear the brunt of racist taunts and suchlike in the distant (and not so distant) past. But too much PC is too much PC.

There's nothing wrong with those klickies ... not only as far as I'm concerned, but also objectively.

[Bolingbroke]

I also want to add something else, but it's going to be the last thing (I have this issue very much at heart, both academically and also on a general level). Most of the time, the people most sensitive to such issues are the ones that in the past were responsible for whatever vile things happened to ethnic minorities, races and so on. The victims themselves are often much more relaxed about it (I, for one). But PM being a German company, you know ...

*sighs*

Sometimes what you don't say is almost as offensive as the things you DO say. Or do.

[bonniebeth]

I do agree with you that the whole PC movement goes way overboard these days. My main objection to the way these klickys look has nothing to do with vaudeville and racism, but more that I just don't like the way it looks. I think faces like the child klickys would be cuter.
And as far as the clothing, the African American people that I personally know and hang out with, including my best friend since high school, dress just like everyone else here in america, not like this lady:

http://store.playmobilusa.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-US-Site/en_US/Product-Show?pid=7980&cgid=Ds_Figuren

To me this family looks like a family of foreigners, who just moved from Africa. That is fine, and I want to have foreigners in my collection also. I only wish that in addition to these, they would also produce a few african American-looking klickys. That was all I was saying.

[Martin Milner]

I do agree with you that the whole PC movement goes way overboard these days. My main objection to the way these klickys look has nothing to do with vaudeville and racism, but more that I just don't like the way it looks. I think faces like the child klickys would be cuter.
And as far as the clothing, the African American people that I personally know and hang out with, including my best friend since high school, dress just like everyone else here in america, not like this lady:

http://store.playmobilusa.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-US-Site/en_US/Product-Show?pid=7980&cgid=Ds_Figuren

To me this family looks like a family of foreigners, who just moved from Africa. That is fine, and I want to have foreigners in my collection also. I only wish that in addition to these, they would also produce a few african American-looking klickys. That was all I was saying.

Is that any more colorful or florid than the matching sets of Caucasian, Hispanic, or Asian families though? I agree the clothing is pretty vile, but the Caucasian lady is certainly more outré than the Hispanic mother. I think we are reading more out of this this than there is in it. Playmobil put their modern figures in bright colorful clothes because that's what children react to most. Hence Fisher Priceyness abounds, much to our joint distaste.  If you wanted to see a family dressed in an outrageously flamboyant style, btw, you used to have to look no further than an American tourist abroad.  The female American tourist was as much a stock figure of fun in decades past (from the 20s through to the 80s) as any Vaudeville blacked-up minstrel.


I think it's very difficult for any of us to really understand the degree of offense the Playmobil figures may cause unless we are ourselves black. If Geobra employ any black staff, and one hopes they do, then it is to be hoped that they have been surveyed and have not taken offense at the current facial features of the dark skinned adult klickies. If you can't do business without offending your own staff, then you're not a good Manager and shouldn't get voted for in polls.


One thing I would like to see is more variation in the Playmobil skin tones generally. We are becoming a more racially-integrated society worldwide with every passing day than we were thirty years ago, at least in First-World countries, and Playmobil does not depict a fraction of the wonderful variety of beautiful skin tones I see every day.

[tonguello]

Aren't we taking these matters too seriously? First the "i" word thread and now this one... Too much ugliness in the real world to bring it here too guys, let's just relax a bit!

I like African clickies faces, some of my favorites are African clikies. When I was a kid I had only one of them and I loved it to death!
I think Playmobil looks for stereotypes and sinthesis in their designs. Im not sure they try to mimick the vaudeville face, nevertheless, the vaudeville face is a stereotype.... why is that bad or offensive? I don't get it.....