PlaymoFriends
General => News => Topic started by: tahra on June 23, 2019, 15:39:17
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And some more weird stuff... link on amclicks (http://amclicks.org/foro/novedades-playmobil/playmobil-everdreamerz/)
I LOVE the hairs... :love: Guess they made a hair with two attachment points (all attachments are known, except the one that looks like ears - these look like those odd japanese cartoons)
The klickys are weird, but if speedos, they are ripe with potential... ;D
The name... well... looks like an illiterate moron :-\ :hmm: >:( When it was done once or twice for fun, it was cool. These days, I find it stupid. Could be me.
Series 1... and.. what's the surprise, if the boxes have the klicky's name, I assume?
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Anime looking - could be based off of the Spirit style bodies.
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Anime looking - could be based off of the Spirit style bodies.
They look like speedos to me... I hope they are, cause if they are the weirdo ones, makes them mostly useless for customs (but the hairs are the same, as long as not molded)
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They kind of remind me of The Spice Girls.
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They kind of remind me of The Spice Girls.
Yeah, you're right. One's black, one's a redhead, one's a sports type, one's cutsey and a fifth one.
Are these posed or do they have extra articulation or are these artistic representations and the actual figures are normal arms and legs?
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Looking up Everdreamerz, there is an everdreamerz.com site described as "misconfigured"
Here's a link:
https://everdreamerz.com.cutestat.com/
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Anime playmobil. It is the end times. :'(
(https://i.imgur.com/TyFpuPx.gif)
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Yes, I'm certainly wondering where Playmobil think they are going. Maybe even they don't know.
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It looks like they're trying to copy lego friends which I don't think was that popular.
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Thanks for the news. I´m not sure yet what to think of them, they may have potential...
Btw, can you all still keep up??
Surprise Figures twice a year, also 2 series of Movie Figures this year, several new German & Dutch museum historical figures, other exclusives the past few years (Iglo, Milka, that opera musician, etc), Greek Gods series, now these Surprise Anime series ...
All in addition to the catalogue themes and the DS sets ... I´m going nuts at this speed (and maybe broke as well) ! 8}
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Btw, can you all still keep up??
I seriously doubt I can, but I know for sure my poor wallet will not.
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In a word, No. I can't keep up. But in the face of such diversity of things on offer, I try to be firm with myself, to be selective about what I do and don't collect. I'm debating whether to give up on the Figures soon, especially the boys. For one thing, I'm running out of space to display them!
Btw Hadoque, there are also Quick figures and probably others...
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I’m starting to have to choose what I get. I’m still torn on whether or not to buy the Spirit stuff. I have a hard time finding the Figures where I live. But I do try to get the museum specials and others that pique my interest.
I’m starting to run out of room to display stuff.
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It looks like they're trying to copy lego friends which I don't think was that popular.
Lego Friends has been massively popular, at least in the United States. It's been one of their best selling themes ever since it was released. Not my cup of tea, but it's sold very well.
This Everdreamerz thing, though… looks awful. I hope they keep making the historical themes.
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Lego Friends has been massively popular
There you go then.
I hope they keep making the historical themes.
They're just recycling stuff at this point. Maybe children aren't being taught history anymore or maybe the parents lack history knowledge. Plus the history sets are overwhelmingly war based which probably doesn't help their popularity with a lot of modern parents not wanting war toys. That might explain why there are ice magic, fairy and princess ranges while there is only a dwindling knights range for boys which is being replaced by generic fantasy cum steampunk sets. Lots of nice pieces coming out though so DS is a light in the dark for historic sets.
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I seriously doubt I can, but I know for sure my poor wallet will not.
In a word, No. I can't keep up. But in the face of such diversity of things on offer, I try to be firm with myself, to be selective about what I do and don't collect. I'm debating whether to give up on the Figures soon, especially the boys. For one thing, I'm running out of space to display them!
Btw Hadoque, there are also Quick figures and probably others...
I’m starting to have to choose what I get. I’m still torn on whether or not to buy the Spirit stuff. I have a hard time finding the Figures where I live. But I do try to get the museum specials and others that pique my interest.
I’m starting to run out of room to display stuff.
I´ve always restricted myself to collecting only 99% historical stuff, and only from the Late Medieval Era (mid 15th Century) to the end of the Napoleonic Era in the early 19th century (and a a very little Western & Victorian)...
But in the mid-2000s I started concentrating on customising klickies for the centuries I´m interested in and for that I also need a lot of parts from klickies that come with sets and themes that fall outside my real interest.
Last decade the frequency of new releases of all kinds has so much increased and has brought so many new klickies (especially with all the Surpise Figures series) and so a enormous amount of interesting new parts, accessories, colours, etc ...
On the upside that has opened up a lot more possibilities for creating cool custom-klickies, but on the downside it becomes increasingly hard and expensive to keep track of everything new.
With this Anime / Manga kind of figures for example, I see interesting shoulder-pads moulded on the top of the arms, and the collars seem also very interesting...
In the 90s and 2000s I wished they´d release more frequently new klickies...
Now I´m starting to wish they´d release a bit less of them and/or on a slower tempo!
Meanwhile I´m still waiting invain for the (expensive) 17th/18th-century trimaster ship orientated at adults / collectors... ::)
If they´d ever come to do that (wishfull thinking), I hope they then won´t release it in a (slightly) different colour the year after, like they f.e. did with the Ghostbusters´Ecto car (versions 1 and 1A)...
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I collect Marie Kondo style. If it doesn't "spark joy", I'm not interested. :easterhop:
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I collect Marie Kondo style. If it doesn't "spark joy", I'm not interested. :easterhop:
Haha love it!
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Plus the history sets are overwhelmingly war based which probably doesn't help their popularity with a lot of modern parents not wanting war toys.
I'm not sure that's it - if anything, the 'non war' historical themes were the first to go (Civilian knights, Victorian, Wild West Town).
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Thank you Tahra for introducing a range I hadn't heard about until now :thanks:
The figures and even the name of the range remind me very much of the characters of the mid eighties Japanese cartoons like Sailor Moon and Sakura the card hunter.
If only they could release the figures of classic cartoons released in the eighties and all Victorian times based like a Little Princess, I would be so happy :love:
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Unboxing below explains Everdreamerz series but also raises a dilemma for animal collectors.
First five magic pets in series 1 are shown: A crazy legs flamingo, a sweet tooth panda that eats chocolate, a blue suricate meerkat, a baby lilac llama and a cat dipped in ice cream.
The bad news: five series are planned, so there will be 25 new girly animals. Each box at $15, that means a total of $375 to get all pets. I do not need the manga-like figures, the boxes and the rest of accesories. I doubt these animals will be sold in DS...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4K0pO1eRSU
Playdalai @ Amclicks already included photos of series 2 in this thread:
http://amclicks.org/foro/novedades-playmobil/novedades-alemania-julio-septiembre-2020/
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I'm sure there'll be people wanting the figures but not the animals, or at least multiples thereof.
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I saw the pictures the Photographer Woody posted yesterday on Facebook and decided (much to my wallet’s dismay) that there are enough interesting parts with them that I want them. I don’t know, they are kind of weird which is why I think that I like them.
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I'm sure there'll be people wanting the figures but not the animals, or at least multiples thereof.
At £15 each, these sets aren't cheap. Even if there was a 50:50 share of the cost, I'm not sure I'd want to spend £7.50 on a klicky, or the same on an animal. The rest of each set looks like junk to me (charm, sticker, card, bracelet, bead, accessories). My daughters are way beyond this sort of stuff, so I can't persuade them to buy it and leave it to me when they grow out of it..... :(
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Here we have animals in series 1
(https://i.imgur.com/MxbJtoz.jpg)
On the other hand, surprise boxes are very expensive too, $6 each. For those of you that want all 60 figures that will appear in five series, total will be $360, assuming you will not get any duplicate.
Also, there will be a limited figure in each series which makes it more difficult to get
(https://i.imgur.com/KbeXCC9.jpg)
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Yes, I am ... well.. decisions will be needed, cause these are FAR too expensive.
And NOT that interesting, IF you REALLY think about it, I think.
That said, we want all the animals.. We fell in love with the pink rat :love:
And I would love to get all the stickers too (I'm a sucker for that sort of thing :-[ )
I will need to nag someone to get me the sticker books - german or english would no (no illusions of both, I guess :( )
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Not just the colors and imagery, the whole marketting strategy of this theme seems like a radical departure from Playmobil's usual style. :2c:
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At £15 each, these sets aren't cheap.
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The rest of each set looks like junk to me (charm, sticker, card, bracelet, bead, accessories).
these are FAR too expensive.
Quo vadis, Playmobil? ::)
Each of the 6 regular sets costs 16 euro in Belgium. 8}
For that you get 1 "flashy" klicky that comes with a bunch of mostly small crap.
And 6 euro for 1 of these series Surprise figures?!
COMPLETELY INSAIN.
Btw, over the weekend I noticed the new Playmo-Friends figures will cost 4 euro each.
It was 3,50 euro for such a klicky last year. And 2,50 euro about 3 years ago.
Officially yearly inflation is below 3% in Belgium since many years, and probably in most of the rest of the EU-zone as well ::)
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I think the marketing is trying to emulate LOL dolls and similar. A stroll round any chain toy store (e.g. The Entertainer, Smith's, to name two British chains which have tried to fill a void left by Toys R Us) will show that there are many, many toys like this, designed to encourage children to collect the whole set and accessories, at enormous total cost. Geobra seem to be dabbling in this, perhaps to see if it works for PM. The pricing is probably in line with similar products from other manufacturers, but it seems extortionate for PM.
The rise in price for Playmo-friends is alarming and hard to justify, I agree with you Hadoque! George Brandstaetter will soon find the output of Geobra unrecognisable, if he weren't dead.
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I think the marketing is trying to emulate LOL dolls and similar. A stroll round any chain toy store (e.g. The Entertainer, Smith's, to name two British chains which have tried to fill a void left by Toys R Us) will show that there are many, many toys like this, designed to encourage children to collect the whole set and accessories, at enormous total cost. Geobra seem to be dabbling in this, perhaps to see if it works for PM. The pricing is probably in line with similar products from other manufacturers, but it seems extortionate for PM.
The rise in price for Playmo-friends is alarming and hard to justify, I agree with you Hadoque! George Brandstaetter will soon find the output of Geobra unrecognisable, if he weren't dead.
Ah this explains it - they're copying another toy. That seems to be the main trend in PM these days: copying things that other companies are doing.
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Ah this explains it - they're copying another toy. That seems to be the main trend in PM these days: copying things that other companies are doing.
But... WHY?! If people wanted the other, they'd freaking BUY the other.
I don't get it.
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Yeah, the pricing is way too high. Unfortunately I really like this candy theme so will probably end up getting them all. I may not like the future themes though and will be picky about it if those prices hold. They may find they have to lower the prices, and of course i will wait to get them on sale somewhere. It's sometimes possible to get he animal alone on eBay, even if it costs $8.00 for a flamingo it would still be half the price if that's the only part you wanted.
I really wan the bubble gum colored rat too, I assume it comes with one of the mystery boxes.
Went and looked at the box images of series 2 and not liking them at all the way I like the candy theme. Only thing that is interesting is that unicorn hat in the mystery sets - but I want it in white.
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The rise in price for Playmo-friends is alarming and hard to justify, I agree with you Hadoque!
I'm fairly sure that the price of playmobil hasn't risen woth inflation over the last 30 years. I'm pretty sure the single figure packs with £2 or £3 when I was a kid in the early 90s.
I've no interest in this range, but I feel like it'll show up heavily reduced on the second hand market if you have patience!
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I really wan the bubble gum colored rat too, I assume it comes with one of the mystery boxes.
The pink rat, according to pics on THAT site, comes with the guy with a tophat and gold hair... They are hard to describe, all weirdos...
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Against my usual proclivities I think these are adorable and want them all! I see that the Belgium site has come forth with a few spare parts for them - but as is usual for spare-parts pages, it's the older parts, not the new, unique ones. That being said, I have dug up some names and numbers, without pictures, for parts that seem like they belong, so I'm going to make some guesses. Added a few plain-figure photos - thanks tahra! I also have numbers for a lot of stickers and a few of the collectors' cards (Sammelkarte) but no idea what they are stickers of, whether the main ones shown in the unboxing, or (e.g.) labels for containers. The hunt continues.
Everdreamerz Series 1 (2020/03) (http://playmodb.org/cgi-bin/your_set_list.pl?setlist=70384,70385,70386,70387,70388,70389;title=Everdreamerz%20Series%201%20%282020%2F03%29)
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Top Hat Guy is Mr Rides - all the mystery figures have names from the promo materials. I have them listed on my Figures pages at http://animobil.info/figures/text/5d0863aa-figures-1411.html (http://animobil.info/figures/text/5d0863aa-figures-1411.html)
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I'm fairly sure that the price of playmobil hasn't risen woth inflation over the last 30 years. I'm pretty sure the single figure packs with £2 or £3 when I was a kid in the early 90s.
I´m talking about the last 4-5 years.
With regard to the Playmo-Friends blister-klickies, from 2,50 euro a few years ago to 4,00 euro now is a price-increase of no less then 60%.
If a Playmo-Friend figure is f.e. a great looking soldier and you want 50 of them, then you now pay 200 euro instead of 125 euro a few years back. That´s a (too) big difference.
(Boxed single figures, like Specials, are indeed always somewhat more expensive then the ones that come in a blister. However, I´m pretty sure a boxed Special didn´t cost 2-3 euro overhere in the early 90s, that was the price some 10 years later)
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Against my usual proclivities I think these are adorable and want them all! I see that the Belgium site has come forth with a few spare parts for them - but as is usual for spare-parts pages, it's the older parts, not the new, unique ones. That being said, I have dug up some names and numbers, without pictures, for parts that seem like they belong, so I'm going to make some guesses. Added a few plain-figure photos - thanks tahra! I also have numbers for a lot of stickers and a few of the collectors' cards (Sammelkarte) but no idea what they are stickers of, whether the main ones shown in the unboxing, or (e.g.) labels for containers. The hunt continues.
Thanks sbblabotw :)
Top Hat Guy is Mr Rides - all the mystery figures have names from the promo materials. I have them listed on my Figures pages at http://animobil.info/figures/text/5d0863aa-figures-1411.html (http://animobil.info/figures/text/5d0863aa-figures-1411.html)
Thanks Tiermann... And that's another change... cause kids these days need a drawering... ::)
If a Playmo-Friend figure is f.e. a great looking soldier and you want 50 of them, then you now pay 200 euro instead of 125 euro a few years back. That´s a (too) big difference.
You're right -a HUGE difference! >:(
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Top Hat Guy is Mr Rides - all the mystery figures have names from the promo materials. I have them listed on my Figures pages at http://animobil.info/figures/text/5d0863aa-figures-1411.html (http://animobil.info/figures/text/5d0863aa-figures-1411.html)
Got 'em, thanks Tim. And have linked back.
Woody at klickywelt.de has good pictures from the toy fair! https://klickywelt.de/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=73748
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I´m talking about the last 4-5 years.
With regard to the Playmo-Friends blister-klickies, from 2,50 euro a few years ago to 4,00 euro now is a price-increase of no less then 60%.
(Boxed single figures, like Specials, are indeed always somewhat more expensive then the ones that come in a blister. However, I´m pretty sure a boxed Special didn´t cost 2-3 euro overhere in the early 90s, that was the price some 10 years later)
You can sort of pick and choose for those sorts of figures - like, 5300 sat at £100 for over a decade then went to £125. So it was a bit one-off leap but not over the long term.
My overall point is that Playmobil is cheaper, in real terms, than it ever has been. It'd be interesting to have some proper prices from the 1990s to compare, because obviously you only tend to remember random ones.
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I've got the inventories done for the Everdreamerz! The Surprise Boxes parts are put in as subparts of the klickies - click through to each, such as k70389a - Mr Rides (https://playmodb.org/cgi-bin/showpart.pl?partnum=k70389a).
Everdreamerz Series 1 (2020/03) (http://playmodb.org/cgi-bin/your_set_list.pl?setlist=70384,70385,70386,70387,70388,70389;title=Everdreamerz%20Series%201%20%282020%2F03%29)
Thanks to Woody (klickywelt.de) for pictures from the toy fair for all of these. There are some confirmed parts from the Spare Parts page at playmobil.be, but they're old parts (they have official pictures, generally); the new parts, with preliminary cropped pictures, are guesses and subject to change. They're on the official sites as "available, but cannot be ordered online." And I've included the odd one that I'm sure is in there somewhere but can't figure out exactly what it is. Update coming as I get more info. Enjoy!
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On Instagram this morning there was a picture of the surprise figures for series 2. Not nearly as good as series 1 to my eyes.
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New Unboxing video for the Surprise boxes: a closer look at Mr Chocolicious, Mr Dentist, Lady Nightmare, and Balloon Lady. I've upgraded a few photos from screengrabs, and even spotted the number for the sticker on the Dentist's toothpaste tube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtbtSIyffW0
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That's some awesome work sbblabotw! :wow:
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I will have to take these off my Figures pages, it turns out they are more like boxed specials with the klicky already complete, and not assemble ones like the other figures lines.
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I will have to take these off my Figures pages, it turns out they are more like boxed specials with the klicky already complete, and not assemble ones like the other figures lines.
Ah, yes, I had mentioned that in the PROCESS - at least the ones I got about are not...
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Ah, yes, I had mentioned that in the PROCESS - at least the ones I got about are not...
I'm sure they would have shown it in the unboxing, if they were. Too bad - the surprises have some pretty amazing colour schemes to swap around! I did put them in the Specials theme rather than Figures.
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And apparently next time the animals are the same.. in different colors (if this was posted, I missed it :( )
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This theme makes me feel like I'm missing something. Unless they make a klicky that turns into a giant cupcake, even my inner 5-year-old is struggling to find enthusiasm. The animals are cute. I don't know why Playmobil doesn't cut to the chase and offer mystery animal bags. My niece would be much happier with a baby dragon, mice in many colors, a snake family, really any type of animal than she'd ever be with a murder clown posing as a dentist, a zombie in pajamas, or an evil fairy godmother.
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Careful, Ismene. PM designers can't go around asking children what they would like! ;)
Good point!
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Careful, Ismene. PM designers can't go around asking children what they would like! ;)
Good point!
Or adults, for that matter! 8}
I think I'm going to post in the Brainstorming section.
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mystery animal bags
I hate mystery bags & boxes. I want to know/see what I buy.
Whoever wants to make huge profits of course doesn´t want the customers to know what they are buying and of course hopes to sell as many unwanted items as possible.
Sorry for being a fun-spoiler.
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I hate mystery bags & boxes. I want to know/see what I buy.
Whoever wants to make huge profits of course doesn´t want the customers to know what they are buying and of course hopes to sell as many unwanted items as possible.
Sorry for being a fun-spoiler.
I actually find them a really strange move. If they were very cheap I could see them as an 'entry point' for Playmobil, but they're not really.
Supposedly they used to use the Specials as a way of 'testing' popularity of potential new ranges, but since you can't choose the blind bags they don't fufill that role. Because of the strong chance of getting something rubbish, I very rarely buy them, but there's loads I would have bought if I could have just chosen.
I also think this would have annoyed be even more when I was a kid, when £2 was a lot of money to me!
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I hate mystery bags & boxes. I want to know/see what I buy.
Whoever wants to make huge profits of course doesn´t want the customers to know what they are buying and of course hopes to sell as many unwanted items as possible.
Sorry for being a fun-spoiler.
Oh, I agree. I would much rather buy a Special or an Add-on and know what I'm getting. However, I don't think blind bags are going away anytime soon. So, I'm suggesting animal packs as the least painful version of mystery sets. They could be done more cheaply than these Everdreamerz sets and would have a 0% chance of a surprise clown. I would like my purple pandas sans Spice Girl knock-offs, thank you. And I could totally see buying mystery animal sets as small gifts or party favors for kids, which I don't normally do with mystery figures because there's such a high chance of getting a weirdo.
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I would like my purple pandas sans Spice Girl knock-offs, thank you.
:lol:
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Ok... (deep breath)... playmobil (I mean whoever does the posts for the company on THAT site) has been posting these "unboxing" videos for the Everwhatsit...
I was shocked when I first saw it... and this time, I asked about it...
The answer was even worse than the usual "oh, nobody is at the office now, so we can't answer"... ::)
I calmed down before replying.. >:(
Link on THAT site: https://www.facebook.com/Playmobil/posts/2479996345438654
I would love for other people to chime in... Though I doubt it will make ANY difference. I am still having a hard time believing this could see the light of day.
If you are not on THAT site.. here's the pic:
(http://www.playkingdoms.com/temp/playmoproc/playmoCrapbook20200229.jpg)
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Good points, tahra (and thanks for sharing here, or I would never have seen it!).
"...the Unboxing Character is the main focus of the whole theme world."
What on Earth does that actually mean? Do they mean 'the main point of this theme is opening the boxes to collect the characters'?
It's really nice to open new boxes and assemble the sets inside (I've just done three steck buildings!), but that's hardly the point of buying the sets is it (as you so eloquently pointed out, tahra!)? IMO the whole idea of videoing yourself unboxing a set and then posting the video online is rather sad, but I find a lot of what people post online a bit sad.....
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Good points, tahra (and thanks for sharing here, or I would never have seen it!).
"...the Unboxing Character is the main focus of the whole theme world."
What on Earth does that actually mean? Do they mean 'the main point of this theme is opening the boxes to collect the characters'?
It's really nice to open new boxes and assemble the sets inside (I've just done three steck buildings!), but that's hardly the point of buying the sets is it (as you so eloquently pointed out, tahra!)? IMO the whole idea of videoing yourself unboxing a set and then posting the video online is rather sad, but I find a lot of what people post online a bit sad.....
I just wish some more people would comment... Maybe I should post this in the german forum, but I never know WHERE to post stuff there..
These people know nothing of playmobil, judging from past responses. WHY are they handling this? No idea.
I have no words for this. I honestly never thought such a packaging could ever be real :(
It is a sad state indeed, if the purpose of buying the everwhatsit is opening the box :( - it IS what it says there, right? Considering that (hopefully) the klickys will be around in the next 50-100 years.. Gods.
As to unboxing videos.. well, in truth I have no patience for review videos in general. I like an article, with pics and text. I try to do mine as I like to see them (duh, right?), though I would not mind better pics! :-[ I do like to see reviews of sets in general, especially the ones I am dying to see, or the ones I am on the fence about (my wallet completely disagrees, as usual)
But that video.... after I saw a video of .. SOMEONE at the Messe opening them, I remembered there were some of these, and looked them up. Mind boggled. My sister was equally shocked. I really wann avoid buying these (like the advents)... but I would like the stickers (I am SO stupid with this sort of thing! )
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I'll say, in their defence, that they probably just worded that poorly, meant that the box is part of the experience rather than the 'main focus'.
I know that the regular boxes are often bigger than they could be, but at the same time I can see from a production point of view it's much easier to have 5 standard sizes.
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I know that the regular boxes are often bigger than they could be, but at the same time I can see from a production point of view it's much easier to have 5 standard sizes.
That was true in the 80s, maybe... these days there are a gazillion different sizes..
And I still think the whole thing (the packaging) ridiculous - maybe not 15 years ago.. today? It's beyond ridiculous... :(
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They're clearly trying to make the (oversized & unecessary) packaging part of the whole thing to own/collect/play with/keep etc, which feels a lot more about consumerism than play. I mean, as a collector I can hardly comment :toot: but marketing it that way to kids..
The whole line feels as though that is underlined though - look at this character, look at all the STUFF they have, rather than some klickies who come with items that lead creative PLAY, this is klickies who have a bunch of stuff (with packaging that is part of that stuff rather than something to be discarded once the item is deboxed).
It makes me sad that this is what marketing to girls has come to - I know they're trying to be aspirational with the whole "Everdreamerz" name & idea with all the characters personal interests & dreams, but I don't know. It feels super gimmicky & shallow to me.
(I'm also not a fan of unboxing videos, or YouTube reviews).
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I think it's pretty clear from the way the boxes are and the styling that Everdreamerz is aimed squarely at the YouTube unboxing generation. There is a definite market segment out there for this, it's a real thing, and Playmobil is trying to capitalize on it. It's not our market segment, but it really exists. I happen to agree about wastefulness, but am less concerned with the cardboard layers. There isn't much more plastic bagging used than in a regular set. The amount used in regular sets though is to my mind excessive and a much bigger problem than how much recyclable cardboard is used in a box, or a little extra air.
Being a fan of anything food, I am loving the first series and all the stuff with it. The second doesn't look as good to me. It will be interesting to see if they are successful enough to make it through all 5 or if the theme disappears part way through.
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T I mean, as a collector I can hardly comment :toot:
That's why I don't really think I can get annoyed about the packaging. I mean, I'm an adult buying a child's toy so it can (for the bulk of the time) sit in a cardboard box because I want the pleasure of knowing I own it. It's pretty much peak consumerism
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That's why I don't really think I can get annoyed about the packaging. I mean, I'm an adult buying a child's toy so it can (for the bulk of the time) sit in a cardboard box because I want the pleasure of knowing I own it. It's pretty much peak consumerism
Yes, & I suppose, if I was to play Devil's advocate, that at least if the box is part of the whole thing to be owned/collected/played with, then at least it's not just going to be recycled or landfill, but I can still hope for more from toys aimed at young girls. I guess the line is more in line with something like the original Pokemon cards (distinct characters, collectable sets) but it seems so distant from the original Playmobil sets, which feel so much more open to creative play.
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There seems to be a marketing style which encourages children (or the adults who fund the children's habits) to collect toys for the sake of owning the whole collection, quite apart from playing with the toys. This is not a new idea, a 10 year old boy I knew over 20 years ago proudly showed me his model car collection, explaining he kept them in their original boxes, unplayed-with, because that would mean they kept their value.
It worries me that some marketing strategies exploit latent kleptomanic tendencies in humans. The most successful brands are the ones which become popular with great swathes of children, all trying to get the whole collection. If they are seen as 'cool' and desirable then a whole peer group will be collecting them. Monster High dolls were like this for one of my daughters, but she lacked the finance to really indulge in it. I think PM is trying to get Everdreamerz to become a popular, cool, collectable toy. If they are successful, that's a real gravy train right there...
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There seems to be a marketing style which encourages children (or the adults who fund the children's habits) to collect toys for the sake of owning the whole collection, quite apart from playing with the toys. This is not a new idea, a 10 year old boy I knew over 20 years ago proudly showed me his model car collection, explaining he kept them in their original boxes, unplayed-with, because that would mean they kept their value.
It worries me that some marketing strategies exploit latent kleptomanic tendencies in humans. The most successful brands are the ones which become popular with great swathes of children, all trying to get the whole collection. If they are seen as 'cool' and desirable then a whole peer group will be collecting them. Monster High dolls were like this for one of my daughters, but she lacked the finance to really indulge in it. I think PM is trying to get Everdreamerz to become a popular, cool, collectable toy. If they are successful, that's a real gravy train right there...
I'm not a fan of these kind of marketing strategies. I worked in a comic book shop when the Pokemon card mania took off in the 90's so I guess I've seen more than my fair share of obsessed-pokecrazed kids. I know companies want & need to make sales, but the "gotta catch 'em all" mentality is not what I equate with Playmobil, & I'd hope they'd find a better avenue to a gravy train, if there is one.
Maybe I'm out of touch with what kids are into these days, but I don't look at the Everdreamerz line & think, oh, this is going to fly off the shelves, but I could be wrong (& having said all this, I do want the ones with the lime green hair :wall: )
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This is not a new idea, a 10 year old boy I knew over 20 years ago proudly showed me his model car collection, explaining he kept them in their original boxes, unplayed-with, because that would mean they kept their value.
Wow, that's crazy. I can see it in an adult, but a child?!
(I've occasionally defended my compulsion to buy both Playmobil and Vinyl with a 'they retain there value', but even I know that's a meaningless argument because I'll (almost certainly) never sell them)
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Maybe I'm out of touch with what kids are into these days
Ditto.
I think it's sad, stupid and disappointing. Maybe that's just me.
And actually, as a girl (well, I am not a boy!), insulting too.
As to the packaging... it's beyond me. Don't these people have kids?! I mean.. I don't really have that issue. I am very sorry for the poor innocent animals who will be stuck with our mess.... but.. people who actually have kids (and are supposed to care for them).. shouldn't they be more careful about the mess we (as humans) make?
Oh well. There is no understanding them. And I would still like to know what they have against collectors in general, and foreign money.
I am still expecting someone to take them to court about the differences in the EU market.
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Unboxing videos are a thing and can be done well. But when the company itself does the unboxing video with a super perky voiceover that constantly says things like "isn't that awesome?," it's going to come off as trying too hard. And what's with the "She's the smart one!" declaration? It's a group of girls, so there's can only be one smart one? We shouldn't promote the idea of intelligence being a "you have it or you don't" characteristic. There are different types of intelligence. If you read the descriptions, it's like they made a checklist of all the one-note personalities they thought they should cover (prima donna - check, athlete - check, etc.). And yes, the packaging is way over the top for what you actually get, and most of it is junk. Lots of hype, not enough bang.
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Got the purple one, since the klicky we have has the wrong arms (2x left or right, can't remember)...
As to the unboxing, it sure was an experience. I will rant about it in a review, I suppose.
Spoilers - you know the stupid little boxes inside? EVERYTHING fits in ONE of them. That's how stupid these are.
:'( >:( :-\
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Unboxing videos are a thing and can be done well. But when the company itself does the unboxing video with a super perky voiceover that constantly says things like "isn't that awesome?," it's going to come off as trying too hard. And what's with the "She's the smart one!" declaration? It's a group of girls, so there's can only be one smart one? We shouldn't promote the idea of intelligence being a "you have it or you don't" characteristic. There are different types of intelligence. If you read the descriptions, it's like they made a checklist of all the one-note personalities they thought they should cover (prima donna - check, athlete - check, etc.). And yes, the packaging is way over the top for what you actually get, and most of it is junk. Lots of hype, not enough bang.
Agreed. I hate the reliance upon these tropes to make characters. It makes them incredible bland, predictable, and utterly forgettable. And it happens SO OFTEN.
They're clearly trying to make the (oversized & unecessary) packaging part of the whole thing to own/collect/play with/keep etc, which feels a lot more about consumerism than play. I mean, as a collector I can hardly comment :toot: but marketing it that way to kids..
The whole line feels as though that is underlined though - look at this character, look at all the STUFF they have, rather than some klickies who come with items that lead creative PLAY, this is klickies who have a bunch of stuff (with packaging that is part of that stuff rather than something to be discarded once the item is deboxed).
It makes me sad that this is what marketing to girls has come to - I know they're trying to be aspirational with the whole "Everdreamerz" name & idea with all the characters personal interests & dreams, but I don't know. It feels super gimmicky & shallow to me.
(I'm also not a fan of unboxing videos, or YouTube reviews).
I think it's pretty clear from the way the boxes are and the styling that Everdreamerz is aimed squarely at the YouTube unboxing generation. There is a definite market segment out there for this, it's a real thing, and Playmobil is trying to capitalize on it. It's not our market segment, but it really exists. I happen to agree about wastefulness, but am less concerned with the cardboard layers. There isn't much more plastic bagging used than in a regular set. The amount used in regular sets though is to my mind excessive and a much bigger problem than how much recyclable cardboard is used in a box, or a little extra air.
Being a fan of anything food, I am loving the first series and all the stuff with it. The second doesn't look as good to me. It will be interesting to see if they are successful enough to make it through all 5 or if the theme disappears part way through.
Sad to hear that's what they're like so far. I like the candy theme, but I figured there was going to be a bunch of bunk. Either way, my diehard collectionist nature demand I claim at least one of each. :-[ But of course I plan on doing stuff with them....eventually. ;D