How To Train Your Dragon Coming Soon

[Ismene]

I was quoting Rasputin, who has said several times on this Forum that people often think PM is basically the same as Lego.

Yes, I remember that. I hang out with weird people, so maybe I'd hear it if I lived more in the real world.

I've gotten (GOTTEN) the "is that L*go?" before. Not often though, because I don't show my stuff to many people 
...

PM's strength has been its "real world" connection. Construction, Indians, knights, cops...Victorians, safari, schools, shops...I dunno, I am no marketting executive but I feel they are missing their true calling. They do ghostbusters before they do Don Quixote...

You've just made me question my use of "gotten" lol. Apparently, it's quite an old form that is still in use in America, but not in England.

I'm not sure Don Quixote is quite real world, but I would support classic literature sets. Plus, they'd be cheaper than licensing. I don't particularly care for the Porsche and NHL sets, but they don't seem quite as shattering as movie licenses. I suppose it's because if children have a Porsche or even Marco Polo, they would still make up their own stories. I'm worried that movie and tv licenses would just produce children acting out the show plot lines and not using their creativity because children's movies/shows are so pervasive. And they're not educational in the way a historical or cultural set would be.

logic would dictate that if it's a licensed product meant to tie in with the release of a movie, it would be released at the same time in all markets (case in point, sep 30 worldwide for the star wars rogue one sets). might not be the case with a company as pigheaded as PM but we'll have to see.

Yeah, logic would also dictate that they wouldn't choose a 30(?)-year-old movie for their first pop culture license, but they did, so I'm not assuming anything. What's a few months compared to a few decades?

[Erik]

I've got a rather big Playmobil collection, with some rare pieces in it that I wouldn't want to get lost or damaged, so when friends come over we break out the so-called "visitors' play-boxes", a huge pile of plastic containers with all kinds of sets and bits and pieces in them.
When you go check on the playing kids after a while, you WILL see an armoured knight driving a police car taking an Indian to the hospital...
Now THAT's Playmobil for me, not heavy priced licenses, but "make your own story" stuff.But maybe I'm old fashioned, that could be.

[Bolingbroke]

my dad used to play with a piece of string all day. the fun! how about breaking out some string next time you have visitors? 

things change, fashions change. give this licencing project a chance. my favourite playmobil is from the 90s, i hate most of everything that's been released after that, but i vote with my wallet. i don't like it, i don't buy it. even if playmobil never make another set i like, there will still be many many sets i find beautiful (and which i mostly own ...).

we'll have to see who is being targeted with the ghostbusters sets. im sure there's a market for ghostbusters, there's so much merchandise around, someone must be buying it. lego has a 400 euro ghostbusters firehouse in it's current line-up. it's moving, believe it or not. if they want to target adults with a thirst for nostalgia and deep pockets, then i will be the last to grumble about it. about time, i say.

sometimes it seems to me that you guys are happy being fans of an increasingly-obscure toy, just for the heck of it, cause it's cooler, irrespective of whatever the company, and potential fans, are set to gain from a change in direction.

[Ismene]

We don't need to give licensing a chance because we've already seen what it has done to Lego. Lots of $. Much less creativity. There's a Lego section in the arts and crafts display at our local state fair for kids to show off their Lego creations. There's a marked difference in creativity between those kids who have non-licensed sets and those who have licensed sets. Many of the kids with Star Wars sets just recreated the picture on the box, rather than making their own thing.

I'm looking at this from more of an educational point of view than a collector's. The skills children learn from building things and creating stories absolutely carry over into their future careers. Personally, I'm actually kind of interested in HTTYD sets, but I am worried that they'll get carried away with licensing.

[Bolingbroke]

anectdotal evidence isn't worth much at the end of the day. i could tell you that i see a lot of people coming up with amazing creations with lego. the sky's pretty much the limit. pm, on the other hand, you get some nice historical dioaramas and customs from adult collectors, but let's not exaggerate. i mean, even in here, people are always moaning about the lack of customising and building potential.

i can't understand the doom and gloom. i have a massive pm collection, and an equally massive lego collection, and i fail to see how playmobil is that much better than lego because 'pm doesn't do licensing'. there are a million lego non-licensed sets that sell well and make children happy, which is what counts at the end of the day.

[Erik]

my dad used to play with a piece of string all day. the fun! how about breaking out some string next time you have visitors? 

sometimes it seems to me that you guys are happy being fans of an increasingly-obscure toy, just for the heck of it, cause it's cooler, irrespective of whatever the company, and potential fans, are set to gain from a change in direction.

Do you honestly believe that licensing THESE movies will gain Geobra THAT more income?
We're hardly talking Star Wars or LOTR here, right?
I actually do LIKE the LEGO LOTR (and some other licensed) sets a lot, but LEGO is a completely other toy than Playmobil.

Btw, I don't know where you live, but here in the Benelux countries Playmobil is HARDLY an obscure toy, lol!
I bought my first box in 1974, and I've seen Geobra/Playmobil grow ever since, but the quality just isn't what it used to be, plastic-and innovationwise.
I visit a lot of Playmobil-fairs, and people still tend to search and buy the older sets, the play-value being so much more than in a lot of the recent sets.

As for pulling in more potential "fans", I still think that making the existing themes more innovating again (not the now usual 3 good guys against 3 bad guys sets...) would be more profitable than yet another film license.

I have no problem with Geobra's change of direction, they've been doing that wildly for the last few years, but I don't think this licensing will "upgrade" the existing product.
I see how bad the Super 4 sets sell here in the Benelux contries (even in the Zirndorf Funpark they were half-price on saturdays this year...), and I'm a bit afraid the upcoming "movie" sets won't do so well either.
But at the end of the day, we'll just have to wait and see, maybe they'll turn out great. 

Btw, I'll try the string, it might work.

[GrahamB]

You've just made me question my use of "gotten" lol. Apparently, it's quite an old form that is still in use in America, but not in England.

When you wrote 'I haven't gotten that comment yet', I thought you meant 'I haven't understood that comment yet' but you actually meant 'I haven't heard that comment yet'. It goes to show that communication in writing can lead to misunderstandings! "Gotten" is an old word in the English language, now regarded by many in the UK as an Americanism (like 'math', 'faucet', 'diaper', 'Trump') but actually a word which has survived from the times of the early settlers, in all probability.

I'm worried that movie and tv licenses would just produce children acting out the show plot lines and not using their creativity because children's movies/shows are so pervasive. And they're not educational in the way a historical or cultural set would be.

I think you are correct. The Lego Hobbit sets, for example, depict on the box one small scene from the story. I cannot see that will encourage imagination beyond Tolkein's original ideas.

I am sure there must be a PhD thesis somewhere exploring which toys promote creativity and imagination, including features which help this.

We don't need to give licensing a chance because we've already seen what it has done to Lego. Lots of $. Much less creativity. There's a Lego section in the arts and crafts display at our local state fair for kids to show off their Lego creations. There's a marked difference in creativity between those kids who have non-licensed sets and those who have licensed sets. Many of the kids with Star Wars sets just recreated the picture on the box, rather than making their own thing.

There you go! Evidence! Anecdotal, yes, but the starting point for some interesting further research....

[Ismene]

When you wrote 'I haven't gotten that comment yet', I thought you meant 'I haven't understood that comment yet' but you actually meant 'I haven't heard that comment yet'. It goes to show that communication in writing can lead to misunderstandings! "Gotten" is an old word in the English language, now regarded by many in the UK as an Americanism (like 'math', 'faucet', 'diaper', 'Trump') but actually a word which has survived from the times of the early settlers, in all probability.

I think you are correct. The Lego Hobbit sets, for example, depict on the box one small scene from the story. I cannot see that will encourage imagination beyond Tolkein's original ideas.

I am sure there must be a PhD thesis somewhere exploring which toys promote creativity and imagination, including features which help this.

There you go! Evidence! Anecdotal, yes, but the starting point for some interesting further research....

Yeah, there are multiple old words or constructions that survive in American English, but not in British English.

I'm sure there are hundreds of PhD theses on toys and creativity.

What I said about licensed sets, it also applies to less flexible sets. I don't think we are doing children any favors by giving them pre-built, non-customizable buildings. Assembling and re-configuring buildings helps with spatial awareness and creativity. It isn't surprising that many of us go back to Steck for making customized buildings. It would be awesome if HTTYD sets included customizable Viking houses (or any other sets that increase the play value of the Viking theme), but I expect they will just be the main characters and their respective dragons. I'm sure they'll be adorable.

I'm down with string. At this very moment, I have a pile of string and an unfinished pair of gloves sitting in my lap. I've probably spent more on string than Playmo.

[Oliver]

one thing that's certain is that licensed sets are more expensive than unlicensed ones. has to be seen what kind of price hikes we'll see. currently with lego star wars, 4 fig entry level sets cost -7 euro, small sets around 35, with the bigger ones costing more than a 100.

I don't think that makes them any more expensive than regular Lego? I don't buy it, but I think the Lego shops charge £6 for 3 create-your-own MiniFigs (I remember because it was about the price of the PM Mystery Bags), and a number of the unlicensed 'Creator' sets cost over £100.

[Bolingbroke]

I don't think that makes them any more expensive than regular Lego? I don't buy it, but I think the Lego shops charge £6 for 3 create-your-own MiniFigs (I remember because it was about the price of the PM Mystery Bags), and a number of the unlicensed 'Creator' sets cost over £100.

blind bagged minifigs cost 2.99 euro. licensed ones (simpsons, disney etc) cost 3.99.

same for the bigger sets. the unlicensed creator sets are cheap compared to the licensed stuff. a modular house costs around 160 euro. with the licensed sets, they range from 200 all the way to 500 euro (the new lego death star).

you can see it much more clearly with the recent advent calendars. licensed ones cost about 50 per cent more than the inhouse stuff.