DS 2021

[Macruran]

The "movie Indians" excuse may have worked 40 years ago. In 2020, it just comes off as lazy and insensitive. Your average modern-day child is not going to be nostalgic for old westerns. How do you sell a fantasy image to a market that has no reference for it? And on the USA site at least, these sets are being marketed as "Native Americans" not white guys with makeup and feathers (which is what most Indians in old westerns were).

You've not grasped my point. Saying that the PM Indians derive from Karl May is not an "excuse", it is a statement of fact. They are depicting exactly what they were meant to depict: Karl May Indians. They were never intended to depict real Indians. Ignoring this shows your insensitivity to German culture.

USA is at best tertiary market for PM, they don't really care what we think and aren't making these sets for us. And USA children stopped caring about Western toys of any kind a while ago - it's a microscopic niche market at best.

All that being said this new set IS sloppier than past sets.

[Ismene]

You've not grasped my point. Saying that the PM Indians derive from Karl May is not an "excuse", it is a statement of fact. They are depicting exactly what they were meant to depict: Karl May Indians. They were never intended to depict real Indians. Ignoring this shows your insensitivity to German culture.

USA is at best tertiary market for PM, they don't really care what we think and aren't making these sets for us. And USA children stopped caring about Western toys of any kind a while ago - it's a microscopic niche market at best.

Insensitive to a toy company clinging to outdated and offensive representations of other cultures? I'm okay with that.

I know Playmobil doesn't care about the US market, but I highly doubt German kids are rushing out to watch really old westerns. What is Playmobil's target market? German senior citizens?

[Giorginetto]

Will be gettin a dozen of these drakkars to build up the vikings ( 400 strong) that will be in my next diorama. Emperor's iseroth comeback in hopefully 2021. I have a 200m2 storage room that i will empty and use to set it up. With 26 4 way connectors my next steck castle and city will be double the size and far more complex ! Just a matter of finding the time, impossible currently....

Playmobil vikings are superb

[tahra]

What is Playmobil's target market? German senior citizens?

A very good question... they did say the "unboxing" is the most important part of the everwhatsit...

I don't think there is really a market for the indians and cowboys anymore, except us older collectors - when I was a kid we watched those (and pirate movies, there were those then too) almost every saturday and sunday afternoons (sometimes the dinosaurs would join us, yes)..

These days... there aren't any. I suppose they lean the pirates on Johnny Depp.... imo, there hasn't been a pirate movie since Cutthroat Island. But there was Black Sails on tv   Though.. well.. not for kids, surely.  Then again... 


We know they don't give a darn about older collectors... and things are more and more made to not last, not being cared for    Plus... they don't really want our horrid foreign money, especially.

All that said... I WOULD LOVE to be able to question whoever is responsible for these. And even more, for those disgusting everwhatsit boxes (not over that).

The biggest change seems to be including figures with the sets. Not a great deal to get excited about though.

They went to some leftover boxes and selected some, apparently. Indians have beards and all... 

[Oliver]

I must admit I have wondered what the market is for the 'Cowboys and Indians' theme. Even when I was a kid 30 years ago there wasn't much of it about - I read the Little House books and had a picture book about the people in covered wagons, but that was it. I can't really imagine children now have any interest.

I'd say there's more 'Pirate' stuff about in terms of picture books etc.

[StJohn]

I'm digesting all previous comments and share your dismay and surprise.

Judging by what hitherto has become known, the big change appears to be the inclusion of figures in DS sets of vehicles or buildings. That is radically new. It presumably means that from 2021 DS will no long serve to complement sets from the main catalogue (the classic example being the 3-figures army building bags to get you extra knights, romans, vikings, etc.) but will be an entirely separate product line, consisting exclusively of older material mostly disconnected from the main catalogue. The main catalogue in turn will be shaped more and more by the model of EverDreamers and Scooby-Doo! (even though I think that City Life still has some life left in it – that stuff remains popular with very small children). At any rate, "historical" and "realistic" sets are utterly doomed in mainstream Playmobil, but will linger a few years longer in DS until they pull the plug there too. The whole of DS as the relaunch of the Classic Editions (anybody knows what happened to that?), so to say, but then not as actual reissues but as thoughtless mix-ups.

It is absolutely fascinating to witness the decline of old-fashioned material toys right across the board – Lego stays afloat by cunning marketing and its dedication to the adult market, but I doubt that Geobra will be able to pull that off.

I WOULD LOVE to be able to question whoever is responsible for these.

Me too! At moments like this I do miss the PCC ...

[tahra]

Lego stays afloat by cunning marketing and its dedication to the adult market, but I doubt that Geobra will be able to pull that off.

I believe geobra was very clear about having NO interest at all in the adult market.

Something else I would like to know - what did we (collectors) do to them? What did we do to deserve such... disdain.

[Baron Marshall]

We are descended from Montauk, Powhatan, Seneca, and Cherokee Indians in this house, and we love the Playmobil Indians. FWIW

[StJohn]

Something else I would like to know - what did we (collectors) do to them? What did we do to deserve such... disdain.

My subjective impression is that a toxic office culture since HB's demise is killing all non-confirmative initiative – enough filters through into the newspapers to suggest unease. Mind you: he was traditional (and didn't have to innovate since the 80s/90s, ever since reaping the yields of being market leader) but his successors cannot afford to be. They know this, yet don't really see where to go next: licences, app toys, unpacking experiences    But embracing innovation while respecting the back catalogue seems not to be on the cards. And those pesky collectors forever whining about the back catalogue are then just ... annoying.

On the bright side: I really, really enjoy the sets of Super 4, of "Playmobil: The Movie" and now the Greek Gods. All excellent stuff. Miraculously, somehow good things are still happening! So let's stay positive

[Hadoque]

We are descended from ... Seneca ...

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seneca_the_Younger