February 21st, 2009 by Stinkhead
There is a comprehensive video in the works, but in the meantime, enjoy this write up and pics.
My favorite booth, and often my very first Toy Fair appointment is at the Playmobil booth. I am a huge playmobil collector, and getting to see all the new stuff in person is my biggest thrill, plus the life-sized display figures are nice… we all joke but it’s true, after Playmobil’s appointment, I could probably go home. I’m spent.
The folks at playmobil were pretty glad to see me. I can’t take all the credit for their rising sales this past year, however I’ve been spreading the good word that playmobil is made in Germany, not China, for years, and now it’s paying off in droves. This year there are more than 80 new products. It can be a bit overwhelming, but check out our favorite themes.
Playmobil 1-2-3
For the little ones, these chunkier pieces have less moving parts, and are perfect for the 3 and under crowd. New this year is a new Safari themed puzzle, a mommy and stroller, and a playground with a dinosaur ride and sliding board! Sweet!
Underwater Explorers
This is the series with a playmobil whale! That was one of the last creatures I thought we’d ever see. There is a boat with a crane, an underwater sub (with big plastic windows and posable arms), a diving bell (mini sub with arms) a deep-sea pressure suit, some divers with Manta ray, and a WHALE with a raft. This is going to be perfect for the bath tub… for my son too. Yeah, that’s the ticket. I love the deep-sea diver with his pressure suit. This is almost cooler than the recent astronaut set.
Pirates
We didn’t see the Ghost Pirates theme that came out in Germany this year, I’m assuming they’ll be in January next year, but we did see some cool additions to the pirate line. One of my absolute all time favorite sets, the Pirate Schooner (see the review) is now going to be available at Mom and pop toy stores (previously a mass market exclusive) and there’s the new Pirate Island set, with a Pirate dad and his son… sweet!
Construction
I’ve never been a big fan of Construction toys (save the Constucticons), but I was digging on this series. The “garage/workshop” is a carry along playset that locks up and acts a carrying case/storage. There’s a steam roller, an asphault cutter, a playset with a jackhammer and removable sections. I love the street sweeper… as you push it along, the brushes twirl and sweep up the tiny plastic pebbles into the back bin for emptying later. I also like the light up signal sign. Unfortunately you can’t hack this one to warn you about Zombies on the loose. And woo-hoo the arc welder is back!
Police Adventure
There’s an all new revamped Police line. Here’s a new police station, a beefed up police helicopter (with working wench), some new vehicles, and a bald bad guy. But my favorite piece out of the set are the jewel thieves! If you lift the cover off of the base, an alarm actually sounds! You have to use their thieving tools carefully remove the one section and reach in and grab the jewels without tripping the alarm. Fun! Also look for the police themed Advent Calendar. Each day your child gets a package with a small piece of the playset (one of the days you get the commode for the jail.)
Veterinarian Clinic
Also new this year is the Vet Clinic. All your hurt or sick animals can come to the vet. The part we really liked was the X-Ray machine in the Veterinarian’s Operation Room set… it comes with several interchangeable slides depending on which animal you are x-raying. There’s a kitty scratching post, a clinic for horses, an atriary, and there are bandage stickers you can affix to the animals until they get better. This is a great set for boys and girls who love animals.
Modern House
So the word is that there is no more Victorian era dollhouse, all efforts are going into this Modern house. I like that it’s not too particularly girly, it seems fine for boys and girls. I like the backyard, with the partial fence structure, and the BBQ grill. There’s even a home office. This set does not come fully furnished, so buy the house, and then populate it, but most of the sets are all new with new decos and accessories.
Wedding Theme
You can’t say I only cover ninjas and robots on here and neglect the girls. This wedding chapel theme is all new and comes with several sets perfect for your bride to be (ouch, I bet you weren’t ready to hear that). There are several bride and grooms to get. There’s the centerpiece, the main chapel. Press the button on the steeple and wedding bells/music play. You get a minister, a bride and groom and a fully decorated church. Is that too big? Get the covered veranda, it too comes with the minister and bride and groom. I particularly like the getaway car… it too has its own bride and groom, complete with cans attached to the back. There’s a piano player that really plays music, a reception tent complete with presents and champagne. A smaller set is the photographer who comes with the ring barer and flower girl. Will there be a set in the Add-ons catalog for the bridesmaids in hideous dresses?
Egyptians!
Oh man oh man, I have been waiting forever to see these sets. Ever since Playmobil teased us with the Cleopatra special, we thought an entire Egyptian line couldn’t be too far behind. Here it is, and it’s more beautiful than I could have imagined. I would have bought a big empty pyramid and some mummies, but the centerpiece, the grand Pyramid, is so much more. There are chambers, traps, secret entrances, double walls, two levels, and tons of extras. This thing is beautiful in person. I particularly like the trap that dumps scorpions on the heads of the grave robbers. Speaking of grave robbers, those wiley robbers are in each set. The Sphinx has a secret compartment that pops open and slides out of place, revealing a grand treasure when you insert the amulet and twist. The Amulet action is also on the pyramid and the Pharaoh’s Temple. There’s a tomb, a chariot, a boat, and a robber on camel. This entire series is amazing, wait for my review coming in a few short months, I’ll take you through the ins and outs of the entire theme.
Playmobil really delivered this year. I couldn’t believe all the new sets, and they weren’t just re-colorations of existing lines, these are all new toys. 2009 is shaping up to be pretty sweet year. There’s also an interactive DVD coming out later this year! (Check out the trailer)
I’ll review as much as I can, so stay tuned for more. Now go check out the photo gallery. And go ahead and check out all our previous playmobil coverage.
 |
Posted in 5&up, 8&up, Boys, event, Girls, kids, pirates, playmobil, Toy Fair, toys | 3 Comments »
February 23rd, 2009 at 12:49 pm
It looks like you are talking of the Toy Fair 2008…
February 23rd, 2009 at 12:53 pm
This was the 2009 Toy Fair in New York City
March 4th, 2009 at 11:38 am
The Egyptian set looks amazing. I think our testers will love all of the trap doors and secret compartments.