Kmart Gets Playmobil 2-Packs

While doing a tour of stores around the USA, we just spotted a bunch of new Playmobil sets at a Kmart in Phoenix, AZ. Interestingly, the retail prices are a few dollars cheaper than Los Angeles and they are also carrying a few items we have not seen previously. Pirate set 5826 and Crusaders set 5825 were $3.99 each. We hear the prices are higher at other Kmarts, and are not yet able to confirm Wal-Mart or other store pricing.

Toys "R" Us Gets Lots of New Playmobil (if you're in the USA)

It seems that all of a sudden, some (but not all) Toys "R" Us stores in the USA are getting a massive push of new product. Some stores have stuff in more than one aisle, with all sorts of sizes and price points to delight and amuse. Even more astonishing, there were loads of sets I haven't seen before, so being my lazy self, I didn't write down all the numbers for your reference. (Sorry.) Here are some of the things we saw in today's runs:

Circus
Small clown, $100 tent, dog act, pony act, tightrope, and what probably amounted to the entire new theme minus one or two sets.

Take Alongs
In addition to the 4774 Barbarian set we reported earlier, a new Knight set (4775) and Pirate set (4776) were available. It didn't seem like there was a spot for a fourth set, so that seems to be that.

Knights
A red dragon-with-barbarian is available for $20. It's the older dragon mold (the one with arms).

Dinosaurs
Seemingly the entire line is being sold at Toys "R" Us for roughly the same prices Playmobil sold it for directly in January. Even the boring little quad is there.

Romans
There's a Roman camp, 5838 Gladiators with tiger, and some larger sets you have no doubt seen elsewhere.

Christmas
The return of the Nativity Scene, and a new advent calendar packed with little woodland creatures. In other words, zzzzz.

Now if I wasn't so cheap to not have a camera phone, I could probably share pictures. Since so many new items were there today, it seems unlikely there would be too much more-- but it's nice to see the biggest toy retailer in the US picking up some serious slack for the brand. It's as close as we've ever seen to a full year's line outside of a specialty toy retailer.

Sadly, there were no new Specials (or Pals) to be seen, and there were no sign of the new blister packs we're told are being sold at select larger Wal-Mart stores. There were, however, a large number of older sets which have been at the stores for ages or have been restocked.

More New Playmobil Castle (or Knights) at Target

Tonight's journeys yielded not one, but two new Playmobil sets with knights in them. As part of the new (and seemingly US exclusive) winged knights and dragons theme, this new assortment was spotted at Target for $9.99 a pop.

5836 Green Knight and Cannon
5832 Dragon Wing Knight and Fire Catapult

The Green Knight and Cannon looks more or less like a standard entry in any of the swords-and-sorcery sets. The Dragon Wing Knight is uniquely new, and it has a really slick catapult that, as you may have guessed, launches little plastic balls of fire. I think these are new to this set. Each has a couple of figures and a smattering of accessories, making it a fairly decent deal for the price. They certainly aren't stunning values or what we'd consider a must-buy set, but you're likely to get your fun out of them.

2009 Playmobil Catalog: See It Today!

Want to see a digital version of all the goodies coming to Germany in the next few months? Well, you're in luck! Just Go here (assuming you have the right plug-ins for your browser) and see this new bad boy with 56 pages of new and new-ish sets.

Highlights include:
- New Specials
- Egyptians
- Family home
- Underwater Expedition (awesome)
- Merpeople
- Ghost Pirates
- Church/Wedding sets

I suppose the church theme is to appeal mostly to that little girl fantasy play, much like a doll house. As such, I'm glad to see them appeal to boys with ghost pirates, but some toy stores, comic shops, and muscle cars would be nice too. (And more dinosaurs. And a mammoth. Can't go wrong with those.)

New Playmobil Specials/Mass Market Twin Packs at USA Wal-Mart

Over on Playmoboard is a thread showcasing four new twin packs of Playmobil figures which, it seems, are showing up at Wal-Mart. As the first products to hit the mega retailer in years (or possibly ever), it's pretty big news.

The sets are:
5825 Crusaders
5826 Pirates
5827 Romans
5828 Knights

All seem to be previously released figures with minimal changes. Happy hunting!

New Mass Market Playmobil Sets Arriving

We're spotting numerous new sets around town these days, and here are two new releases you can watch out for.

4774 Take-Along Barbarians Fort
Includes two figures, some accessories, and a small take-along fort that folds up to store parts and pieces. This is part of a new line, and other themes will have similar sets released in the near future. It's $9.99.

5837 Roman Arena
A much smaller version of the set sold a couple of years back with fewer parts. If anything, it may work as an expansion to the large set. It's $39.99.

Playmobil 5840 Flying Knights, Dragon Released

As revealed many moons ago, the "flying knight" or "flying dragon knight" is finally making an appearance in what appears to be another mass-market exclusive set. The 5840 Dragon Rock does indeed include a dragon and a rock, but also has a catapult, a flying knight, and other tidbits. The new dragon is certainly different from previous releases, and we'd also like to point out the helmet on one of the knights on the packaging. It's turned around like 90 degrees so he's looking out the side. Not so hot.

UPDATE: We have since found the set in a Los Angeles-area Target for $19.99. Happy hunting, Playmobil fans!

2009/2010 Playmobil Themes Revealed

Over on the various Playmobil forums, a number of new sets and themes are being shown. I'd like to point you to Playmoboard, as accounts are free and it, like this blog, are in English.

New themes include Ghost Pirates and Merpeople, or Mermaid stuff. The Merfolk line seems like a follow-up to the fairies, only now it's under the sea. Highlights include seahorses galore and new fishy kids. There's also an evil sea witch.

Knights continues, this time with loads of wolves and a lot of gold elements. Truth be told, I have a hard time discerning this as new, and the sets seem mostly to be on the small side. Aside from some catapults, it's a very redeco-oriented line.

The Ghost Pirates are pretty stunning, if you like such things. A giant glow-in-the-dark whale skeleton (unfortunately cast in green), huge clams, a giant manta ray, killer crabs, and a three-headed sea serpent make this a really cool, really supernatural line. A haunted ghost ship rounds things out, complete with tattered sails and a crew of the dead. This seems to build on existing themes, plus brings the giant sea life we've all come to know and love from LEGO's ill-fated Aquaraiders line. I must say, these look like a lot of fun.

The new Specials, sadly, are not so special. It appears we're getting a new Mongolian warrior (nice!), but we're getting yet another orange-clad sanitation worker, more kids-with-gifts, and some lady on a floaty pool thing. Where are the crazy awesome ninjas, monsters, and literary figures we used to get? Oh well. Check 'em all out!