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.

Toys "R" Us Gets Playmobil Dinosaurs

In the USA, national toy store chain Toys "R" Us is starting to receive the Dinosaur sets. Specifically, 4170 Triceratops with Volcano. It's apparently in the same box as the international/specialty release, and costs $49.99. If for some reason you didn't already buy it direct or at a Playmobil-specific venue, now's your chance!

Review: Set 3170 Dino Discovery Team

Our parent site 16bit.com updates today with a look at the slightly older, but still excellent, Playmobil Set 3170. The Dino Discovery Team (or Dinosaur Discovery) includes two figures, a play environment, one of Playmobil's first-ever dinosaur toys, and a couple of guys dressed for an Arctic chill. Click through to see what they thought of it!

2008 US Sets Hitting Now

During a toy run through Encino, CA today we found out that local store Gregory's Toys received a number of the new 2008 sets. The new releases included all seven new Dinosaurs sets and two of the new Fairy sets, which according to the new catalog are not due to be available for sale until March.

We picked up 4174 Spinosaurus and we'll be posting impressions and possibly a review in the coming days/weeks.

Also notable was the new 2008 Catalog because it featured the new add-on catalog. A number of old sets made a return, many of which were also marked down a few dollars. While we wouldn't say anything knocked our socks off, fans of Playmobil should, as always, pick up a copy and peruse it just in case.

4076 Dinosaur Series Multipack

As Star Wars and other action figure collectors know, nifty multi-packs or "playpacks" are often sold in Europe which consist of a number of toys in a big, lavish box. Playmobil Set 4076 is a fine example of this, as (so far as we can tell) it hasn't been offered in any English-speaking nations. The packaging is the collectible here, and you'll find sets 3170, 3191, and 3193 all in one big box.

We're not quite sure what the deal with it is. Is this an exclusive? Was this a reissue? When did it come out? Was this widely available in Europe and being the Ugly Americans we are, we just don't know any better? No idea. But there you have it-- it's a unique set which collects nearly half of the entire frozen Dinosaur collection, and has all three sets which include non-skeletal creatures.

Click on the image to check out the item on German eBay. It will bring up all Playmobil 4076 products that are presently active, so there may or may not be anything to see when you click the link.