New Sets Released in Germany, Unboxed!

Klickywelt added pages of pics from the new Adventurer/Temple theme whose English name is presently unknown to us. See rock figures which seem like Go-Bots' Rock Lords mixed with Bionicle! Admire giant lizard creatures and new snakes!

These new sets should be out in the USA in 2011-- after all, they're just hitting Germany right now. The USA should be getting the school and Africa in 2010, and they seem pretty promising. Particularly the new animals.

New 2010 Sets at the DB, New Dragon Knights in DE (not Delaware)

Looking to see some new sets you can't buy yet, you American scum you?

First up: PlaymoDB.org posted a number of scans from a catalog of 2010 German releases. 27 new planes, Easter Eggs, vacation homes, zoo animals, and other items were added. Of note, we particularly liked the "Ferienhaus" which looks like about 70% of the restaurants in Scottsdale, AZ.

Also new: Playmofriends has a thread with new Dragon Knights from Germany. These are 4 unique figure packs, with 1 or 3 in each. They come in green and red, and should augment the sets which will be coming out in the USA about this time next year. Enjoy waiting! We won't.

Promotional 7969 Ghost Pirate Set: Germany

Currently a premium set when you order from the direct service department in Germany, this nifty set as scanned to Klickywelt includes an exclusive red three-headed sea serpent, a unique ghost, and several colorful barrels of what we presume is rum. It's a safe bet this is going to be offered in the USA (if it isn't already) but if you haven't seen it, here it is!

The same link also shows a promotional animal set with cheetah cubs (or kitten repaints) plus a baby gorilla in a diaper. Truly, you can't go wrong.

Extensive Drachenritterwelt (Dragon Castle World) Galleries

The good folks at Klickywelt, a primarily German forum for Playmobil discussion and trading-- you can tell it's German because unlike English ones, there's decent traffic (and it's in German)-- posted a ton of shots of the new Dragon sets, recently released in Germany and expected in the USA in 2010. While some small sets in a similar style have been out and about since last year, these new ones are huge and seem to have more in common with American fantasy-based castle toy lines like Masters of the Universe than most recent Playmobil releases.

Several new dragons and castles are showcased, and unless these show up as part of a mass market line, expect them in your stores about a year from now. If you can't wait, some forerunners of the line are still in some mass-market stores like Toys "R" Us for fairly decent prices-- minus the giant super-fun looking castle things.

Playmobil 2010 and 2011 Revealed!

Fan forum Klickywelt.de has revealed a number of new sets for release in Germany in 2010 and worldwide in 2011, plus the new 2010 specials! Wow! Check out this thread (it's auf Deutsch, English speakers) for some images and links to the new sets. I pulled a couple of links for your perusal:

Family House and Recreation Sets
Includes an adult in a speedo, a woman in a bikini, a new pool, pool toys, a new camper, a new house, and a lot of other sets you may have never seen before.

New Zoo
Meerkats, Lions, Elephants, and Koalas! Some are new, some are old, but it's a good mix of critters.

Larger, better pictures-- including those of a new Spaceman and Mongolian Warrior-- can be found in the thread, so pop in, log in as needed, and check them all out!

New Playmobil Sets Revealed in New Catalog

Playmodb has a pretty awesome list of new 2010 sets revealed in a new catalog. A new bikini figure body is pictured, as is a new ancient temple theme, new trucks, what seems to be a space ship of some sort, and new blister packs. Wow!

Thanks @playmodb!

In Case You Missed It (30 Years Ago): Vintage Bank Director

Playmobil is older than I am, so I get a kick out of seeing a toy line that has basically outlived nearly every other toy figure ever produced without significant retooling. It's a real treat to go back and see what has come before... and that the developers always had a strong sense of humor.

This Bank Director was found on eBay Germany-- of course-- and has to be a report card gift if you weren't a quick study. The line included native Americans, cowboys, Knights... and a banker. This sealed, 1976 toy speaks volumes. It's rare a kid can't be bothered to play with a toy, and while the old-timey desk and bag are kinda neat, I can almost hear the crying children that received this one 33 years ago.

Custom Watch: Playmobil Elvis!

Oh, those crafty Germans. A new find called "King of Rock 'n Roll" is another unofficial figure produced mostly with off-the-shelf parts. While we're not sure which Elvis this is supposed to be, the idea is solid.

Obviously, we won't be seeing Elvis in a Playmobil figure until long after he's entered the public domain, if ever, and we'll all be dead by then. So with that in mind, enjoy this item, presently for sale on German eBay by cubbuc2003.

New German Limited Edition Set: Family Van with Boat

While SUVs are going out of style in the USA as of late, in Germany, there's a new LE Playmobil set that's surprisingly cheap and probably gets good mileage too. 4144 Familyvan mit Bootsanhänger (easy for you to say) includes a set of parents, two kids, a motorboat, a van, a dog, a toy sailboat, and a whole mess of stuff.

At press time there is no known release date in the USA-- or rather, we don't know what it is. It's 19.99 Euro, which is pretty preposterous given how much stuff comes in the box. We'll let you know when or if it shows up in the States, but for now you're going to need to call in some favors to get this one, which is also showing up elsewhere in Europe.

Too Good To Be True: Custom Western Sets from Germany

If you've ever spent hours looking up things in a language you don't understand as well as you probably should, having had classes for four years, you may understand why it's frustrating when you see something this awesome which you later realize is a fan-produced customized set.

How depressing.

German eBay sellers are making total conversions of older sets into some pretty amazing sets. Pictured is a Whiskey Distillery, which is made using some custom signs which have been circulating and a number of off-the-shelf kegs, barrels, and other parts and pieces.

Also up for grabs are some Undertaker kits, but those seem to have vanished. The means to make your own signs are still there though.

So enjoy, Klicky fans, these things which you simply will never see produced!

German Exclusive: 6103 Maggi Cook!

One of the real downers about collecting Playmobil is that it's really tough to find solid information on the weird stuff. Exclusives, in particular, because bizarre little figures which are given away or sold cheaply at various German retailers simply do not make their way onto US eBay. This is unfortunate.

We discovered that something called "Maggi" has an exclusive branded figure featuring an apron and some sort of food packaging. If my German serves me, and it usually doesn't, the figure is a mail-in premium wherein you can choose the toy or some sort of kitchen scissors.

The bad news? The mail-in offer expired in March 2009. So we're basically out of luck here. But if anyone knows where one can find a supply of these, do let us know.

Image "borrowed" from eBay Germany, which you should totally go bid on stuff if you have the regional capability to do so.

New for 2009 (in Germany, 2010 elsewhere)

A while back, Playmobil Germany updated with a huge Flash file presentation of its 2009 German line. It's sorted by month, so you can get a good look at what we'll be getting in the USA next year. All of the sets, save for the individually packaged Specials figures, trail Deutschland by a year. So what's in store?

July - Specials
Nothing you haven't already seen in the 2009 US catalog. Diver, dudes with swords, etc.

August - Fire Rescue, Elementary School
While the notion of buying your kids a school seems like handing an ex-con a toy prison, this is a fairly well done collection. The big school set [4324] has a science class, a computer lab, tiny chalkboards, all that stuff. What really caught my eye was a shop class [4326, pictured] featuring all sorts of power tools, and a music class [4329] which has a pair of bongos. Bongo Fury. Awwwww bongo fury... boogie. (Ask your parents. They won't get the reference either.) [Images from Playmobil.de]





September - Drachenland (Dragonland) & Advent Calendars
These are similar to the sets Target carried last year, but the Dragon creatures and figures are seemingly new designs. Big castles, dragons with LED (light-emitting diode) mouths, barbarians... the works. It's a new fantastical magical line, which, while nifty, seems more like a traditional boy's toy action line.

The new advent calendars feature a stable (horses, donkeys, etc.) and Dragonland (knights, horses, tiny dragon). In short, a good mix.

October - Puppet Theater
This is their new take-along set. Set #4239 seems to be a greatly expanded concept based on the 4664 Specials set. It must lose something in the cultural translation, but it seems to be a nifty theater with an alligator and people in stupid hats, which seems to be the basis for all good toys.

Idee & Spiel 2008 Train

And over on Klickywelt, user Playmo-family posted pictures and information on a new train that's listed as an Idee & Spiel Exclusive. Apparently, it's really big, really expensive, and pretty nifty. Most German store exclusives rarely if ever make it to the USA, so if you want this one you should probably start calling in some favors. Click through to check it out! (Forum registration may be required.)

German Toy Fair Promotional Egypt Figure

German fans may be interested to know that, apparently, they're giving away an Egyptian figure early in Germany! Granted, there's about zero chance you're going to the show, but if you did you might see this new figure as seen on the Klickywelt forums. (Yes, they're in German.) It appears that the figure has nifty arms, a place to attach an accessory to his belt, and a lot of gold paint.

2008 German Catalog Now Online

The official Playmobil site has published a digital version of the 2008 Germany Playmobil Catalog. It's in some proprietary format which does not lend itself to downloading, but you can zoom in and flip through the pages, just like the US one we mentioned earlier.

The bulk of the new sets shown in this catalog will not hit the USA until 2009, with a few exceptions. You can expect to see the "Specials" range around the same time they hit Germany, give or take, but everything else should be coming next year. New themes include Divers, Egypt, a new Police Station, and a new Modern House.

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.