Faces In The News
Playmobil Creator Dies
Lisa Pham, 02.05.09, 10:00 AM ESTHans Beck was the German inventor of the toy figurines that became a wild success all over the world.
| Hans Beck |
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Beck had, at first, wanted to create model planes. But the trained cabinetmaker was told by his company, Brandstaetter Group, to start focusing on toy figures for children. He had joined the company aged 28, rose to become head of design and started developing Playmobil in 1971.
At that time, the market was inundated with tin soldiers that could not bend or move. Beck’s idea was to create a flexible, palm-sized human figurine that would allow children to concoct their own stories.
With the 1973 oil crisis having inflated the price of plastic six times over, Brandstatter wanted toys that required less solid plastic. Beck took his chance to launch his flexible figurines, which were first exhibited in showrooms in 1974. After they made an appearance at the International Toy Fair in Nuremberg the same year, a Dutch manufacturer agreed to a full year’s production, and Playmobil began selling worldwide in 1975.
Originally, the product range was limited to three themes: knights, construction workers and American Indians. Today, the toys include everything from cowboys to pirates, to basketball-playing teenagers, complete with accessories and treasure maps.
More than 2.2 billion figurines have now been sold in more than 70 countries, with the Brandstaetter Group reporting 452 million euros ($581.3 million) in sales last fiscal year. Two-thirds of the company’s Playmobil profits are generated overseas. The company’s release of a riding stable set, which it says is among Europe’s top three best-selling toys, boosted sales in 2007.
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