Nuremberg, January 2024 - The Playmobil success story began on 2 February 1974 at the Nuremberg Toy Fair with a knight, a native American and a construction worker. In the meantime, the cult brand has become an integral part of the lives of many children and adults. Just like 50 years ago, the Playmobil figures are still seven and a half centimetres tall and world-famous for their smiles. Over five decades, the variety of figures has grown steadily and new play worlds have been added regularly.
Pirate ships, knights' castles and fire brigades are now an essential part of children's rooms. The play system stands for a genius concept: figures, buildings, vehicles and accessories - everything fits together. The many play themes invite children to experience adventures and develop their own stories. More than 3.8 billion figures have been produced over the past 50 years and Playmobil is the best-known toy brand from Germany with a brand awareness of 91 % and is one of the most important toy manufacturers in the world.
Playmobil will be celebrating its anniversary throughout 2024 under the motto "Join the Party". There will be special anniversary editions, new offers for adults, anniversary collaborations and lots of new fun for young and old fans of the brand.
Playmobil CEO Bahri Kurter emphasised the great potential of the brand at the start of the trade fair: "Every child and every adult knows Playmobil. And we still see a lot of potential in the adult segment in particular. We will significantly expand our range in this segment and thus broaden our target groups. We are focussing on collectables, on collector's items of high quality and originality."
The adult range will include historical personalities as collectible figures as well as classic and modern vehicle models. Current research shows just how exciting the Kidults market is. Kidults products now account for over 30 % of the entire toy market. For example, more than one million Playmobil Luther figures have been sold to date, and more than 100,000 figures of the famous painter Albrecht Dürer.
Playmobil CEO Bahri Kurter also announced spectacular co-operations in the anniversary year at the Toy Fair: Deutsche Post will be launching a Playmobil stamp in just a few weeks and an exciting campaign with the German Football Association (DFB) will be launched for the European Football Championship in Germany. From April, there will also be a worldwide co-operation with McDonalds.
Playmobil is paying particular attention to sustainability on the brand's birthday. At the beginning of 2024,
the production of all items in the toddler portfolio was converted from traditional, fossil-based to plant-
based materials. The new JUNIOR figures and the corresponding playsets are made with plastics originating
from raw materials that are at least 90 % plant-based. This makes Playmobil the first major toy manufacturer
worldwide to offer a complete product segment using at least 90 % plant-based materials. "After successfully
establishing several classic product lines to now use recycled plastics, converting the production of our
toddler line is the next logical step in terms of sustainability and an important step into the future of the
Playmobil brand," said Bahri Kurter at the press conference in Nuremberg.
209 new products will provide excitement and fun for children in the anniversary year. These include classics such as pirates, firefighters, mermaids and the hospital, as well as other anniversary editions. The sustainably produced Wiltopia, Horses of Waterfall and Organic Farm lines will be expanded and supplemented with the Tiny House, Dinos and House themes. From March, Miraculous fans will be able to recreate the adventures of the globally popular cinema and TV superheroes Ladybug and Cat Noir in Playmobil format.
Playmobil fans can also look forward to exciting campaigns and emotional moments on the social media channels throughout the year.
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