PlaymoFriends
General => Brainstorming For Playmobil => Topic started by: Playmoholics on May 19, 2011, 18:45:49
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Hi everyone :wave:
It seems like across a lot of topics, I hear a lot of opinions about what you all think Geobra should do differently. So I thought that we should have an open discussion about where we would like the future of Playmobil to go and what things we think the company should be doing differently.
My opinions are:
1. Make the colors more realistic and neutral. No more crazy pinks, greens, blues and yellows. This alienates too much of the market.
2. No more China-made product. If they stress the quality of the product, then this justifies the price.
3. If steck truly does come back, the modularity of this product could be stressed in order to stimulate children, adult, and collector imaginations. I do like many aspects of system-x, but I think the possibilities that steck offers generates more original designs and creative play. In some ways this could help them compete with Lego.
Those are just a few suggestions. What do you think?
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This is a great idea for a topic, Jenna! Let me add my advice to the list.
4. Advertise! Especially in the US. TV commercials would be fantastic. Kids here watch a lot of TV, and they are bombarded with commercials for all kinds of toys and products. They need to hear about playmobil this way.
5. Expand themes again. In the past, a new theme would come out, then the next year more sets would come out for that theme for several years, rather than this release and discontinue, then re-launch with a new look strategy.
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Those are some really great suggestions, bb! Maybe those are all the suggestions people can think of :lol: What about some things people are enjoying about what Playmobil has been doing? ;D
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This is a good idea for discussion, but it will be more noticed by Playmobil if presented in the future PCC venture with them. These ideas can be refined here, but may need to be addressed to Playmobil once the official PCC is up & running IMO.
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Hi everyone :wave:
It seems like across a lot of topics, I hear a lot of opinions about what you all think Geobra should do differently. So I thought that we should have an open discussion about where we would like the future of Playmobil to go and what things we think the company should be doing differently.
My opinions are:
1. Make the colors more realistic and neutral. No more crazy pinks, greens, blues and yellows. This alienates too much of the market.
2. No more China-made product. If they stress the quality of the product, then this justifies the price.
3. If steck truly does come back, the modularity of this product could be stressed in order to stimulate children, adult, and collector imaginations. I do like many aspects of system-x, but I think the possibilities that steck offers generates more original designs and creative play. In some ways this could help them compete with Lego.
Those are just a few suggestions. What do you think?
I agree on the color schemes. On its houses, Playmobil needs realistic colored roofs instead of these hideous red ones. How about gray, brown or tan, like most houses built in the last 50 years? And who has orange or red windows? Maybe they should offer a choice of window frame, shutter, door, roof and trim colors so you can customize a house yourself without having to spray paint everything.
How about more people of color? I have ordered the Asian family and several others, and feel that we need more than just 4 people in a certain ethnic group. The school contains mostly caucasian folks; most of the world is not caucasian.
Also, I like building with system x. Please bring it back so I can enlarge the buildings I have for less than $500. each; the parts for 3988 are critical for building my city, but too expensive on eBay and no longer stocked by PM USA.
And please bring us more sizes of children; they should not all come in one size.
As to what is great about PM, the size is so easy to build with because one can easily see and pick up parts of this scale. And the houses they sell offer wonderful designs and fit together so well. The add on floors and rooms are perfect for changing a stock house. Please keep modernizing some of the houses because this appeals to more of the market than just one style of house such as Victorians.
Adding more grandparents to the mix is a real plus because it encourages them to give more sets to their grandkids, who get to play more with the grandparents. It is great that they are in the conservatory for the suburban house, 4279.
Thanks for asking the pros and cons of PM because we all have different feelings about what makes them so great and what detracts from them. Cheers!
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So I thought that we should have an open discussion about where we would like the future of Playmobil to go and what things we think the company should be doing differently.
whatever we say who will hear us .... (http://www.mazeguy.net/bigsmilies/peek.gif) (http://www.mazeguy.net/bigsmilies/peek.gif) (http://www.mazeguy.net/bigsmilies/peek.gif) (http://www.mazeguy.net/bigsmilies/peek.gif)
i believe that's the truth no one from geobra is listening .... every year even worst sets come up ,there is much that has to be changed all you mentioned above are correct REALISTIC colours ,better box designs ,better quality AND MOST IMPORTAND BETTER SET DESIGNS i believe after hans beck retired in 2000, the new sets are every year more horrible ,what designers do they have there ? ??? no talent at all :no: :no: :no: :no:
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I think some of this advices are great! :love:
I would only add that Geobre should keep a close eye for their licenses. You all know the Antex situation. I've always said Geobre should step in and do something. This sort of thing hurts Playmobil reputation and Geobra's in extension.
Also be carefull with the quality issue regarding the Chinese made sets.
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I couldn't agree more about the house colors, playmogal! I really don't think kids would like these sets any less for their having a nice tan or sandy color that looks like an actual roof. And yes red and bright yellow window frames... :doh: I'd love to see better colors. One obvious problem (I'm about to step out of character and criticize system x here) is that system x walls are always white. This does make them more versatile, but.... it makes for a pretty boring house. I wouldn't mind seeing the color on the sys x houses come from the walls, not the roof, like the victorian houses always have. As long as it's a nice color, not some horrid, loud, fisher price color.
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I would like to know what will happen to Geobra altogether once Mr B is 6 feet under ??? One of his kids seems only interested in flower pots and who knows about the other. In this day and age kids seem more inclined to sell the empire to the highest bidder. I would hate to see Geobra get absorbed into say Matell and really watch its reputation, colors, design & quality spiral down the drain. :hmm:
SO my suggestion is to
6. find an worthy heir that will see the toy line through the next 37 years
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I couldn't agree more about the house colors, playmogal! I really don't think kids would like these sets any less for their having a nice tan or sandy color that looks like an actual roof. And yes red and bright yellow window frames... :doh: I'd love to see better colors. One obvious problem (I'm about to step out of character and criticize system x here) is that system x walls are always white. This does make them more versatile, but.... it makes for a pretty boring house. I wouldn't mind seeing the color on the sys x houses come from the walls, not the roof, like the victorian houses always have. As long as it's a nice color, not some horrid, loud, fisher price color.
Great comments, BB! I really like the newer church, wedding tent, piano player, limo, etc. and all the pieces in the wedding sets. Built them as the centerpiece for my son's home wedding last month, and it was lovely. Everyone adored them!
Aren't some of those walls beige, yellow or pink? (Mine are packed away right now.) We do need walls other than white, and those seem like the most appropriate colors. Also more stone and brick walls would be great.
I love the System X sets because they are so strong. But the walls, windows and roof styles and colors are just too limited, and they don't carry the existing parts in stock when I try to order in the US.
I have spray painted roof, door and window pieces with success, but I am afraid to try System X white walls or blue joint pieces. Anyone done that yet?
Keep the great ideas flowing...even if no one at the company listens to us, it makes us feel much better! (and for you Lego haters, that company NEVER listens to anything the users offer!!) Cheers! :wave:
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I would like to know what will happen to Geobra altogether once Mr B is 6 feet under ??? One of his kids seems only interested in flower pots and who knows about the other. In this day and age kids seem more inclined to sell the empire to the highest bidder. I would hate to see Geobra get absorbed into say Matell and really watch its reputation, colors, design & quality spiral down the drain. :hmm:
SO my suggestion is to
6. find an worthy heir that will see the toy line through the next 37 years
ME! :wave:
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i fully agree with Bill's first post.
regarding the flashy color and fisher price 'appearance' - playmobil have been addressed at a younger audience the past few years due to the reasons that have been discussed in other threads (i really can't picture a kid playing with a victorian figure dressed in realistic colors...that's just not popular nowadays - although like many of you i wished that existed)
i don't think variation of figure sizes is a random decision by them - it must be related to production costs and processes
i do agree with Bonnie on the color of system x - it's strange they make very colorful outfits and accesories but not colorful buildings...if system x is staying forever at least it should come in different colors
cultural and age diversity is definately a must - i understand playmobil is a toy produced in a country where ethnic diversity may not be so common (correct me if i'm wrong) but they should also understand that they sell their products in countries (like the US and Canada) where it is
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ME! :wave:
Looks like Rasputin got a volunteer for who will run PM the way we customers would like it run! Can we all nominate you to do the job? Good luck!
Guess all you have to do now is to knock off the current heirs/owners without getting caught and somehow convince those in charge that you are THE MAN! ;D
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The playmo collectors club , part of its existence i suppose willbe this kind of communication . i doubt playmobil will improve their quality i think its evident they try sell volumes and improve profits in a world where oil price has is going up fast , so plastic quality is deteriorating fast . and i truly hope steck come back as a construction set as its by far the best nad can be used in far more imaginative ways than eeerrr for example my steck mediaval monstrosity . but i doubt that will happen unfortunatelly .... i hope it does though ...
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I totally agree with Ras. I often worry about what will become of the company after Horst is gone. I really really hope that there aren't major negative changes. it will break all of our hearts to see that happen, I'm sure. :-\
regarding the flashy color and fisher price 'appearance' - playmobil have been addressed at a younger audience the past few years due to the reasons that have been discussed in other threads (i really can't picture a kid playing with a victorian figure dressed in realistic colors...that's just not popular nowadays - although like many of you i wished that existed)
I think it's the other way around. I think loud flashy fisher price colors make the toys look so childish that it scares off older children, thus limiting their buying pool. if they had more muted colors and looked more sophisticated, older kids might not be embarrassed to be seen with them.
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I would like to know what will happen to Geobra altogether once Mr B is 6 feet under ??? One of his kids seems only interested in flower pots and who knows about the other. In this day and age kids seem more inclined to sell the empire to the highest bidder.
perhaps this would be better ... who knows :hmm: :hmm: :hmm:
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perhaps this would be better ... who knows :hmm: :hmm: :hmm:
It could be catastrophic though! When things are turned upside down in a company like Geobra, the company's path can be blurred with the new controlling administration.
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It could be catastrophic though! When things are turned upside down in a company like Geobra, the company's path can be blurred with the new controlling administration.
ras says mr. B son doesn't care about playmobil ... perhaps the new owner would love the toy and do the best for it ... :hmm: :hmm: :hmm:
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ras says mr. B son doesn't care about playmobil ... perhaps the new owner would love the toy and do the best for it ... :hmm: :hmm: :hmm:
Or it maybe sold & resold multiple times loosing what core belief that started it's success in the beginning. Maybe we all need to start saving money to make an offer if it ever goes up for sale, to make sure it stays in control of Playmobil admiring lover's! ;D
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Or it maybe sold & resold multiple times loosing what core belief that started it's success in the beginning. Maybe we all need to start saving money to make an offer if it ever goes up for sale, to make sure it stays in control of Playmobil admiring lover's! ;D
well there is a problem though ::) ::) ::) ( exept the economic) how will we communicate? :hmm: :hmm:
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well there is a problem though ::) ::) ::) ( exept the economic) how will we communicate? :hmm: :hmm:
If we could come up with the multimillions of dollars to become share holders & advisory board we could all move to Germany to oversee how things are done! ;)
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though i am an optimist i think when Hans is gone , things are most likely to be bad for the playmobil toy line for a numebr of reasons. so , my advice is
buy playmobil as much as possible !!!!!!!!!!
;D
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though i am an optimist i think when Hans is gone , things are most likely to be bad for the playmobil toy line for a numebr of reasons. so , my advice is
buy playmobil as much as possible !!!!!!!!!!
;D
:lol: Great advice! At least you will have what you want that is still good quality, if not for an investment. Just look at how much Playmobil from the 80s and 90s goes for 8}
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Maybe turn it into an worker owned company to try and preserve it for as long as possible.
As much as I enjoy buying all the playmobil I can get my hands on I enjoy the fresh aspect of this collection hobby. By fresh aspect I refer to the ever changing themes and sets of neat design.
I view Geobra who is a rare example of a toy company that has not entirely sold out to current trends.
I too wish stecks would come back but not in the castle form. The gray stecks are very easily obtained on auction sites where as the western stecks are becoming harder and harder to find especially the 1/2 tall foundation pieces.
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though i am an optimist i think when Hans is gone , things are most likely to be bad for the playmobil toy line for a numebr of reasons. so , my advice is
buy playmobil as much as possible !!!!!!!!!!
;D
buy what ? ??? these junk that are available spys,clip sy castles etc... etc...
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buy what ? ??? these junk that are available spys,clip sy castles etc... etc...
This is a toy that need to sell to its real clients, kids. All of my boys have not stopped talking about how they are going to play with the spy theme. I have been showing them old Sean Connery 007 films to get them ready. Our gadget son really wants the RC SUV w/camera.
They have not yet fully seen the new space theme but they will surely enjoy adding it to the large collection of the 90's space sets they play with. The cave man theme, which I like, they are not very interested in.
While the castle building system is not the best the new colors and designs of the knights to me look stunning. After seeing Mac Guyvers new chrome army I can not wait for them to get here.
You seem to like the Victorian them from a specific time and I could not agree that those were up to date the best ones. We collect every theme and so my kids and I look forward to new themes.
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You seem to like the Victorian them from a specific time and I could not agree that those were up to date the best ones. We collect every theme and so my kids and I look forward to new themes.
i'am talking about playmobil in genural was better then not only the victorian theme ,the ships the castles ,western ....etc
actually i think the spy theme for kids is good and the box design is good !!! but almost all themes now cannot be compared with the old ones
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The only job that would take me out of this country would be to work for playmobil ...
(Then again, what would a guy like me do there, this is another matter ::) )
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Anyway, "Advice for Geobra"?
They should come up with at least two lines of toys: Historic and KIDs. (Maybe even three .. Historic, KIDs & Girls (or "normal lifestyle", including marriage, dollhouse, school & firefighters & police, which is more boys-like .. anyway, you get the thing).
Playmobil has great potential for really doing historical toy/collectible. Not that children wouldn't like/want/play with historical line, but adults (usually) don't like kids' playmo so much, but we enjoy deeply the realistic aspect of the toy, and, as we aren't main target, there's no way we can have our wishes fulfilled :(
(Not only in lines, but even in catalogue style. For example, I'd love to see the Historic Section of the site with the lines grouped chronologically ...)
For instance, playmobil almost produced Renaissance playmo (see attachments), but never actually made it :( With a Historic line, this would be attended. (Not to talk about what have been discontinued, Vikings, Romans, Victorian (originally "1900", that never produced, for example, an airplane :love: )
The original 1900 collection was made in pink boxes, aiming to reach girls, but there could be two kinds of "dollhouse", a pink girly one, and a blue box Historic 1900 collection, and they would even complete each other, in a way, however would be done for different publics, and, obviously, with different features, being the Historic more turned to miniature accuracy, and not, and all aspects of life, not only dollhouse (but, for example, old style firefighters, police, &c -- that would of course be complementary to whomever would play with that period -- and not only, because when you play, you don't care about periods, vide the Series of Unfortunate Events movie, based on the book series ...).
Also, this might open ways to take Steck System back and invest in medieval miniature castles & life, making new connectors to allow different shapes for the castle, &c, &c ...
These are a few ideas.
:wave:
Gus
:blackhair:
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I Agree, a revised steck system fully compatible with the old will be ideal and i am certain will do better than the system x monumental failure and the clip system fiasco..........
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I thouroughly agree with the discussion on the ugly colours in the latest sets.
When I was a little girl, all the children I knew (friends, classmates, my sisters, my cousins) loved the Playmobil that looked realistic in a way, wether it was western, indian, medieval or city/farm-life.
We simply adored the entire 'pink' Victorian collection, not for the girly colour of the box, but for the beautiful clickies and their clothes, the impressive houses, the detailed furniture... It made us feel like our toys were precious.
We didn't act out historical scenes, of course. If I remember correctly, the clickies who lived in the Victorian houses were the 'rich ones' :lol: It didn't matter to us that they were supposed to be from the 1900's.
I'm just saying: just because they're young, doesn't mean children want their toys in loud, unrealistic colours and wacky themes.
Maybe I'm completely out of touch with what modern day kids really want. That is a real possibility, I admit. But I have a hard time imagining they really prefer fluorescent orange sofa's to the stylish velvety red or blue ones from the Victorian theme (for example).
On that note, I also think some of the new hairstyles and clothes on the clickies are absolutely hideous :-\
Other than that, I still adore Playmobil, of course 8-)
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It is great that we all adore and collect different types of PM! It is fine to disagree on what is the best PM because we all have different tastes.
Our family prefers the modern ones with the realistic modern, suburban and 5302 houses and their modern occupants and cars. And we love the bright orange sofas and bright clothing on their occupants.
All their building systems have advantages depending on what you want to build. Since we are not into older stuff, we don't care for steck. But is great that so many collectors love it, and it is fun looking at the many customs shown on this forum. And we do think that PM should keep making steck.
Let's try to keep an open mind about different PM products and not bash them so much. Each has a market and a happy customer somewhere. If our comments are mostly positive, it is better for collectors and PM.
Cheers, Pgal
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I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend anyone. :-[
Since I don't care for the fluorescent colours, I assumed too quickly that most people don't like them.
That particular sofa was a bit of a disaster for me: I tried to make it a different colour with a green marker, but it turned out a bad dark-purple instead of green, so I can't really use it anymore. I guess I got a bit frustrated because of that incident ;D
Don't get me wrong, I love most of the modern houses, cars and furniture too! It's great to have a lot of different sets to choose from. Can't complain about diversity.
So you're right, I'll be positive ;)
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Birdie,
We have had some PM painting disasters, too, so YOU ARE NOT ALONE!
I love that sofa so much that I ordered 5 of them from PM USA and wish I had more. They came with a chair as well and must have been in the vacation home A frame or something. It looks great in the houses with all of the color and the white walls.
Luckily there are plenty of PM themes to choose from and something for everyone. And when you tire of one theme, you just go to another for a while....cool!
Take care, Pgal :wave:
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Oh but then we are talking about a different sofa, I'm sure :lol:
The one I messed up is the one from the 3966 living room set (it folds into a double bed).
The orange sofa's from the vacation house 3230 are quite lovely, in my opinion :) They also come in red in the old vacation house 3771. :love:
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I think the point here isn't about whether we like victorian-style or modern-style furniture, but rather about realistic color choices. As a kid I liked my toys to look realistic, also, and loved realistic colors in my toys. I did love pink; don't get me wrong. But I didn't need every woman to be dressed in pink, all her accessories to be pink, pink buildings, pink everything to be happy. The declining poularity of barbies should illustrate well enough that today's girls may feel similarly.
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Best playmo furniture is mediaval , awesome chairs , thrones and tables, everything else pale in comparison to these imo of course . ;D ;D ;D
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personally i actually do like the flashy colors, it makes my pictures and dioramas look vivid and eye catching, but i also like realistic/more netrual colors :)