Hi Playmofriends
Does it remind you of something ?
These were the mid-seventies and a brand new toy coming from Germany was to take France by storm like a tidal wave : Playmobil b System...
I was 07 years old - ouch - and actually discovered this set while playing at my friend Stephane's house in the South of France town of Villefranche sur Mer were I spent my youth. I was by then building a miniature train track quite elaborate - 3m x 1.80 on the HO scale with my Dad and many kids of the neighborhood would spend their Wednesday afternoon helping me create the scenery of tunnels, fields, houses, roads and of course play endlessly...
Stephane was one of them and invited me one Wednesday to show me a brand new toy : it had Indians / Soldiers of the North & South type - Gettysburg style - and a fort and I just could not believe my eyes...It became an instant hit with all the kids and needless to say that the trains became second best choice for a year or so. This did not put me off the miniature world though as I extended the display and finally put the finishing touch 06 years later complete with cascades, 4 main tracks, street lights and steam engines which puffed lavender scented steam - don't ask me why lavender
?
And believe it or not, I never asked for Playmobil toys at Christmas as my next side passion was the Lego Space Adventures which topped my wish list as my best friend Pascal and I were Intergalactic Vets travelling at light speed from one solar system to to another
...
Must I say that we were like millions of kids of that time under the spell of Captain Future - of which I still remember catch phrases - which I recorded on an audio tape and then on Betamax, rings a bell to certain of you ?
And one summer, I got totally mesmerized by the Playmobil Pirates Ship which I asked my Mum to buy - but between the expensive train business and the also dear Lego Space - I was greeted with a NO !!!
This did not discourage me and I built my own Pirate Ship from polysterene and wood and linen for the sails and really had fun with it...
It not until I was 16 that I finally purchased the original Playmobil Pirate Ship which did not come cheap as I remember a sale tag of 320 french francs in 1984 which represented a lot of money at that time. It was like a secret dream come true
.
Finally came my never ending love story with the Playmobil Victorian Theme which was released in France in the spring of 1990 and I had been working for a year now. I was in a busy street of Carcassonne in a very warm summer and I stop dead in front of a large toyshop : the Victorian collection was all there and it was magical. I came in and asked for the prices and my World, it did not come cheap : 3000 + French francs
but I went to the Bank and came back home with all these pink boxes like a Christmas in Summer - the house, all the furniture, car, horse carriage, etc.
I played with it the entire summer and loved the fact that it was my secret hobby
.
Then my desire to see and experience the world got stronger by the day and if Hospitality has it downs it certainly offers its people - I mean the ones willing to travel an occasion to do it - so I left France to work in Corsica, Italy,UK, then 3 years in the Bay of Islands - New Zealand, 4 years in Sydney and 3 years in Montreal...
Then back to the UK and in 2004, in a Winsdor Shop, I saw a sale on the Victorian Theme and purchased the lot again. And thanks to the Internet, I could slowly complete my collection through Ebay and the story and passion lives on...
I started customizing with 1/12th accessories when the Victorian Theme got discontinued and did so for my own enjoyment for years.
In February 2009, I decided to list a few dioramas on Ebay mostly to inspire other Collectors to customize their Theme in order to keep it alive and even take it further and at the same time a very nasty storm hit the South West of France where I have my house and blew part of the roof away. Insurances paid of course but took a while as they often do.
And when the auctions reached their final hours one week-end, I nearly feel off my chair as I saw the prices rising up for a total of 1.089 pounds plus shipping costs for 6 auctions
.
I issued a payment to my Roofer who did a full attic insulation accordingly and I will for ever remember when I am cosy as toast in my home be grateful to these 3 inches little Friends who are not only giving me tremendous pleasure but also contributed to finish my home
!!!
So it is funny to see how Playmobil kept smiling at me at various stages of my life.
Long live Playmobil
!!!
Karim
PS : I clearly remember larger figures with movable feets back in the late seventies ? Were these Playmobil too ?
