thanks for the post. really looking forward to the pics and your thoughts about the cable car.
in fairness, most people aren't buying 10 sets of a playmobil release or able to maintain stockpiles of toys the way that it appears you and perhaps other collectors are. i know it's disappointing that this item was misrepresented to you by a few employees at playmobil (maybe i would be upset also) but isn't there a better way to voice your criticism about the direction of a private corporation's creative decisions without ad hominem attacks against parents and children?
In all fairness (and in a spirit of mediation!) Rasputin did not say parents and children were that way - he was stating, I believe, that Playmobil seems to be designing to a low common denominator rather than making the sets ever greater or building on what they had.
It's not a building toy system anymore. It's just a toy now.
The first sets were labeled as "Playmobil System" to show their interconnectivity and expansion potentials.
In fact, Herr Brandstatter expressed his surprise the newer sets were a different construction system! He didn't even know what his own company was doing (they did not inform him or ask or consult about changes being done!).
Parents have actually complained in the past about the numbers of small pieces and how they get lost easily!
I guess a company doesn't want to potentially lose business by telling a parent they should be more responsible and to actually teach that to their children. The "customer is always right" syndrome (which, of course, defies rational thought.)
