Ethnic balance among klickies.

[Bolingbroke]

Workers still drink beer on the job in continental Europe ... I see them often enough in Belgium. The reason there wasn't an uproar at the time that set came out, or when the one with the tramp and the police officer came out, or when the dancing bear set came out (unlike when the airport security set was released, for example) was that there was no internet to give a voice to the enlightened 

Nowadays you'd get animal rights activists, homeless people activists, the anti alcohol groups and other assorted busybodies reaching for their touchscreens/pads the moment such sets were unveiled.

God, how I miss those days.

As for suggestions like the Rosa Parks figure ... it would make as much sense as releasing a ... I don't know, a Bobby Sands figure in America: zero business sense. Might come as a shock to Americans, but most people outside the US have never heard of Rosa Parks.

[Bolingbroke]

On that note, I've strangely never seen criticism of the conquistador figure, even though the conquistadors wrought pure hell upon the indigenous peoples of the Americas. There's even a bar a few blocks from me called The Conquistador that has never to my knowledge been criticized for its choice of name.

edit: Martin not Christopher, duh
edit2: Elvis etc

That's probably because the Spanish don't do 'guilt' very well.

[cachalote]

i think you are wrong about the spanish bolingbroke.
they feel proud, not guilty.
like us, the portuguese.

in both countries our conquistadores are seen as heros and their faces (or what could be how their faces looked like) deserve to be in bank notes.

cortés and pizarro in spanish pesetas.

d. henrique (10.000) vasco da gama (5.000) bartolomeu dias (2.000) pedro álvares cabral (1000) and joão de barros (500) in portuguese escudos.

i can see no reason for someone to think that people from both nations carry some sort of guilt historic guilt or shame caused by the adventures of these sailors.
i, for one, carry none.

[Macruran]

As for suggestions like the Rosa Parks figure ... it would make as much sense as releasing a ... I don't know, a Bobby Sands figure in America: zero business sense. Might come as a shock to Americans, but most people outside the US have never heard of Rosa Parks.

I think the Luther and Rijksmuseum figures show the way forward: go local and specific. Make a Rosa Parks figure for a museum in Atlanta (or whatever city it was), just make sure people anywhere can order one.

[Bolingbroke]

yeah, agreed.

[Rhalius]

Pretty much that yes.

For playmobil to produce anything, they must think theres a market for it.

With most countries Playmobil is distributed to being christian, it makes sense to work that religion more into it where appropriate.
Noah's Arc is to children simply a big boat with many animals, it is a popular object to translate to toys not just by Playmobil. Many toy companies have produced it. Same for nativity scenes. Thats also something very familiar.
Crusaders and churches also make sense, though I do think they have been wise to release Templars more loosely rather than having a crusades theme. That would cause way too much trouble.
I would still love to see a middle eastern medieval theme though, seperate from the crusades. We can always combine the two ourselves.

If they'd make an indian theme I am sure Hinduism would come into play.

[cachalote]

small "complementary" sets for each theme to begin with would be a good way to go.
in the "near" markets i bet everyone would want th have them, specially the collectors.
in the "far" they could be looked as an experience to know how they would react.
in the future, the "complementary" would no longer be apart from the "main" sets.
and playmobil, finally, would go "mestizo".

a bunch of berbers to attack or be attacked by romans (a lot of pieces from the safari and egyptian them can be recycled).

a bunch of huns to do the same thing (again, it's so easy to make them with exhisting parts).

an arab army to attack or be attacked by medieval crusaders (again, easy to do).

a mongol army coming form the east to slay or be slayed by european knights.

a lot of "indians" from south america to the pacific to help or oppose the pirates.

even if they would start to be outnumbered by the "main" figures, some children would love them more, for being "special" and "rare" (it's called the david/goliath effect)
and none of male klickies would be misogynist, and none of female klickies would be misandrist.
and, if let alone at night, when children go to bed, they would wildly proliferate creating new babys and children klickies all by themselves.
i think it's called "nanotechnology".


p.s. maybe this movement could be called the north-south-east-west theme and maybe we should consider it when asking for new ds sets.

[Bolingbroke]

there's something you're forgetting guys. how much would a german toy like pm cost in another continent? it's more expensive in america, we know, but at least there people can for the most part afford it. but what about other countries? can the average indian afford an imported quality toynfor his children, for example? the average egyptian?

ive travelled a bit, ive seen lego for sale at x4 the normal price in places like for eg lebanon.

sweet as the thought is, i can't imagine thousands of third world households affording imported toys like playmobil.

[Rasputin]

there's something you're forgetting guys. how much would a german toy like pm cost in another continent? it's more expensive in america, we know, but at least there people can for the most part afford it. but what about other countries? can the average indian afford an imported quality toynfor his children, for example? the average egyptian?

ive travelled a bit, ive seen lego for sale at x4 the normal price in places like for eg lebanon.

sweet as the thought is, i can't imagine thousands of third world households affording imported toys like playmobil.

Give it a few months, it may just become way more affordable to the rest of the world. I know I am patiently waiting for the euro to drop, capitalism at its best 

I too am not petitioning for geobra to stop with the Christian sets, just give the alternatives also so we can teach our kids that the world is a big place with many ideas.

Constantly repeating jolly old fat man Christmas is a bore. Can we add to our collections for diversity?

[macgayver]

Hi

The church theme with the Wedding didn't sell well in Germany
It was a Flop

Take your conclusions