I agree. See also LEGO's old Fabuland theme.
The Sylvanian families stuff is great and they and the knockoff companies make some wonderful accessories and buildings that fit Playmobil pretty well. There is clearly a market segment for this sort of thing.
I'm not a fan of the animal-headed Playmobil, but as a child I did LOVE Brambly Hedge (and Barbar, and Wind in the Willows.....), so there could be a market for it
To me this kind of vintage folky fairy tale aesthetic is always appealing & cute, I imagine it would go down really well with the Asian market (this aesthetic is very popular in Japan & South Korea). I think there's an overlap between the fairy line & knights/medeival stuff, but that's not really my bag, whereas the more forest folk thing is.
Some things I'd love to see:
More insect people
butterfly people (grasshoppers in different colours with solid colour painted wings)
more grasshopper people inc. grasshopper kids
more gnomes & forest kids/fairys
more mushroom & flower hats
large (oversized) snail led cart or carriage
battery powered lanterns the klickies can hold
a maypole
a "lemonade" stand
I like the idea of the sets being seasonal (we already have that with the bunnies, so why not ones linked to midsummer, halloween, midwinter, the spring equinox) & have the sets be linked to the idea of the animals, gnomes, fairys, etc, as the custodians & carers of the forest & land.
Fritz Baumgarten Feesten in kabouterland, ed 1980, ill E by
janwillemsen, on Flickr
Fritz Baumgarten Feesten in kabouterland, ed 1980, ill P by
janwillemsen, on Flickr
Fritz Baumgarten Feesten in kabouterland, ed 1980, ill Z by
janwillemsen, on Flickr