No Kiddin’ Around

[JLMatterer]

[Macruran]

lol I wish they were taking the adult collector market seriously

[tahra]

lol I wish they were taking the adult collector market seriously

Agree. Kidult. SERIOUSLY?

[GrahamB]

What an anodyne interview! Adam Moore gave very uninspiring answers to most of the questions. No figures. The only references to future releases were to stuff that's already in the catalogue (understandable I suppose). No acknowledgement of the large number of adults who love and collect PM and have done so long before the recent License themes. It's like this is a new phenomenum, hence that atrocious neologism 'kidult.' Because the media now have a derogatory label with which to ridicule such neotenous adults, there is suddenly a whole new area of behaviour to explore.

But maybe I'm a bit embarrassed about being so obsessed with Playmobil?

[tahra]

(I admit I had to look up a couple of those words  )

No acknowledgement of the large number of adults who love and collect PM and have done so long before the recent License themes.

This. So much THIS. Adult playmobil collectors collect.. PLAYMOBIL.    Such a .... outlandish concept!! BTTF adult collectors collect... BTTF. Yes, you may (and do) catch some BTTF collectors with BTTF playmo sets. But those are NOT adult playmobil collectors. That's us. The ones they discarded like garbage, but I don't think he remembers that... or maybe doesn't even know? Since playmbil clearly has that problem - completely disconnected within itself.

But maybe I'm a bit embarrassed about being so obsessed with Playmobil?

That... I never was.

[Redmao]

But maybe I'm a bit embarrassed about being so obsessed with Playmobil?

Be loud, be proud!

I'm glad that they are exploring licenses that we grew up with. I mean, as a kid I used the yellow car without its roof along a white klicky to play Miami Vice.
I wish that they would have revealed something beyond what we already know. They hinted at something, but the interviewer didn't push on. This is why we need Toy Fair, reveals beyond what we've seen in the catalog.

Not a fan of the word kidult. Sounds like something a marketing "genius" came up with during in a meeting. Collectors sound so boring, let's make up a brand new hip word...

[tahra]

Well.. there's those two teasers, that we all assume to be A-Team and some James Bond car... 

[GrahamB]

(I admit I had to look up a couple of those words  )

My apologies, I swallowed a dictionary when I was a child!

...BTTF adult collectors collect... BTTF. Yes, you may (and do) catch some BTTF collectors with BTTF playmo sets.

I wonder about how many hard-core collectors there are of toys/ figures from particular themes.
Star Wars, yes. Lord of the Rings / Hobbit, yes. Harry Potter, yes.
But Scooby Doo, A-team, Ghostbusters, etc? I'm not so sure. These were 'big' for maybe a couple of years back then and remembered by many people sure, but how many people actively collect toys for those themes now? I wonder if part of the market is made up of partners or friends of people who remember those films/TV series with fondness; they buy one of the toys to give as a birthday or Christmas present. I know I have had quite a few non-PM gifts like this (a plush toy Moomintroll, Bayko, a clockwork metal train set; all things I enjoyed as a child and my DLW (dear lady wife) has given me because I mentioned them), but they are "nostalgia items" not "collectibles."

I don't know. I guess research into online fan groups would reveal how many people are fans of these themes. Perhaps Playmobil did such research. Or perhaps they are picking up scraps of newly available licences after Lego has had their pick.

Be loud, be proud!

Being called a kidult doesn't fill me with confidence to be loud or proud!

[tahra]

My apologies, I swallowed a dictionary when I was a child!

  Oh, no, that's positive

I wonder about how many hard-core collectors there are of toys/ figures from particular themes.
Star Wars, yes. Lord of the Rings / Hobbit, yes. Harry Potter, yes.
But Scooby Doo, A-team, Ghostbusters, etc?

No idea about Scooby, Ghostbusters, YES. I believe BTTF too - ages and ages ago I remember I won a playmoitem from the UK and the seller collected BTTF...

A-Team, not sure.... I would LOVE to have them, and that thief van was in the buy list for it... actually, it was the first thing both me and my sister saw in the scooby van. I hope it IS the A-Team coming. And that they do proper klickys. Unlike the speedo mess they did with Scooby. But if they mess up the A-Team... well.. those I WILL fix.


Collectors... for example an ancient show like Galactica (the REAL one) = LOADS!! I forbid myself from looking for Galactica on ebay and such.. because... well.. 

Oh, and Star Trek too - though I am not included in those!


But we are PLAYMOcollectors. I don't give a darn about ghostbusters, or Scooby, or BTTF (as collecting them, movies are ok), or Star Trek - however... make that PLAYMOsomething... I'm in. I am so easy   

I don't know. I guess research into online fan groups would reveal how many people are fans of these themes. Perhaps Playmobil did such research. Or perhaps they are picking up scraps of newly available licences after Lego has had their pick.

Yes, the choices are... odd. Though apparently they were ON with Ghostbusters and BTTF. Like you, for me it was lame 30 years ago (was it 30?)...  The ony one that makes true sense to me is HTTYD... And Heidi.  But apparently the Spirit one is on too.. Last time I was at the Funpark I crossed a herd of girls coming in, and they were screeching "Spiriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit"  - I had never heard of the thing (besides the movie with the Bryan Adams song, I think? IF it's the same Spirit!) before playmobil had it.  Like "advent calendars", I suppose

Being called a kidult doesn't fill me with confidence to be loud or proud!

No, not that. But everyone knows I am a playmocollector.. hight school, college, work... I mean, I DO take my playmoshirts (and the playmomask ) to work... 

[Macruran]

Thought I'd split this topic out as I think it's an interesting one.

that atrocious neologism 'kidult'

Agree - I much prefer the term 'chilownup' 

Seriously though, there are two phenomena here: one is the modern trend of people in postindustrial societies not growing up the way prior generations did. Staying home, not getting married, not having children, indulging in games and so on...this is a real thing with many causes, and it's not clear it's a good thing. The other phenomenon though is the preservation of the childlike sense of play and imagination into one's adulthood. Personally I think this is very good and very healthy. For us it's little plastic toys, for others its goldfish or paper airplanes or something - the important thing is to keep this ability to approach things freshly, with wonder and joy, at least from time to time in our adult lives that can be tedious on occasion.

Like all things this can be taken too far and become a permanent escape from one's life and responsibilities, but in prudent doses I think keeping that little inward child alive is an essential part of being fully adult.