Recap:
I regarded your insertion of the etymology behind the word "barbarian" to be a non-sequitor, on the grounds that "barbarian" didn't mean "foreign" like our neutral English term, but meant "one of those outsiders who speaks all that jabber-jabber". 1
People associated with speaking gibberish tend not to be associated with being intelligent or civilized (note how we Americans like to imitate Chinese by saying "wah-wah" or "me no need washy-washy"). Additionally, considering how insular those ancient cultures were (and our modern cultures still are), I think we're making a safe assumption that "barbarian" even to the Greeks, more or less meant "less civilized, less smart, and not us." 2
On 1. The Playmobil use, I understood, was "barbarian" for "ancient Russians" (?)*, pushed by "Hunos" into Europe (...). Why not to call them by the right name, after all? Anyway, "for children", in an imaginary designer's though, "these guys will be ... uh ... Barbarians!" (And people around thought "yes, yes, good, good", and nodded ...)
Unfortunately, those aren't common "Barbarians" ... To call them so is a bit ... pushy (is it a word?).
On 2. The general idea is that, for Greeks and for Romans, by inheritance, "Barbarians" meant "less civilized", and "not us" (because "they speak nothing we Romans can understant and they don't speak Greek, which us, Romans, respect"**) ...
Even so, there would be those who'd think "oh no, because they don't speak Latin or Greek, it doesn't mean they can't be a valuable, hounorable or cunning people! ..." One of the things I tried to remark was that, even then, both opinions would live together ... As usual, and of course.
Anyway, you took the general idea, Tim. Only, when I said that, to me, "Barbarians" is "not us", I'm defending the primary etymological concept ... In a way, although I can speak a bit of English, I'm not you, English speakers ... I'm very Barbarian myself! I dress a reasonably efficient disguise
Gus
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*
Needs research, I'm not speaking with background, nor am I payed to do so (...) 
**
M. Tullius Cicero did say that Rome should carefully continue the steps of Greece in civilizing the world (...), of course, not in these words.
