1978 PLAYPEOPLE CATALOGUE

[Richard]

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[Martin Milner]

I definitely had that 1730 Cowboy superset when I was a kid, the cowboy sitting on the right was my favourite. I had some knights and construction guys too, but not sure which sets.

[Sir Gareth]

Hi Richard,

 I'm sure my catalogue will be the same as Julie's, all I have seen of it so far is a couple of pages of dioramas featuring the sets with a description about each one.

The most amazing set there is the tractor 1787, this is obviously a Playpeople produced set and couldn't of been available for long. For those of us who have the collectors guide will see that the 1787 tractor listed is  the normal green playmobil type.

The plane 1766 is a different colour, again in the guide the plane is the normal green and white.

The Bandits basic set and Barons super set have surprised me, I thought that both of these where made  79/80 nearer towards the end of Playpeople production.

There is still a very good chance that a Bandits Super set was made.

The back cover of this catalogue is of great interest to me theres a couple of clues there that help me with the history of Playpeople.

I know that there was a readers offer for Playpeople in the TV Times because I have seen some of the sets from the offer.

Also the Keloggs Puffa puffa Rice gives me a clue as to where my 6 Playpeople stick on badges might of come from. The badges are often for sale on Ebay and the little plastic bags they come are what you nearly always used to get your free toys in from cereal boxes.

All I have to find now are the other Playpeople catalogues for 1976, 1977, 1979 and if one was produced 1980.

[Richard]

This is the History of Playpeople that Julie wrote for her website. (with illustrations)

The information was provided by the late Mr. Norman Brown the former President of Playmobil UK. (Norman was a dear friend and we all miss him. I would like to dedicate this page to his memory.)

The story of "Playpeople" really begins back in 1975, when Miles Fletcher, the Managing Director of Louis Marx & Co. Ltd. visited the Nuremberg Toy Fair in Germany. He saw some Playmobil figures on the Geobra Brandstatter stand and immediately felt that here was something that would charm children in the UK. Discussions with Geobra Brandstatter resulted in an agreement being made to sell Playmobil over here in the UK via Marx.

After gaining permission to change the name from Playmobil to "Playpeople", to appeal to the UK buyers, new packaging was designed and the product was tested in the Tyne Tees area for 6 weeks towards the end of 1975. It seemed that to see these small plastic figures was to love them, and the trial was so successful that January of 1976 saw the first Playpeople packages arriving on the shelves of toy stores countrywide.

With their distinctive red and white logo and range of themes, Playpeople were soon captivating a new generation of children, and was so successful that it was awarded “The Toy of the Year” for Playmobil for 1976.

1980 saw the end of "Playpeople" in the UK, as financial difficulties at Louis Marx & Co, who were a member of the Dunbee Combex Marx Group of companies, meant the company was forced into Receivership.

However, a subsidiary company called "Playmobil UK Ltd” was set up, and it was agreed to import the product directly from Germany, instead of assembling parts in Swansea. The product was relaunched under the "Playmobil" banner in January 1981 at the British Toy Fair, and it is by this name it is known today.

The British Bobby figure was created at Swansea by Playmobil UK Ltd.

NOTE: This is probably the reason that the British Bobby wasn't in the 1978 catalogue ... 

All the best,
Richard

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[Richard]

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[aleon]

Hi, many thanks for the pictures! the airplane box is great!!!
I have some set that I can't find in the catalogue.
For example the police emergency set:
http://www.playclicks.com/galeria/displayimage.php?album=495&pos=8

and the police biker and bobby in box, not blister:
http://www.playclicks.com/galeria/displayimage.php?album=495&pos=5

[Richard]

Hello, Aleon ...

Those are two very nice sets.

I don't know if any of the members of Playmofriends can see your photos unless they are also members of Yoyei's Playclicks.

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[Sir Gareth]

Hi Aleon,

 A lot of the blister & box sets have the same set number, so at some point between 78 - 80 they just changed the packaging.

 What would be interesting to find out would be who made the change.

Was it just to save on packaging or was it to make the sets easier to store on shelves, or did Playmobil order the change to match their Blue boxes.

It also looks like you do the same as me and aquire images of sets from various places, most of mine come from ebay.

I grabbed this image of an emergency playset not seen in the collector.

[aleon]

It also looks like you do the same as me and aquire images of sets from various places, most of mine come from ebay.

yes I have some pictures too.

I put some more interesting pictures. None of them are mine but I know the owner and I try almost every month he sell them to me
(sorry for small pictures, I haven't them better)

[pingo]

The Marx Playpeople police women are caring a hat?
Is it a special playpeople hat like the bobby helm?
Or a normal playmobil hat

pingo