I have kids and they love their Playmobil stuff. I always assumed it was because they really liked all the parts. It didn't matter that they were not some sort of general building tool like Lego. They just liked the detail.

But maybe you are onto something.

A few other observations--they take everything a part. It doesn't take long until every piece that can be removed is (lot's of hairless pirates around the house!). Second, they mix everything together. Pirates and police and knights eventually all become pirates. Third, they like the people more than the accessories. Fourth, they like to play with the teeny weapons themselves.

If I were to throw out some off-the-top-of-my-head video game connections I'd guess that they like small things because it makes them feel powerful and the level of detail increases the sense of power--ala RTS games. They will play with one or two guys at the same time. So, there is a limit to the avatar--probably one, maybe two.

Does any of this matter? Dunno. But the point I really wanted to make was that I think the idea of connecting toy play to computer game play is a good idea. I'll look forward to hearing more of your thoughts on that topic.

-- David

I agree about the sense of power the detailed figures give kids... but I don't think it's just the weapons.

I've been thinking about three of the sets I linked above, Meter Maid, Household Helper, and Airport Security Check-in.

All of these are far more banal than, say, Norseman (#4599) or Axe Man (#4524). But I wonder if they provide a kind of play that's just as necessary as the killing monsters kind: they help kids make sense of the finer details of the world.

Think about these three figures. The Meter Maid is sort of a desirable personality. I can imagine my four year old telling me he wants to be a meter maid. She drives that cool, weird cart, she has a cool uniform like a soldier or a policeman, and she clearly occupies a position of power -- that's why mom and dad are always muttering or swearing when they see her.

I know these toys are made in Germany, but the Household Helper looks like an (illegal?) immigrant maid to me. At the very least, something like a nanny (of which there are MANY in LA where I live). This is a charater that both opposes and emobides the figure of the mother. Maybe she's there when mommy is at work. Playing with this toy alongside Family Walk would provide an interesting point/counterpoint on US family values.

How about the Airport Security Check-in? Well, especially today, I can't think of many places more charged with anxiety. We'd be idiots to think kids don't pick up on that. I mean, where else can uniformed men with guns and sticks coerce their powerful mom and dad to literally strip off their clothes in acquiescence?

So, it's not just pirates and vikings that help kids improve their understanding and sense of power in the world.

The only videogames I can think of that come close to doing anything similar are The Sims and Grand Theft Auto, and those aren't kids games. I do have fond memories of playing Tapper in the early 80s, before I was even close to legal drinking age (yes, even Budweiser Tapper was in the arcades before Bally Midway got in trouble and released Root Beer Tapper. I wonder if some of the pleasure I wrought from this game had to do with the same kind of experience as these Playmobil toys: becoming master over a set of circumstances outside my sphere of influence.

After all, in Tapper, the player is the bartender. And I think the presence of actual beer taps on the arcade console may have had the same effect as the detailed pieces (fish skeleton, parking meter) that come with the Playmobil toys.

I've joked before that children are a machine that turn toys into mulch. Unless the parents go around picking up things and reassembling them back into their original forms, kids create a giant undifferentiated mess out of their toys.

From this primevial ooze of playthings, kids extract parts and put them into service of the fantasy at hand.

I hear what you are saying about the political messages in PlayMobil, and I don't doubt that they are there. But using my kids as an example, everything becomes pirates--the little PlayMobil policeman speed trap, the boy and and the orca, everything. I really don't know where that leads, but I think it would be a mistake to think of kids playing with these sets in the discrete configuration you purchase them in.

So, here's a question for you--what kinds of toys do you think have been successful in politicizing play? I know there's been talk forever about Barbie messing with body image. There used to be some gay dolls. For that matter, everyone knows Tinky Winky is the gay Teletubby.

Based on my experience, I'd say that children mainly tear apart the bias built into their toys.

Mess is definitely a truism of kids play, and toys like Lego and Playmobil are really impossible to maintain in their original unity. Everyone just throws all the pieces into a box or tub.

But I wonder if Playmobil gives kids the opportunity to retain discreteness through a kind of metonymy in the individual pieces. The fish skeleton, the parking meter, the port-o-potty (yes, there is one). This is what I was getting at with the Tapper taps.

But, kids do tear apart bias in play, and I'm wondering if this is more a phenomenon of my adult perception.

As for other kinds of toys that politicize play, let me noodle that one and get back to you.

You wrote:

"I'm wondering if this is more a phenomenon of my adult perception."

I'll make a deal with you. Come up with some sort (non-scientific) experiment having to do with bias and toys and I'll run it on my kids (assuming it's not harmful:))

Two boys, age 2 1/2 and 5 1/2.

I'll report back my observations from the "field"!

Ok, I'll try it on mine too: 4 and 2. Give me a couple weeks; January is brutal.

Hey Ian, greetings from MR! I noticed the same thing about Playmobil when my 2 yr old son was playing with an old "band" set - he's really into instruments, and it was this cool, multi-racial Beatles-esque outfit with drums, sax, guitar and bass. I initially felt that it was less creative than Lego because everything is so well defined, but I like your stance that the specificity makes for play that explores new ground.

When I was picking out a present for my nephew, I was choosing between a firefighter set and a police set when I noticed that the police set came with both pistols and a shotgun (!) - not really appropriate for a 3 year old in my view, although I'm not 100% anti-toy-gun.

As far as kids removing bias from their toys, I think that's got to be the exception rather than the rule - most kids don't get a balanced selection of toys. For example, boys don't have Barbies to interact with their action figures, and I doubt that those bank robbers would get very far when confronted with the typical kid's arsenal of fire trucks, police helicopters and army men. And Barbie has a dream house, but not a maid.

Hey Jonathan! I think some of your responses point to the differences in American toys. We shouldn't forget that Playmobil is German, and therefore isn't designed with American cultural norms like Barbie. This is a very simplistic and reductionist statement, to be sure, but I think it's important.

As for the shotgun... this is similar to the nanny and the meter maid I think. have you ever driven past a police car and seen a shotgun hanging on the cage between the seats? I know I have. Why does "appropriateness" entail occluding this very real, very disturbing feature of policing?

I find this an interesting line of discussion on the nature of play and how toys support the type of creative play necessary to interpret an often complicated world.

Whilst growing up playmobil formed one of my core sets of toys along with the classic collection of lego, toy soldiers and action figures (Action Man in the UK). My memory of play centred on the richness and variety of play that these type of toys provided and I recall roving between sets of toys each with a distinct type of play attached.

One of my clearest play memories involving Playmobil revolved around the theme of an expedition or adventure, this would involve loading up a vehicle or boat with supplies and setting off - playmobil was ideal due to the nature and variety of the types of supplies and characters that could be brought in to tackle the unknown dangers ahead. I recall having hours of fun on this theme both on my own and in collaboration with my friends.

Now, as an adult of 35, I have introduced my children (boy 4, girl 2) to playmobil and enjoy watching the play with an 'adult eye'.

A couple of observations;

The play flows between themes rapidly - the nature of the figures does not dictate these themes, ie: soldiers are not set aside when it comes to a tea party but the the props (vehicles, furniture, accessories, etc.) often are. As for politicising play - my children do not seem aware of the gender specific roles hard molded into the figures at this stage.

It is also highly collaborative and the variety offered by the toy allows play to flow jointly and individually as each child decides what they want to do. Play often starts seperately then flows togethor for a while before seperating again. At this stage the limit on how long collaborative play lasts seems to be the age and attention span of the children rather than the toy losing direct appeal.

I would go with OxyAcytelene Torch.

hey folks...

i belong to a group of adult collectors of Playmobil. We maintain a message board at www.playmoboard.com

Alot of the members are folks who bought Playmobil for their kids, but got irreversably hooked themselves.

Our members are from all over the world and from many walks of life. It seems Playmobil is capable of crossing international boundaries with great effectiveness.

Recently, a group of members met in Germany and visited the Playmobil factory. The Playmobil company executives were stunned and shocked to learn that there were ADULT collectors of ther product.

Who says market research is always right?

Anyway, if you're interested, the board will always take new Playmo-addicts in. Just drop on by and sign up!

regarding bias: i've been researching playmobil, thinking to possibly get a some for my 3 year old. my final thoughts: none of the ordinary sets come with any but caucasian characters. if you want any characters of color, you have to get a special set, then integrate them into the other sets. yes, it's made in germany, but there *are* people of all colors in germany. how racist is that? outcome: no playmobil at my house.

There have been two tangent discussions from the original author's comment which I would like to address.

First, police, pirates, and knights are identified with the types of weapons unique to their era of use. If you are a parent concerned that toys with shotguns could be used as vehicles to foster violent play then Playmobil is not your problem - it is actually a solution. Playmobil gives parents the ability to become involved in their children's play to stimulate learning about the world and to shape their understanding of it. Teach your children why police carry weapons and integrate stories in play to teach them about guns.

Secondly, you can find Playmobil for every racial variation if you know where to find it. If you decide to boycott a toy because you feel it is not racially integrated then look for a different brand name (sarcastic comment here: perhaps Lego because all the figures faces at one time were yellow). Internet Auction sites like EBay provide Playmobil enthusiasts an opportunity to buy new and used sets. If you search you will even find family sets of various races.

The message Ian is sending is that Playmobil can give you a chance to teach youths with toys that both adults and children can enjoy. It doesn't matter if they engage in solo, cooperative, or parent-guided play.

My personal experience as a child involved knights, pirates, and western playsets. I built towns with shoeboxes and played for years with them. My parents encouraged my imagination with these toys and I gained an appreciation for the study of history from the experience. Give a child a Playmobil and you could be giving them more than a toy. You could be shaping their future.