playmobilはドイツのオモチャです。

出会いは98年ドイツ旅行の際、LEGO目当てで立ち寄ったトイザラスにLEGOと同じ位のスペースで置いてあるスカイブルーの箱を発見。それがplaymobilでした。

聞けば10年程前には日本でも普通に販売されていたそうですが、残念ながら現在ではほとんど見かけられなくなってしまいました（※99年より増田屋が代理店となり比較的容易に購入する事ができるようになりました）。

playmobilの魅力は、組み立てる楽しさのLEGOに対して、ほぼ完成品ゆえの細かなディティール、そして豊富なバリエーションにあるといえます。

そしてもう一つは（日独の感性の違いなのか）「なぜこんなモノをオモチャに？」という突っ込みをいれたくなる商品が非常に多いという事です。この事に関してはページの中でご紹介していきたいと思います。

What is playmobil? Where do they come from?
I’d love to describe about the toys as much as I know.

Playmobil are toys manufactured in German company, geobra Brandstätter.
When I found them and fell in love was 1998, on my trip to Germany. I dropped at a toyshop, TOYSRUS and was surprised at various kinds of blue box toys. They were the playmobil.

  Soon I knew, even in Japan, once playmobil toys had been sold at any toyshop. But at last, they were withdrawn from the market.

Since 1999, Masudaya Corporation, the one of the most famous Japanese toy manufacture company, have been a distributor and started import them again. So now it is easier to get playmobil in Japan.

  You must remind of LEGO, popular toys made in Denmark. They have similar type of charm. LEGO are made from a lot of plastic blocks, which show children joy to build up freely. Playmobil toys are completed even in the box, so their structures are more elaborate and various.

  Especially for Japanese, they have special charm. Because Japanese are not familiar to German culture and society. So the toys sometime amazed Japanese and got culture shocks. Actually, they are so funny for Japanese. Not only pretty, smart, but funny.

ドイツのトイザラスにて/in TOYSRUS(Germany)