Toymaker Playmobil’s survival – and the way it has flourished during the recession – is remarkable, says Harry Wallop.
John W. Lewman Toy Designer www.toymakerpress.com
Publishers of fun to make wood toy projects and plans
Harry Wallop says: There used to be more than a 1,000 toy makers in the small town of Zirndorf, Bavaria. Tap, tap, tapping away, making wooden dolls, hobby horses and metal soldiers. Toys, as we know them, started life in this area of Germany, where the craftsmen were skilled and the tin mines provided plentiful raw material. Most of the toy firms have shut, or gone to China where more than eight out of every 10 toys in the world are now made. But there is one left: Brandstatter, the company that makes Playmobil. In an anonymous modern building, resembling the sales office of a pharmaceutical company, works the last great Gepetto of Bavaria: Horst Brandstatter. Horst says, “The kids must understand the computer, they must use the computer. But they need to play to understand the world. Our target is keep Playmobil as something kids can use to get away from the computer just for a while. I hope we can keep doing that.” Read More.
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