Jump to content
  • Is Lego Really Better Than Playmobil?


    Scissorino

    When I left Lego behind, I left it for something way more rock ‘n’ roll: rock ‘n’ roll. The move from primary school (elementary school) into secondary school (high school) marked the graduation from the precious toys of my childhood to the world of the pop charts.

    Here in the UK in the nineties, the battle was on betweenthe two biggest ‘Brit Pop’ bands of the time; Oasis (from Manchester) and Blur(from London). As a cash-strapped teenager you followed one – for me it wasOasis (although my first ever CD was Blur). I loved both bands but looking backthey weren’t even comparable stylistically, and interestingly I listen to Blurmuch more often all these years later. For my dad things were the same – wereyou a Beatles fan, or a Stones follower? My dad has all the Beatles LPs fromhis youth but has recently been getting into the Stones too. Over in the USthere was the Tupac/Biggie beef, and the question of whether you liked Nirvanaor Guns ‘N’ Roses best... or Metallica or Megadeth. In the nineties the musicindustry thrived off that competition.

    Flashback to the late eighties, early nineties. My bedroomwith my brother and sister. What would we play with that day? Lego? Or would itbe... Playmobil? The choice! In what way would we create our own adventuresthat day? I think back then my choice would have been Lego most of the time,but we definitely had time for Playmobil too. Just as Oasis and Blur fought formy attention later on, so both these European super brands vied for theprecious playtime of my childhood.

    But is this really a case of Lego vs. Playmobil? Are the twocomparable? Is it possible to only be a follower of one? Is it fair to pit themagainst each other? Is it a case of loving both but only having the time ormoney for one?

    For me, Lego is about the building and the creation ofsomething which only existed before as a pile of assorted bricks. Once I’dbuilt a whole town, zoo, Jurassic Park model, or whatever the theme was thatweek, I’d let my siblings play with it whilst I tinkered, improved, extended...Playmobil was about creating stories and adventures using pre-made vehicles,buildings, scenery and people. The way I played with both differed. Lego reallyis the more versatile toy although Playmobil has the advantage of not fallingapart whilst being played with. Playmobil had some great themes available (andstill does) whereas with Lego the only limit to themes was the imagination.

    Last week I was wandering around my local toy shop and I wasfascinated by the Playmobil on offer – it seemed that prices were veryreasonable for what you got, some of the sets really grabbed my attention againand after sharing my thoughts with my wife she got straight on ebay and a fewhours later we had won a Playmobil auction (for our daughter, of course). Butdoes this mean I won’t encourage Lego? Does this mean the two toys are incompetition for her time now? No. Different toys. Different ways of playing.

    You see, back when Blur and Oasis were battling it out, thereality was that the bands were so dissimilar to each other that it wasn’treally a case of choosing – you could appreciate each one for their own uniquecharacteristics. Same with Lego and Playmobil. But that doesn’t mean you can’thave your favourites – Lego had my heart back then, and it still does now butthat won’t stop me from enjoying Playmobil every once in a while.

    Do you rate Playmobil? Do you hate Playmobil? Do you know ofany Playmobil collectors or any adult fans of Playmobil? Please comment andshare your thoughts!




    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments

    There are no comments to display.



    Join the conversation

    You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
    Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

    Guest
    Add a comment...

    ×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

      Only 75 emoji are allowed.

    ×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

    ×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

    ×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


×
×
  • Create New...