Kickstart: Don't expect a sequel

Pity Playmobil. Sure the German toy company has been going strong for decades, first introduced in 1974.

But it'll always end up being compared to a certain Danish toy company that also has plastic figurines.

Now even moviegoers are ignoring "Playmobil." What's that? You didn't know there was a "Playmobil" movie? You're not alone.

In its opening weekend in the U.S., "Playmobil" sold an estimated $668,000 in tickets. Worldwide it has sold about $12 million since August, according to CNBC. The movie cost an estimated $75 million to make.

By comparison, "The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part" has earned about $200 million this year.

This week's print issue of Plastics News has its annual look at the toy industry. Between uncertainties on U.S.-China trade (because most toys are made in China) and the closure of mega retailer Toys R Us in the U.S., it's been a chaotic year for most toy companies.

A shining light for the North American toy business? Large, rotomolded toys, many of them made in Ohio.

That's because the toys are bulky to ship, so most are made close to home. And the production also is complicated, noted SimPlay3 CEO Jim Miller. That even makes them unlikely to fall victim to knockoffs, he said.

Thermoformer Plaxall Inc. found itself in the perfect spot in 2018. That's when Amazon announced it would build one of its two new second headquarters in Long Island City, in Queens, New York, using 20 acres owned by Plaxall.

Then Amazon pulled out of New York. But Plaxall, which developed its own thermoforming in 1938 when founder Louis Pfohl was commissioned to produce formed plastic domes for a counter display, is now looking at new real estate options.

The Long Island City Post writes Plaxall will join two other developers to work on a "community framework to map out how a large section of underutilized waterfront property should be developed."

Read more about the company which says it is "dedicated to the development" of the waterfront.