Germany's Horst Brandstätter Group already had a long business history in 1952 when it switched from making metal toys to plastic ones. It brought the Hula Hoop to and fiberglass water skis to Germany.
When the company brought a new toy line to the International Toy Fair in Neuremberg, Germany, in 1974, it had a global powerhouse on its hands, the Playmobil brand.
The Brandstätter Group is marking the 50th anniversary of Playmobil throughout 2024. That includes the switch to bio-attributed plastics (using the mass balance approach) for its Playmobil Junior brand of toddler figurines, announced earlier this year.
Its celebration will also cover collectibles for the Gen X customers who grew up with the toys.
"We still see a lot of potential in the adult segment in particular," Playmobil CEO Bahri Kurter said in a news release. "Current research shows just how exciting the 'kidults' market is. Kidults products now account for over 30 percent of the entire toy market."