No ethnic minority playmobil families?

[PickleWithEverything]

I've just been looking for a gift on the Playmobil site, was very disappointed I could not find any non-white family groups.

I bought DD a Playmobil pirate ship about 7 years ago and the pirates weren't white, so I assumed I'd just be able to get a mix of skin tones in the rest of the range. When I bought the pirate ship, I had generously assumed Playmobil was a nice company that actually decided it was great to have a WHOLE set of characters who weren't white, but now I'm thinking, perhaps Playmobil just thought the white Playmobil people would have got sun-tanned sitting out on deck of their ship all day. Oh dear!

Does anyone else find this weird? Most other toy manufacturers seem to be doing a better job eg Lego Friends.

AIBU to want to send an email to Playmobil asking them to please join the 21st century?

We’ve got loads of different skin colours. Loads of the sets come with various ethnicities.

@RattleOfBars, cool thank you! I can buy that Asian family from eBay Used, shipped from Malta. I cannot find anything like it on the playmobil website, I am not sure what I'm missing.

I can't find find too much else that seems to be a nice set. There was a group #7980 which seems to be discontinued, the cheapest I can find it on eBay is nearly £30 which is a bit steep for 4 little people and a dog.

www.playmobil.co.uk/paddle-boat/9424.html

www.playmobil.co.uk/family-at-the-beach/9819.html

www.playmobil.co.uk/swimming-pool/9422.html

OP are you sure you're on the right website? There are different ethnicities in many of the sets.

There are loads of mixed ethnicity sets,
Just from a quick google.
I feel like you're looking for an issue without actually looking into it further.

Plenty on eBay and not expensive
www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw=Playmobil++Ethnic+Figures+Family+&_trksid=m5467.l1311&_odkw=Playmobil++Ethnic+Figures+Family

www.playmobil.co.uk/onlineshop/products/family-fun?prefn1=subCategory&prefv1=ds_figures&srule=Topseller&content=false

I am aware that if I am prepared to invest quite heavily in new Playmobile, I could put together a family of various occupations and a few kids, who are not white. What I had hoped for, was just to go into Playmobile and buy a family group as a stocking filler. It seemed like quite a small ask to me. I don't think that is being PC. I can buy an entire white family, that's available. If I have just completely missed a set (it's a big website) then if someone could kindly share the number of the pack I would be really grateful.

Failing that I am definitely going to shop online and get a second hand group from eBay. Save the universe some plastic waste at the same time.

I did a bit of googling just now and back in 2015 Playmobil had complaints about a toy hotel that had all white guest characters and the sole black person in the role of server. And also depicted a black slave character with a slave collar that the instructions told the child to clip round the figure's neck! At least we seem to have moved on a bit from there.

@RattleOfBars

Example

They’ve got a spotty dog! That’s brilliant.

We had various raced playmofolk when ds was little.

More examples (most of the adults have interchangeable hair)

We definitely had a range of races. And they get mixed up and end up in the "wrong" sets anyway.
Surely a black figure as a slave is historically accurate?

I've got the bus set (only set we have so can't compare) and have 1xwhite 1x Asian and i lost the other so not sure!

Wonder if the playmobil website will be getting a lot of hits tonight?

One of which was me who is very excited to see marty mcfly, the doc and delorian! Great Scott!!

31TheFormerPorpentinaScamander

It may be a historical fact but not one that should be introduced as a plaything surely?! Would you want a child playing with a Hitler doll. Or playing a game of rape?!

There's also one wonderful guy comes with the swimming pool extension to the house that is wearing only a towel and a splendid case of sunburn which amuses me everytime.

Think they tend to be scattered around the sets - we've definitely got a fair mix of races here but I have no longer any idea where different individually and specifically named children came from originally. Try the Playmobil anonymous (buy, sell, chat) group on FB - there are a lot of people on there who buy bulk bundles and subdivide them into sets or have huge sales of random figures who would likely be able to put together a collection for you.

We just have a load missing hair - and the hair's a fucking bastard to get back on.

@MichelleScarn

One of which was me who is very excited to see marty mcfly, the doc and delorian! Great Scott!!

DS1 (16), who has never been into playmobil wants them for Christmas

Ok, now I'm happier. I had not spotted Family at the Beach, thank you @AaronPurr! That is a nice group, I can settle for 50/50 mix! And at £11.75 it compares okay with the £9 for a white family of 4 and £7.75 for the white grandparents and their dog.

And I'll top up with the Asian family from eBay Used, which is good value.

Most of the ones on eBay are brand new, just from different ranges (old stock or spares or shipped directly from Germany or Malta where they’re manufactured) you can buy whole families of different ethnicities or mixed race families. When I was building up a playmobil collection I just typed ‘ethnic minority playmobil new’ into eBay and lots of sets came up (most of our collection have non white skin tones!) The catalogues only feature the latest ranges.

Have had plenty of play mobile people’s over the years with different skin tones.

I can see that having darker skinned pirates could be problematic.

@Satonloo

31TheFormerPorpentinaScamander

It may be a historical fact but not one that should be introduced as a plaything surely?! Would you want a child playing with a Hitler doll. Or playing a game of rape?!

Well no. I was just pointing out that it's historically accurate. That doesn't mean that I think it should exist as a set.

@TheFormerPorpentinaScamander

We definitely had a range of races. And they get mixed up and end up in the "wrong" sets anyway. Surely a black figure as a slave is historically accurate?

Yuck! What is wrong with you?

I was looking at the gladiator sets. They do have different raced ones - but no female ones for some reason.

About half our Playmobils are black but we tended to buy divers, fightfighters, cops, pirates, etc.

Nope, no different skin tones/races at all.