Playmobil (geobra Brandstätter)

What they do

geobra Brandstätter designs and makes Playmobil play sets: themed worlds of figures, buildings, vehicles and accessories, from knights and pirates to fire stations and licensed film tie-ins. The company is based in Zirndorf, near Nuremberg, and belongs to the Horst Brandstätter Group, which also owns the plant pot brand Lechuza.

Why it matters

Playmobil was the work of Hans Beck, a model maker who spent from 1971 to 1974 developing a small, smiling figure that a child's hand could hold and pose. The first sets, knights, Native Americans and construction workers, were shown at the Nuremberg International Toy Fair in 1974 and went on sale internationally in 1975. The standard figure is about 7.5 cm tall. Unlike construction toys that emphasise building, Playmobil is designed for role play and storytelling, which made it a distinctive and enduring alternative on children's bedroom floors across Europe.

Products to know

• Playmobil figures: the 7.5 cm figure introduced in 1974.
• Themed worlds: city life, farm, history, knights and pirates.
• Junior and 1.2.3: ranges for younger children.
• Licensed sets: tie-ins with film and television franchises.

The German angle

Nuremberg has been a toy-making centre for centuries and still hosts the world's leading toy fair, so Playmobil's birthplace is no accident. The company has faced difficult years, with job cuts announced from 2023 and, in February 2026, a plan to end Playmobil production at Dietenhofen in Franconia and move it to other plants in the group's network, while administration and product development stay in Zirndorf. It remains privately held within the Horst Brandstätter Group.