Hans Beck: The Inventor of Playmobil

Hans Beck was born in Greiz, Thuringia, from the small town of Zirndorf. A giant man, not by height, but by achievement as he invented the Playmobil. The best toy ever created in the world! Playmobil is famous for being indestructible, as it is made with good quality plastic, it rarely breaks.

As taken from the Wikipedia of Hans Beck: “In 1971, Brandstätter asked Beck to develop toy figures for children. Beck spent three years developing the figures that would eventually be known as Playmobil. He said, “I looked around to see what was on the market” but found only tin soldiers that had been produced since the 1800s, which were unable to bend or move.

Hans Beck developed a new figure that measured just under three inches and could move its head, arms, legs and hands.

With the new figures, he conducted research with children. “I would put the little figures in their hands without saying anything about what they were,” Beck remarked. “They accepted them right away… They invented little scenarios for them. They never grew tired of playing with them.”

Brandstätter was not initially convinced by Beck’s idea, but allowed the inventor to continue developing the product.”

When did Playmobil first release their toys? “In 1974, the company launched Playmobil at the Nuremberg Toy Fair. Some toy wholesalers initially did not like the new toy line. Beck commented, “People didn’t realize how much you could do with them”. However, a Dutch firm subsequently agreed to buy a whole year’s production. Playmobil began to be sold worldwide in 1975.”

From the official Hans Beck Obituary; “Hans Beck, creator of the colorful plastic Playmobil toy figures that sold by the millions around the world, has died at age 79. Geobra Brandstaetter GmbH & Co., which owns the Playmobil brand, said in a statement that Beck died Jan. 30 after a long illness.

A trained cabinetmaker and passionate model builder, Beck became a pattern developer for Horst Brandstaetter, the owner of Zirndorf-based company, in 1958. Beck once said his main rule for toy designs was “no horror, no superficial violence and no short-term trends.”