Horst Brandstätter, the boss of the famous plastic figures, died last week. Thanks to Playmobil, who celebrated last year its 40th anniversary, the company has become the first German toy manufacturer, Ravensburger before.
” His idea revolutionized the toy market and gave a smile to children around the world. “In a lengthy tribute released this Monday, Geobra Brandstätter Group, which manufactures the famous plastic figures Playmobil, announces the death of his boss, Horst Brandstätter last Wednesday at the age of 81. “The children knew him as ‘Mr. Playmobil’, but for most of its employees, it was simply ‘Hob’.”
The story of his family business nestled in a small corner of Bavaria, has something to dream the most daring entrepreneurs of today. Geobra Brandstätter became Germany’s largest toy manufacturer, to the group of Ravensburger puzzles and games, with more than 4,000 employees worldwide. Its global sales reached 595 million last year. A success that the company owes much to the Playmobil brand, which celebrated last year its 40th anniversary, with sales annually spray their own record and reached EUR 552 million in early 2014. Some 2.7 billion of these 7.5 centimeters figurines were sold worldwide between 1974 and 2014. “And if all the figures joined hands, they would 3.4 times around the Earth,” welcomed its manufacturer to manufacturer occasion of his 40th birthday
Vet Playmobil collection 2015. Credit: Playmobil.com 
Born June 27, 1933 in the small Bavarian town of Zirndorf, which is always the seat of Geobra Brandstätter Horst Brandstätter came in 1952 at the age of 19, in the toy company then managed by his two uncles. He was already convinced that plastic represented the future of the toy, more than metal. Just six years later, to preach the power of innovation at all stages, he knows a first major commercial success in Europe the famous plastic hoop, the Hula Hoop in 1958. But it was during the oil crisis in the early 70s, that “intuition” Horst Brandstätter did miracles. He told one of his engineers, Hans Beck, the mission of creating a toy that uses the least amount of plastic while retaining its appeal to children.
Succession keyed
The island treasure Playmobil – collection 1991. Credit: Twitter / @ playmobil
Thus was born, in 1974, the Playmobil figurine. His original three models – a knight, a construction worker and an Indian – were immediately made a splash. And saved the company from bankruptcy. “With Horst Brandstätter, the Playmobil family not only lost its leader, its owner and its patriarch, but the toy industry in Germany has also lost one of its most important figures,” writes Geobra Brandstätter group as a tribute . Horst Brandstätter had locked his estate in the 1990s, creating a foundation that must now take control of the group
40 years of Playmobil figures.
Credit: flickr / Bruno Parmentier Credits Photo: Bruno PARMENTIER
• The Playmobil figurine measure 7.5 cm and consists of 7 parts
• Since 1974, 2700000000 figurines decorate children’s rooms all over the world
• More 100,000,000 characters are made annually in the Malta plant produces the figurines since 1976. The boxes and accessories are produced in other plants, including the largest is that of Dietenhofen located Germany with 1527 employees in 2013.
• 3.2 Playmobil figures “born” every second against 2.6 children per second for World Population
• There are now 374 different hairstyles, faces 839 and 68 beards or more than 21 million possible combinations to customize a character
• Since 1974, 3995 figures were created
• Almost 25,000 tons of plastic granulates are used in factories every year
Source: Playmobil
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