PLAYMOHISTORY

3000 b.C.

2008-05-10T13:30:00.000-07:00

Going into Playmobil

2008-05-10T09:19:00.000-07:00

I've been paying some thought on how to do the interesting part of this blog to begin, and here's the conclusion(s) I reached:

1. There's no way I'll ever have the material I need to make pictures, therefore, I will have to make illustration of the topics with available pictures that can be found around in the www, and that will be allowed to be shared here by their owners & authors.

2. I will make my best so as not to use improperly any images, once they don't belong to me ...

3. If anyone would like to send pictures, BE MY GUEST!

&, 4. The intention isn't to be exaustive, but illustrative, and this is why not all the pictures related to each topic will be shown; only some.

Therefore, if you'd like to see one or another picture added, tell me!, and I'll see what I can do about.

So, I intend to show some pictures from this point on that illustrate each mentioned period. Ideas are also very welcome, and comments may generate new posts, while the blog goes on.

Digressions may happen, but I'll keep the general chronologic line according to the purpose.

Hope you enjoy it here! HERE IT BEGINS!

Detailing the Chronology: 1800s

2008-05-02T19:27:00.000-07:00

What can be done (some of which have been done) with Playmobil ...

Early 1800s "Soldiers, forty centuries look down upon you from the top of the pyramids."
1821 Moby Dick & Ahab
1850s An Empire "on which the sun never sets"
1861-1865 US Civil War
1870s Wild & Far West
1887 Sherlock Holmes & the Victorian Days

(Another note ... There will be many, I believe!)

2008-05-02T19:12:00.000-07:00

There has been given the idea of inserting pictures in the blog ... Don't worry, mates!: I surely intend to do so, this is one of the best parts of whatever concerns Playmobil. Actually, there's no fun if there's no picture, I think. However, I've been studying how better to do it, once I have no means of making the pictures myself, at least not for at least the 10 years ahead ...

Even so, there's plan of putting something here, there's always been. Probably more illustrative than entertaining, but a primary plan there is, and I am working on it. (As fast as a hobby allows it to be ... My bread doesn't come from this -- which defines it as a hobby. LOL.)

Thanks for the hint, though. All ideas are welcome! The more people make part of this blog, the best it will come out. & I remind all who have been reading the blog: don't be shy, and give your comments. I'll be very pleased.

PlaymoScribens

Detailing the Chronology: Romans

2008-05-02T18:58:00.000-07:00

Egyptians, 3000 b.C.
.
.
.
Greeks, 800-300 b.C.
Romans, 700 b.C.-400 a.D.
The Middle Ages, 500 ...

Timeline

b.C. 753 legendary year of the foundation of Rome
700
600
500 Greek Golden Era
400
300
200
100
a.D. year 1st The Nativity (set 3996)
100
200
300
400
476 a.D. the fall of the Western Roman Empire

Chronology

2008-05-01T13:02:00.000-07:00

GENERAL CHRONOLOGY
in European History

In black, what there is in Playmobil;
in (brackets), what what there's no trace

B.C. 5000 (Mesopotamia)
.
.
.
3000 Egypt
.
.
.
1000 (King David)
--
800-300 (Greeks)
200 b.C.-400 a.D. Romans
500 Arthurian legend
600 "1001 Nights"
700 Charlemagne ("German" Middle Age)
--
900 Vikings
1000 Crusades*
1100 Robin Hood
1200 (Marco Polo)
1300 Jousting Knights ("French" Middle Age)
1400-1600 Early Navigations
1700 Treasure Island
1800 Napoleonic Wars
~ 1850 "An Empire on which the sun never sets"
~ 1875 Farwest
1900 Victorian Mansion
~ 1910

Since the year 500 a.D., there can be thought to have a continuous line of themes, at least one for each century, in exception for the IX century (801-900), in which I couldn't think of something characteristic (in terms of a simple view (...)).

In brackets, themes that there isn't in Playmobil collections in any kind of representation. Can only be made by customization.

*Though there's no specific collection for the Crusades, there is a quite vast Medieval collection by Playmobil, which can be thought as enough to accept the period to be considered as well covered.

THE RESPECTIVE COLLECTIONS
& example sets

Names generally used in Collectobil.com, as well as all the sets mentioned can be found there.

Egyptians: "Egyptians" (new collection, available only at Playmobil.com)
Romans: "Romans" (new collection, available only at Playmobil.com)
Arthurian legend: "Magic" (3840, 3841, 3896, 3944)
"1001 Nights": "Magic" (3834)
Charlemagne: "Castle", (3268**)
Vikings: "Vikings" (all the collection)
Crusades: "Special" (4534, 4521) + "Knights" (3887, 3889, 3890, 3891, 3125, 5742)
Robin Hood: "Knights" (3626, 3627, 3628. 3629, 3631, 3633)
Jousting Knights: "Knights" (3265, 3450, 3292, 3487, 3482, 3329 & related, 3652, 3654, 3659, 3666, 3668, 3024, 3319, 5731, 3287, 3315)
Early Navigations: "Pirates" (4294, 4295)
Treasure Island: "Pirates" (general items of the Pirates' collection)
Napoleonic Wars: "Pirates" (general items of the Pirate's collection)
"An Empire": "Pirates" + "1900"
Farwest: "Western" (all the collection)
Victorian Mansion: "1900" (all the collection) + a very significant Special 4501 (...)

**I am not sure about the date of the architecture of the framework house style, whether from 700-800s, from the 1100s, or from the 1300s. No clue for the moment. (I can be reasonably sure that it isn't from much before the 700s, nor its origin from later than the 1300s, though it was used long after the 1300s ...); for this reason I didn't mention the previous castles, though I may like them better than this (...).

(Author's note)

2008-05-01T12:54:00.000-07:00

I will love to see commentaries to the posts, and will certainly be very grateful to them. As well as I am sure the work will be much more funny if there are commentaries to these thoughts I am publishing here.

Honest thoughts are very welcome.

Ideas for posts, or compositions on the subject or related subjects are also welcome.

& Corrections are particularly important, in the view of a person full of self-criticism, such as myself ... I will be grateful for mistakes appointed maybe more than for compliments.

Yours,
PlaymoScribens

Playmobil's achievements

2008-05-01T12:29:00.000-07:00

Playmobil has achieved a great deed. Although not every collection is available at Geobra to be acquired, because there is a characteristic dynamics of catalog of a normal toy industry concerned with the present consumer, even not neglecting previous achievements.

Since its beginning, there are lines of collections focused in the past and in the present. There was a Medieval collection and a Pirates' collection from the beginning. Together with a Western collection, in the mid way from the XVIII century and the present Modern Life collection. There has been two lines of "futurist" collection, which have both been discontinued.

With the '90s, there came a peculiar historic collection that brought the eyes of many to Playmobil, the 1900 ("Victorian Mansion") collection. And at last, during this first decade of this new century, with the collections of Vikings, Romans & Egyptians, it seems that it was achieved a great deed of covering most of the European History, and this allows us to, through the observation of the toy only, to have a glimpse of all its History and of the development of the civilizations of that continent thoughout all the time from very early days of mankind until very recent before the present day.

I intend to work this timeline, with this blog, and the idiosyncrasies peculiar to Playmobil and, as well, peculiar to the way a child understands the world, or the way adults would like to show them through this toy and whatever influences its concept.

PLAYMOHISTORY

2008-05-01T12:10:00.000-07:00

I'm beginning to get somewhat familiar with the communities of playmoaddicts, and I can notice two main streams of working the hobby. There is the customization, and there is the story-telling.

I have been paying atention to this for one particular reason, according is my own interest in turning myself again to this toy (& lifestyle) after so long, which I intend to bring here, in this blog, as long as it goes & grows.

The playmoaddict community shows some very talented people. There are great photographers. I think -- however still fresh, in my own criticism, experience in the matter -- that the best photographers are the customizers (or maybe vice-versa, customizers become the best photographers ...). They search for the final image, and they work toward it. So, they don't mind much about tearing klickies' parts apart, or cutting them, or molding them (...) as long as they get a final aesthetic effect that pleases the purpose of a concept searched, for the pictures intended. Story-tellers, on another hand, have their virtue in the development of interesting and entertaining actions. Aesthetic perfection don't seem to matter more than klickies involved in well conceived situations.

Both ways of playing are lovely, and well represented in the www playmocorners.

The idea of a hobby is entertaining he who searches for it, I think, in a healthy way. The web allows the playmobilians to share with each other our own playings, get ideas of new ones, share what we do and think.

Beginning a blog

2008-05-01T08:02:00.000-07:00

This isn't the first blog I begin. It will take a while until I publish relevant things here, but it's a blog to last, differently of most of the others. Therefore, I can reasonably say that this is the beginning of a blog.