The God of this world is riches, pleasure and toys
June 9, 2015 6:53 AM Subscribe
Who's the fastest selling Playmobil figure of all time? Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it a dinosaur?
No, it's Martin Luther! Follow his adventures on Instagram - #LittleLuther. Currently sold out in the US but pre-orders are available.
No, it's Martin Luther! Follow his adventures on Instagram - #LittleLuther. Currently sold out in the US but pre-orders are available.
Are they sure it's not just being bought by people who think it's Severus Snape?
posted by Faint of Butt at 7:02 AM on June 9, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by Faint of Butt at 7:02 AM on June 9, 2015 [4 favorites]
Are they sure it's not just being bought by people who think it's Severus Snape?
The smile would disabuse them.
posted by GenjiandProust at 7:03 AM on June 9, 2015 [3 favorites]
The smile would disabuse them.
posted by GenjiandProust at 7:03 AM on June 9, 2015 [3 favorites]
Martin Luther comes complete with a quill, a Bible, and a lavatory.
You'll need one if you have a Diet of Worms.
posted by pipeski at 7:04 AM on June 9, 2015 [26 favorites]
You'll need one if you have a Diet of Worms.
posted by pipeski at 7:04 AM on June 9, 2015 [26 favorites]
Does this mean Martin Luther will appear in an upcoming episode of Super 4?
posted by delicious-luncheon at 7:05 AM on June 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by delicious-luncheon at 7:05 AM on June 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
The smile keeps it from being a particularly convincing Luther either.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 7:05 AM on June 9, 2015 [10 favorites]
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 7:05 AM on June 9, 2015 [10 favorites]
Martin Luther comes complete with a quill, a Bible, and a lavatory.
I was hoping he would have a turd to whip at the devil.
posted by wormwood23 at 7:07 AM on June 9, 2015
I was hoping he would have a turd to whip at the devil.
posted by wormwood23 at 7:07 AM on June 9, 2015
They have generally had problems with the Protestant Leaders Playmobils.
The Philipp Melanchthon figure could not be made to strict enough tolerances.
The John Wycliffe figure was released too early in the season.
The John Calvin figure was only sold as a pre-order.
The Jan Hus figure's sales, however, were out the window.
posted by GenjiandProust at 7:08 AM on June 9, 2015 [73 favorites]
The Philipp Melanchthon figure could not be made to strict enough tolerances.
The John Wycliffe figure was released too early in the season.
The John Calvin figure was only sold as a pre-order.
The Jan Hus figure's sales, however, were out the window.
posted by GenjiandProust at 7:08 AM on June 9, 2015 [73 favorites]
I like how the hashtag is recently all the Playmobil figure, but when you get earlier than April of this year #littleluther is all #bigluther.
posted by dirtdirt at 7:09 AM on June 9, 2015
posted by dirtdirt at 7:09 AM on June 9, 2015
Personally I'm holding out for the complete Münster Rebellion playset.
posted by overeducated_alligator at 7:15 AM on June 9, 2015 [9 favorites]
posted by overeducated_alligator at 7:15 AM on June 9, 2015 [9 favorites]
Personally I'm holding out for the complete Münster Rebellion playset.
I've already got Lily and Herman.
posted by Faint of Butt at 7:20 AM on June 9, 2015 [6 favorites]
I've already got Lily and Herman.
posted by Faint of Butt at 7:20 AM on June 9, 2015 [6 favorites]
On the one hand this is pretty neat because it's a tiny figure of Martin Luther. On the other hand (speaking as someone who grew up as a Lutheran and even had a child's picture book Life of Luther) Luther was a huge antisemite who actively worked for the persecution of Jews in Germany. I'm not saying that we can only have, like, little toys of people who coincidentally had perfect contemporary Social Justice Views (because we then could not have any toys at all) but Luther really was pretty bad on this issue.
I would totally go for a pre-torture Munster Rebellion leaders set, though. (Even today, you can see the cages where the leaders' bodies were left to rot, still hanging from the church steeple.)
posted by Frowner at 7:24 AM on June 9, 2015 [6 favorites]
I would totally go for a pre-torture Munster Rebellion leaders set, though. (Even today, you can see the cages where the leaders' bodies were left to rot, still hanging from the church steeple.)
posted by Frowner at 7:24 AM on June 9, 2015 [6 favorites]
Personally I'm holding out for the complete Münster Rebellion playset.
Ooh, snap!
Well, there's a market of two, at least.
posted by Frowner at 7:25 AM on June 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
Frowner, this is the Happy Young Luther figure. The Crabby Old Luther figure is not so... attractive to the buying public.
posted by GenjiandProust at 7:26 AM on June 9, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by GenjiandProust at 7:26 AM on June 9, 2015 [3 favorites]
The Jan Hus figure's sales, however, were out the window.
buddy, you thought the unconditional election happened every four years
posted by Rustic Etruscan at 7:31 AM on June 9, 2015 [3 favorites]
buddy, you thought the unconditional election happened every four years
posted by Rustic Etruscan at 7:31 AM on June 9, 2015 [3 favorites]
Are there interchangeable books? Is Luther's On the Jews and Their Lies one of the choices?
posted by grouse at 7:34 AM on June 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by grouse at 7:34 AM on June 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
Worth pointing out that Playmobil's creator, Horst Brandstätter, has passed away last week.
In the late 80s and early-to-mid 90s, Lego was criminally overpriced here, so my parents often bought me Playmobil sets instead. While they were not as flexible as the classic Lego sets, with enough parts you could do incredible things. I remember using all my medieval sets and build castles on pictures from books, and once, a walled city that included all my sets. On the dining table, so, uh. Fortunately, they were very easy to chop down to parts, and re-assemble them as quickly.
So,
.
posted by lmfsilva at 7:37 AM on June 9, 2015 [6 favorites]
In the late 80s and early-to-mid 90s, Lego was criminally overpriced here, so my parents often bought me Playmobil sets instead. While they were not as flexible as the classic Lego sets, with enough parts you could do incredible things. I remember using all my medieval sets and build castles on pictures from books, and once, a walled city that included all my sets. On the dining table, so, uh. Fortunately, they were very easy to chop down to parts, and re-assemble them as quickly.
So,
.
posted by lmfsilva at 7:37 AM on June 9, 2015 [6 favorites]
The figurines are the right size to function as household gods.
posted by ocschwar at 8:11 AM on June 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by ocschwar at 8:11 AM on June 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
I'm taking this to mean that we're edging ever closer to my dreams of a "Wolf Hall" playset.
posted by thivaia at 8:27 AM on June 9, 2015 [7 favorites]
posted by thivaia at 8:27 AM on June 9, 2015 [7 favorites]
I...I must have this.
posted by magstheaxe at 8:32 AM on June 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by magstheaxe at 8:32 AM on June 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
I have one sitting on my desk right now. I love that his quill is half the size he is.
posted by Stynxno at 8:46 AM on June 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Stynxno at 8:46 AM on June 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
Nailed it!
posted by Artw at 8:55 AM on June 9, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by Artw at 8:55 AM on June 9, 2015 [3 favorites]
There's an Albrecht Dürer Playmobil figure? How did I not know of this?
posted by sandettie light vessel automatic at 9:04 AM on June 9, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by sandettie light vessel automatic at 9:04 AM on June 9, 2015 [3 favorites]
I'm taking this to mean that we're edging ever closer to my dreams of a "Wolf Hall" playset.
If I had a teeny tiny Thomas Cromwell I would be so happy. He could sit on my desk next to my teeny-tiny Magneto to keep Magneto company. I think they would have a lot to talk about.
posted by Frowner at 9:45 AM on June 9, 2015 [3 favorites]
If they had a Martin Luther King, Jr. figure, I could save children from the my childhood bafflement of trying to figure out how MLK, Jr. could possibly be related to ML.
posted by Measured Out my Life in Coffeespoons at 9:56 AM on June 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by Measured Out my Life in Coffeespoons at 9:56 AM on June 9, 2015 [2 favorites]
That Wolf Hall playset will feature lots of figures with detachable heads.
posted by thomas j wise at 12:21 PM on June 9, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by thomas j wise at 12:21 PM on June 9, 2015 [3 favorites]
I saw one in Augsburg, Germany last week and it was very cute, but I resisted.
Have now bought one on Amazon UK (still in stock) ;-)
posted by DanCall at 2:04 AM on June 10, 2015
Have now bought one on Amazon UK (still in stock) ;-)
posted by DanCall at 2:04 AM on June 10, 2015
« Older Reasons to Stay Alive | 33.881 miles per hour. For an hour. On a bike. Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by Thing at 6:57 AM on June 9, 2015 [6 favorites]