Vintage Playmobil Sets- Which Did You Have?

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Let me introduce you to the world of vintage Playmobil sets, enjoyed by ironic artists and sincere enthusiasts alike.    




Playmobil sets from the '70s and '80s especially - the childhood plastic toys once enjoyed by those of us now in our 20s, 30s and early 40s. With simple plastic people swashbuckling on the decks of plastic pirate ships, flying tubular planes, boarding buses, leading school trips, crossing jungles, or living in igloos (among thousands of other scenes from life, both real and imagined), they have found an eager market of collectors and documentarians. Sharing their enthusiasm for vintage Playmobil on Flickr pages dedicated to the toys, they also populate collectors' and auction sites which trade and sell what could only be described as a mixture of kitsch and nostalgia.




Google 'Playmobil + vintage' and see what's out there. Some of what you'll find is hilarious, and occasionally even poignant; the thought-provoking images some artists and fans have recorded with their cameras - one of two Playmobil figures together in some sort of romantic photo, with the image then torn and replaced by a new photo of one of the figures with a new plastic partner. One isn't sure if it's funny or moving. Probably funny. Recreating classic album covers with Playmobil is another Internet phenomenon I highly approve of.





What's appealing about the Playmobil sets of years past is the sense of nostalgia they offer to those of us who played with the toys throughout our childhoods. But buying the latest Playmobil on offer doesn't quite do it, for the toys Playmobil made decades ago differ from current models. Often the changes are minor. If you compare the school bus Playmobil makes today with one they made twenty-plus years ago, you’ll notice that the colours are slightly different between the two, with one or two other small features altered.








 Of course, some sets from years past are no longer sold, while others that are will reveal much bigger differences and changes. For instance, the vintage ambulance from decades ago hardly resembles the sleek, almost aerodynamic modern one. The equipment has also become more modern: some police have speed guns and the dentist's office now looks fit for the 21st Century.




Playmobil also played part of this brilliant April Fool's joke, an Apple Store set.



 


Which sets did you have as a child? 



Fresh From The Sewer- The Coolest Socks You'll Ever See

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My husband won't wear novelty socks. He's not that kind of 'faux-quirky' person. Me on the other hand? Totally that sort of annoying person, and I've just treated myself to this Turtles pack of five from Tesco Clothing instore. £5

Plus, they are stripy which is my favourite thing to be. Michael Angelo was my favourite, who was your's?

Retro Toys: Which Do You Remember Most Fondly?

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The recent UK Toy Fair at London's Olympia was a sight to behold, as the gathering chronicled the best and worst devices ever created for British children. Meanwhile, their transatlantic cousins would later be treated to the International Toy Fair in New York during February, highlighting the past greats of the toy world as well as future expectations for new gizmos and gadgets. 



In light of this succession of high-profile events, Vertbaudet - the popular mother and child brand - took a look at the toys that have endured over the decades, going all the way back to the 50s.

 

In its quest, the company tried to separate the one-hit wonders from those that have retained their popularity in the long-term, ultimately trying to discover what the common denominator was that got kids excited about toys regardless of the era they grow up in.


 

Professor Jeffrey Goldstein, a psychology expert with the National Toy Council, is one man with countless experience in the industry. Speaking to Vertbaudet, he identified how the common trend among the new toys and dolls was hardly ground-breaking - in the best possible way. "A lot of retro toys are back," he said, "including the re-furbished Furby and Power Rangers."

 

Indeed, it was identified by the specialist that retro toys are a popular purchase because parents feel a connection with the toys too, whether or not they actually owned them themselves. Professor Goldstein suggested that parents and grandparents may feel that such toys represent a link to a "simpler time".


 

Of course, there are a lot of popular retro toys to choose from; Vertbaudet's list of nostalgia-prompting playthings selected the top picks over the decades, with most either still in production or being rereleased to a positive market many years after their initial creation.

 

Starting in the 1950s, Verbaudet's first choice was Barbie. Introduced by Mattel back in 1959, over 350,000 dolls were sold in the first year of production. Joined by Ken two years later, the 1/6th scale doll still sells three units every second.



 

In the 1960s, it was the turn of Etch-a-Sketch. This double-knobbed box is capable of moving a stylus that leaves a trail of aluminium powder on the screen; if things go awry, all you need to do is shake it and start again. Even 50 years later, it still has the same design.



 

The space hopper bounces into Vertbaudet's list in the 70s, becoming the primary mode of transport for children (and some adults). 




However, as the 1980s caught everybody up, it was Hungary's turn to rock the market. Erno Rubik created the world-famous Rubik's Cube, a puzzle made up of smaller cubes with coloured faces in a 3x3x3 design. If you're bored, why not try the real challenge: getting every one of the 43 quintillion different permutations of coloured squares on a Rubik's cube; either that, or attempt to break the world-record solving of 5.66 seconds.

 



In the 1990s, handheld computer games came into fashion with the Game Boy. This landmark toy made interactivity (as we know it today) truly portable, creating the classic puzzlegame Tetris alongside established characters such as Mario and Link.



 

Going back to more traditional toy roots in the late 1990s and early 2000s - and bringing us back to the present day - was the Furby. Hated and loved in equal measure, the gurgle-voiced wiggly-eared hairy friend of millions was not off the shelves for long, when an upgraded model went on sale in December 2012 - selling out almost instantly.



 

Concluding his brief analysis of the popularity of toys, Professor Goldstein said that in most cases, innovation is important if a toy is to find a place in a child's heart. "I think the Game Boy was one of the first hand-held game-devices and made playing games a mobile and personal thing," he said, earmarking his primary example of this trait. "It was a real shift."



Sweetbird Syrups Turn You into a Home Barista

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I'm not a huge plain coffee fan. What I do like is coffee from huge chain cafes, the ones with syrup and cream & sprinkles.

I've looked for coffee syrups before, but they seem quite hard to track down.
www.hellosweetbird.com has everything you could want to transform a filter coffee into a barista's masterpiece. 

There are various chocolate flavours, but check out the giant list of flavours above you can pick from! Cherry, Coconut, Gingerbread, Cinnamon- you can make your own 'Red Cups' all year round, at a fraction of the price.

www.HelloSweetbird.com sent me some syrups from the range to try, which made some delicious coffee, but then I had a cool idea.

My friend Claire fromwww.LilyPinkBakery.com makes the top cupcakes in all of Belfast, and I thought she could work some magic with a few squirts of Sweetbird.

Claire made these drool-worthy Pink Lady Toffee Apple cupcakes, using the Sweetbird syrup. 

If you are close to Belfast watch out for The Lily Pink Bakery at St. George's Market, you might get to try some Sweetbird inspired buns over the coming weeks.

If you want to try using Sweetbird for more than just coffee or milkshakes, they also have a recipe section with dozens of drink options and step by step instructions.

Groovy Beatles' Fan Gypsy Child Painting

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Sean emailed me with his eBay listing of this Jolyelle print he's selling. It's in perfect condition, despite living in a house with 450+ cacti! A collecting family after my own heart.

Unfortunately I can't add to my collection, so if you would like to adopt the Beatles' Fan, here is the listing.


A Wishlist of the Kitsch, Retro, Fancy & Fabulous from Littlewoods.ie Spring Collection

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LittlewoodsIreland.ie invited me to have a little nosy around their new Spring range on their website, Ireland's leading online department store.

 

I put together a wish list of my favourite pieces from their new collections.

Littlewoods have some very cool, sleek design rugs. These are my picks.

Contour Rug 159 Euros

Corsage Rug 329 euros

Estaban Rug. This one is amazing. 329 euros

 

Next a browse through the wide selection of mirrors.

Princess Perfect Mirror 84 euros

Sunburst Mirror 154 euros. A modern spin on the classic seventies' sunburst clocks.

 

There are also a wealth of bright and colourful soft furnishings which is an easy way to update a room without having to paint the walls yellow of a Sunday afternoon.

Estaban Wool Pouffe

Dog Bust I absolutely adore this. One for the kitsch cabinet.

 

Lastly, if you do fancy getting the wallpaper paste out, you couldn't get more kitsch than this, Flamingo print wallpaper.