News + Trends
"Sky Trails" launch in stores and are set to give Playmobil a boost
by Stephan Lamprecht
The Playmobil Barbie is coming
19.8.2025
Translation: machine translated
It's going pink! Playmobil announces another co-operation with Mattel: Barbie. Another attempt to save the faltering brand.
Back in May, Playmobil announced a cooperation for Monster High. And now Barbie
First products next summer
The Barbie x Playmobil collection is based on the popular series «Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures» and revolves around the beach lifestyle of Malibu.
According to the press release, the collection is designed to encourage children to create their own adventures «- by building, combining and re-enacting everyday moments». One such everyday moment is shown in the first and so far only product photo: a Barbie on roller skates walking a dog.
The product launch is planned for summer 2026.
Playmobil reinvents itself
While competitor Lego has enjoyed enormous success through collaborations with Star Wars, Harry Potter and other franchises, Playmobil has kept a low profile. The late company patron Horst Brandstätter rejected such partnerships because of the pre-moulded characters. As a result, Playmobil has lost two thirds of its turnover in recent years and had to cut 700 jobs.
For reputation expert Bernhard Bauhofer it's clear: «Playmobil is in a similar position to Lego a good 20 years ago.» Will Playmo be able to catch up?
Into the future with «Sky Trails» and franchise
Just a few days ago, Playmobil announced the official launch of «Sky Trails». The company has high hopes for the new and independent game system.
The collab with Mattel fits in with the proclaimed strategy «The future is now». Whether it works remains to be seen. In any case, Lego recorded sales of almost 66 billion euros in 2023, almost 15 times that of its former competitor Playmobil.
Lego is still cleverer
Adults who want to reconnect with childhood memories and play again are known in marketing parlance as «Kidults». A target group that Lego has been skilfully wooing for years. Lego has certainly rekindled my love of bricks with «Ideas». «Ideas» works like this: Fans submit suggestions for unusual models, such as a 90-centimetre-high replica of a Saturn V or a working travel typewriter. If they survive the voting of other fans, they are sold in the high-price segment. And that's really clever of Lego. Because if you vote for a set, you probably want to own it too.
Maybe Playmobil can now catch up
And Playmo? In recent years, Playmobil has repeatedly tried to capitalise on other brands. A few sets for the anime series «Heidi» or the legendary film series «Back to the Future» spring to mind. However, this felt more like an attempt: loveless and old-fashioned. Compared to the blockbusters from Lego (Star Wars, Ninjago), a Heidi shop looks out of date.
As a big play child, I like the cars much better. In my opinion, Playmobil is still at the beginning with its licences from Volkswagen, but it is taking a path that seems to make sense. People who were children between the end of the 70s and the beginning of the 80s not only know Playmobil, but also Beetles and the like.
Header image: Playmobil
Hamburg local, bookworm, and ice hockey fan. Dad and granddad. Constantly tinkering around with my smart home setup. I love DIY, the outdoors, fashion, and cosmetics.
