Kmart Gets Playmobil 2-Packs

While doing a tour of stores around the USA, we just spotted a bunch of new Playmobil sets at a Kmart in Phoenix, AZ. Interestingly, the retail prices are a few dollars cheaper than Los Angeles and they are also carrying a few items we have not seen previously. Pirate set 5826 and Crusaders set 5825 were $3.99 each. We hear the prices are higher at other Kmarts, and are not yet able to confirm Wal-Mart or other store pricing.

Toys "R" Us Gets Lots of New Playmobil (if you're in the USA)

It seems that all of a sudden, some (but not all) Toys "R" Us stores in the USA are getting a massive push of new product. Some stores have stuff in more than one aisle, with all sorts of sizes and price points to delight and amuse. Even more astonishing, there were loads of sets I haven't seen before, so being my lazy self, I didn't write down all the numbers for your reference. (Sorry.) Here are some of the things we saw in today's runs:

Circus
Small clown, $100 tent, dog act, pony act, tightrope, and what probably amounted to the entire new theme minus one or two sets.

Take Alongs
In addition to the 4774 Barbarian set we reported earlier, a new Knight set (4775) and Pirate set (4776) were available. It didn't seem like there was a spot for a fourth set, so that seems to be that.

Knights
A red dragon-with-barbarian is available for $20. It's the older dragon mold (the one with arms).

Dinosaurs
Seemingly the entire line is being sold at Toys "R" Us for roughly the same prices Playmobil sold it for directly in January. Even the boring little quad is there.

Romans
There's a Roman camp, 5838 Gladiators with tiger, and some larger sets you have no doubt seen elsewhere.

Christmas
The return of the Nativity Scene, and a new advent calendar packed with little woodland creatures. In other words, zzzzz.

Now if I wasn't so cheap to not have a camera phone, I could probably share pictures. Since so many new items were there today, it seems unlikely there would be too much more-- but it's nice to see the biggest toy retailer in the US picking up some serious slack for the brand. It's as close as we've ever seen to a full year's line outside of a specialty toy retailer.

Sadly, there were no new Specials (or Pals) to be seen, and there were no sign of the new blister packs we're told are being sold at select larger Wal-Mart stores. There were, however, a large number of older sets which have been at the stores for ages or have been restocked.

More New Playmobil Castle (or Knights) at Target

Tonight's journeys yielded not one, but two new Playmobil sets with knights in them. As part of the new (and seemingly US exclusive) winged knights and dragons theme, this new assortment was spotted at Target for $9.99 a pop.

5836 Green Knight and Cannon
5832 Dragon Wing Knight and Fire Catapult

The Green Knight and Cannon looks more or less like a standard entry in any of the swords-and-sorcery sets. The Dragon Wing Knight is uniquely new, and it has a really slick catapult that, as you may have guessed, launches little plastic balls of fire. I think these are new to this set. Each has a couple of figures and a smattering of accessories, making it a fairly decent deal for the price. They certainly aren't stunning values or what we'd consider a must-buy set, but you're likely to get your fun out of them.

Playmobil 5840 Flying Knights, Dragon Released

As revealed many moons ago, the "flying knight" or "flying dragon knight" is finally making an appearance in what appears to be another mass-market exclusive set. The 5840 Dragon Rock does indeed include a dragon and a rock, but also has a catapult, a flying knight, and other tidbits. The new dragon is certainly different from previous releases, and we'd also like to point out the helmet on one of the knights on the packaging. It's turned around like 90 degrees so he's looking out the side. Not so hot.

UPDATE: We have since found the set in a Los Angeles-area Target for $19.99. Happy hunting, Playmobil fans!

Third New Blister 2-Pack Spotted

Over on the Playmofriends forums, user playmogirl has posted a shot of a previously unseen set she found at Toys "R" Us. Set 5818 contains two previously released specials: Sir Polka Dot and Sentry, both of which are slightly older and slightly harder to find sets these days. This may mean even more await you in the wilds of retail, and we'll keep you posted as we see more if we see more.

It's also worth noting that "Sir Polka Dot" was issued in Pals packaging in the USA a few years ago, but under the name "Battle Knight." Both sets were numbered 4567, although the Pals set has the distinction of actually having had the name "Battle Knight" written on its box.