I have divided this topic into two sections. This, the first section, explains what I found out about set versions in general terms and how I compiled the second section, the Visual Guide to Significant Version Differences, which lists 100 set version pairs where the contents of two consecutive versions are significantly different. The visual guide illustrates differences with photos.
Over the years, several Playmobil sets have been released in more than one version (with the same set number). Axel Hennel’s catalogue of Playmobil sets Collector contains many sets with additional versions, although some other sources ignore most of these. It is not always clear how one version differs from another especially as most of the sets with more than one version are from before 1990, so information is quite hard to come by.
(The version 1 sets shown in this chart are only the ones which were later superseded by a version 2)
Are set versions really of any interest?
Why bother about different versions of a set? Which versions are significantly different from one another, different enough to be of interest, or worth including in someone’s collection, or a catalogue of PM sets?
The answers to these questions are obviously a matter of personal choice, but answering them may depend on knowing exactly how one version differs from another and that’s not always easy to find out.
I have put together this summary of information and the accompanying Visual Guide to Significant Version Differences to help collectors find out more about different versions of sets. It is not complete, contains many assumptions and no doubt quite a few errors and omissions. There is a list of questions I would like to answer at the bottom of this page, so if you have any of the set versions mentioned, perhaps you could let me know if you have any answers, or any other corrections.
Sources of information on different versions of sets
I used the following sources to try to pin down some of the details of set versions:
- playmodb.org (PlaymoDB for short)- box pictures and set inventories
- Produktarkiv at www.playmobil.de (PA or de for short)- box and promotional pictures
- The topic ‘Datenbank setinhalt‘ at www.klickywelt.de (kw.de for short). Membership of this German language website is necessary to view the topic, but it is not difficult to set up your own membership! The topic shows pictures of pre-1990 set boxes and contents submitted by klickywelt members. Some of the set contents are still in their original plastic bags but most are laid out so it is easy to tell what was in the box. It is not a complete catalogue of sets (only 46 consecutive pairs of versions have all their contents shown laid out) and there are a few errors in some pictures.
- The 2009 publication Playmobil Collector 3rd Edition published by Fantasia Verlag GmbH, created by the late Axel Hennel. (Collector for short). Box pictures only, some comments.
- Direkt-Service Catalogues 1983-2016 issued for the German market. (scans here)
- Images from the internet showing Set contents. I have used these with care, but they can be very useful if they show box contents (e.g. of sets being made available for sale and described as ‘complete’).
Here are the numbers of multiple-version sets described in the first four sources:
| Source | Sets with up to 2 versions | Sets with up to 3 versions | Sets with up to 4 versions | Sets with up to 5 versions |
| PlaymoDB | 25 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| PM.de (Produkt-Arkiv) | 40 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Kw.de (Datenbank Setinhalt) | 113 | 26 | 7 | 2 |
| Collector 3rd Edition | 357 | 80 | 19 | 7 |
| Other (e.g. my observations) | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| All sources
(Total 482) |
369 | 86 | 20 | 7 |
The numbers above do not include licensee-issued sets such as those produced for Antex, Lyra, Famobil, Marx Toys, Schaper, Spain, etc. I have included all sets listed on pages 19 to 358 and 550 to 552 of Collector. I did include 8 USA sets (pages 494 to 531 of Collector) each with two versions because all 8 appear in PlaymoDB and were available to other markets apart from US.
Where a set was issued with a different number for international distribution (such as Viking Sets 3137 and 5707), I have not regarded these as different versions as they have different set numbers.
In some cases, a set may have more than one version but the parts are visually indistinguishable. For example, set 4287 was released in 2008 (instruction sheet dated 08.08). Two years later, sets bearing this number had a different set of building instructions (dated 12.10), showing different part numbers for some of the parts. However, the new parts were to all intents and purposes the same as the previous parts (similar colours, made in similar if not identical molds). It would probably be impossible to tell the 2008 and 2010 versions of the sets apart simply by examining the contents. I have therefore chosen not to regard the 2010 version of set 4287 as a separate version of the set.
Similar examples may be found by checking the PlaymoDB set inventories. If there are parts listed without quantities which have counterparts with a similar or identical description with quantities, it is perhaps because these parts were changed during the lifetime of the set (as with 4287 described above, the different part numbers may come from different versions of the building instructions). I have chosen not to regard these as different set versions unless at least one part was visually different in the second version (e.g 3456 building instructions for V3 and V4 differ in ten part numbers, but visually these parts are identical with their counterpart in the other version, apart from the red or green crosses on the klickies, hats and suitcases and the presence (V4) or absence (V3) of a tow-hitch on the vehicle). The set 3200 (Supermarket) was updated during its lifetime and 28 food containers were supplied with stickers already attached (in earlier versions this was done by the end-user). I have included this as a set with two versions because it seemed like a significant difference.
How good are box pictures for determining the difference between versions?
In looking for differences between set versions, I relied heavily on box pictures, but this has the drawback that the contents of a set don’t always exactly match the picture on the box. Some boxes have the word ‘Contents’ in several languages next to the main picture, perhaps implying the picture shows the contents definitively, and some boxes state ‘Colours may vary’ (Farben unverbindlich)-see 3513 below
In some cases it is probable that box pictures were created before the contents were produced, so the finalised contents might be different in one or more ways. Conversely, later versions may have box pictures which more accurately reflect the contents (earlier ‘errors’ having been corrected). But there is no certainty any particular box picture is a definitive representation of the contents of that set!
In addition to this, Set contents may vary over the lifetime of production, whether or not the differences constitute different versions- see set 3483 on Kw.de for a good example of variation within a version (three variants of version 2). Sometimes the Set contents definitely don’t match the box picture (e.g. ‘fixed’ wrists on the box picture but ‘free’ wrists on the klickies inside the box, rifles with handles on the box picture but without handles in the box). Set 3244 is a good example, described at Kw as having three differences from the box picture (grey wheels, silver shells, brown cannon rammer shown on the box are NOT found in the actual set, where they are light brown, yellow and yellow respectively). Sadly, this sort of helpful detail supplied by collectors who really know the early sets is seldom given, so I have had to assume the box pictures represent the Set contents in many cases.
I did find a few Kw.de Set contents pictures which are incomplete (e.g. 3456 V1 is missing a drip tube and cuff compared with building instruction sheet) and others where I suspect this may be the case.
What leads a PM set to be given more than one version number?
According to the explanation in German on page 9 of Collector,
“The version number indicates that at least one other package variant exists with identical part number and the same or similar content.” (My translation)
Collector regards package variation as the factor common to all sets with more than one version. In fact I found only one set (4025) where there was no discernible difference between the boxes of two versions, at least in the Collector pictures (I am at a loss to know why the two ‘versions’ were included, perhaps someone can enlighten me of the difference between the versions?).
But Collector also notes that Set contents can vary. In many cases, the differences between versions is minor, but in some there are major differences in set content.
Klickywelt follows the set versions shown in Collector. In a few cases, set versions shown on Klickywelt do not appear in Collector, and they are referred to as ‘nicht bekannt’ (not known [in Collector]). Examples include sets 3246, 3249, 3254, 3539, 3544 and 3561.
3258 is an example of a set where the differences between the two versions are obvious:
Version 1 1979/80-1987/88
(Known as 3258 on PlaymoDB and 3258-A on playmobil.de) |
Version 2 1987/88-1990/91
(known as 3258a on PlaymoDB and 3258-B on playmobil.de) |
(Pictures from Produkt-Arkiv at www.playmobil.de)
The differences include the colour of the vehicle, furniture, cups, klickies, etc. Some items are present in one version and not the other (parasol, sand-toys, hats differ). The klickies in version 1 had fixed wrists (no rotation) whilst those in version 2 had free wrists in a different colour from the rest of the arm. And Version 2 has an extra klicky too (the child). So there is no doubt these two versions are quite different (19 parts found in V1 and not in V2, 48 parts found in V2 and not V1) and could have been given different set numbers, but they weren’t.
Sometimes the differences between two versions are much less obvious, for example 3231:
Version 1 1979/80-1980/81
(known as 3231x on PlaymoDB and 3231-A on playmobil.de) |
Version 2 1980/81-1984/85
(not shown as a distinct version on PlaymoDB or playmobil.com) |
The only difference between the two versions here is a minor detail of box printing to the left of the Playmobil brand name (“4 KLICKY” in version 1 and “4x [figure symbol]” in version 2). Where information is available about box contents (for this set, there are photographs of the contents of both versions laid out at Klickywelt.de) it is possible to confirm that the two versions differed only in that small box detail in fact. I found 228 cases where two versions seem to differ only in such a small way as the two versions of 3231 shown above.
Incidentally, there is also a third version of set 3231 from 1984/5-1988/9 where the klickies have free wrists; this version has a different box picture showing the newer-style klickies. It is known as 3231 on PlaymoDB and 3231-B on playmobil.de.
Package types
Collector (see pages 10-11) and Klickywelt refer to the following package types:
- Blister Pack (plastic cover over the parts)
- Lineart Box (contents shown in white line-drawings on blue background on the back of the box)
- Klicky-Box: Klicky count shown as in example below
- Symbol-Box: Klicky count shown as in example below
- Outline Number: set number outlined in black as in example below
- Black/ White/ Pink Number: solid black/ white/ pink as in example below
- Black Number rounded-0 (as Black Number, but the dot over the I in ‘Playmobil’ is rounded with a flat top, below left not an angular trapezoid, below right
- Pink Number-0 (as above, but the dot over the I in ‘Playmobil’ is rounded with a flat top, not an angular trapezoid)
- Colour Number: white set number appears on a small coloured panel; the colours match broad themes
- Colour Code: the set number appears in a small panel with a klicky face matching the theme of the set
How many sets have significantly different versions?
Between the two extreme examples of version differences shown above there is a range of intermediate cases. Here is a summary of all version differences. (The 99 sets in the 3 segments at top left are featured in the Visual Guide)
All sets with more than one version and the differences I found between all versions are listed in the All sets database. All sets 21April2017
A note on stickers/decals
Early production techniques often led to details being applied to parts by means of self-adhesive stickers applied by the manufacturer or end user. For example, badges, logos or labels. Later, Geobra used either printing or more sophisticated molding techniques to add detail. See set 3201; the caps and tabards were originally created in white plastic with white and orange stickers applied. Later, the orange patches were achieved by molding orange plastic at the same time as the white. Set 3215 had stick-on helmet badges in earlier versions and printed-on ones later, I believe.
Queries
| Set | Query |
| 3068 | Does V2 have a shorter aerial as it appears in the box picture? |
| 3130 | V1 clown has painted face, V2 plain face- is this correct? |
| 3230 | V1- 5 horses* or 4~, 4 pairs* of light blue cuffs or 1~? (*Set for sale on ebay compared with ~box picture) |
| 3242 | In V1 are all the rifles without handles? |
| 3245 | Do both V1 and V2 have 4 horses? |
| 3257 | Any more differences between V1 and V2? |
| 3299 | Are there consistent differences in the colour of the foal between V1 and V2? |
| 3324 | Are there short cuffs on V1, long on V2? |
| 3342 | Are there 5 handguns in V1 but only 1 in V2? |
| 3351 | Are there an extra 2 light blue cuffs in V2? |
| 3354 | Uncertain difference: does v2 have the newer style rifle? |
| 3401 | Are motorbike paniers grey or green? (V1 box suggests grey, V2 box suggests green; a set on KW which might be V2 or V1 has green) |
| 3402 | Are the trolley colours (orange in V1, yellow in V2) consistent? Kw does not ascribe version numbers to the two variants shown |
| 3406 | Any klicky stands in V2? |
| 3407 | V1 box picture shows rifles without handles but the set on KW has rifles with handles- is this consistent throughout V1? (V2 has handles on rifles on box picture, so V1 and V2 would have identical contents) |
| 3408 | V1 box picture shows rifles without handles but the set on KW has rifles with handles- is this consistent throughout V1? (V2 has handles on rifles on box picture, so V1 and V2 would have identical contents) |
| 3412 | Does V2 have free wrists (difficult to tell from box picture)? |
| 3423 | Does V4 have a bed? |
| 3456 | Any difference in contents between V2 and V3? |
| 3518 | Does V1 contain the same 10 sub-parts as 30 60 2910? |
| 3540 | V2 has free wrists, are there any other differences between V1 and V2? |
| 3562 | Do the stickers differ between V1 and V2? |
| 4025 | What is the difference between V1 and V2 (no discernible difference in boxes) |
| 4356 | V1 has LGB box, V2 has PM box. Do the contents differ? |
| 4357 | V1 has LGB box, V2 has PM box. Do the contents differ? |
| 4360 | V1 has LGB box, V2 has PM box. Do the contents differ? |