Toy Story

April 8, 2008 / Add comment

European kids didn't receive any Playmobil-branded tanks or warplanes this past holiday season -- the German company refuses to produce those sorts of toys, regardless of consumer demand. (Though Playmobil policemen are "armed to the teeth," and historic heroes brandish all manner of impressive weaponry.) The Economist uses European toy companies Playmobil and Lego, of Denmark, to characterize European attitudes toward globalization, war, and business, effectively showing how toy sales and production methods mirror the companies' -- and Europe's -- unique cultural ideology.