ATNTFTB: Playmobil Finds Fun in the Police State

After keeping at this exercise for 10 whole days–that’s 2 work weeks of distraction and time-wasting, I’m going to stop posting the number for All the News That’s Fit to Blog. Why? It’s too hard to remember what day I’m on now that I’m in double digits. So, in the spirit of having an acronym for everything, I’d like to introduce ATNTFTB. Nice right? I’m a proud Georgia Tech graduate and adept user of acronyms.



The article I selected today comes pre-packaged with mocking and cultural critque already included. Playmobil–which I always thought of as the toy that’s not quite as fun as Legos–has introduced a Security Checkpoint Play Set. The toy attracted harsh comments on Amazon, and I was pleased to learn that Amazon’s policy is to remove reviews if they happen to be profane, but not if they are merely facetious.

One reviewer wrote:

“I applaud Playmobil for attempting to provide us with the tools we need to teach our children to unquestioningly obey the commands of the State Security Apparatus,” wrote one Amazon reviewer pseudonymously.”

I’m fairly certain that anonymous reviewer is PL’s brother, by the way.

The less cynical parts of me realize that toys like this help kids learn about different situations in daily life, and going through airport security can be flustering and intimidating for adults too (ask me sometime about having a stranger remove my belt–well, I guess that’s all there was to it, a stranger removed my belt and it was creepy). Teaching kids what to expect before they meet uniformed people with guns but little authority except to make them take off their shoes and walk through a metal detector is a great idea, and everyone behind you would appreciate your kids not freaking out when it’s their turn.

Even better is that the article, with a seemingly straight face, also mentions that those intersted in the airport security play set “might also enjoy another toy on Amazon, the Playmobil Police Checkpoint, a roadblock scene with armed officers, pylons and warning lights.”