Life
What if Zeus Was Three Inches Tall?
The Gods of Olympus get the Playmobil treatment to help children in need
“Have you seen Athena’s helmet?” “No, but I’ve got Zeus’ lightning bolt and cloak. I still can’t find his hair!”
It’s a warm day with humidity levels at around 90 degrees and I am among a group of Greek journalists visiting a factory in Malta: 10 adults acting like kids. It’s an inevitable transformation as soon as you cross the threshold of the Playmobil factory on the Island of the Knights. Some 100 million of the little plastic figures have been produced here every year since 1974, when Playmobil Malta Ltd was founded, and the total number has now surpassed 3 billion.
The Playmobil Athena is decked out in a white chiton with gold details and an orange cloak. She holds a spear and a shield depicting a kid-friendly version of Medusa’s head. The box in which she’s sold also contains an owl and snake (symbols of her wisdom).
Zeus sports a long white beard and his clothes are also adorned with gold details. He holds a lightning bolt and the box also contains an eagle. I don’t know what an ornithologist would have to say, but it certainly doesn’t look like any of Greece’s native species, though it does bear an uncanny resemblance to the bald eagle that has been the emblem of the United States since 1782. Maybe I’m just being pedantic, and the truth is that the new figures are sure to be a big hit with children, as well as parents who grew up with Playmobil toys – and I’m looking forward to the launch of the other 10 gods.
Zeus and Athena are available at the Playmobil FunPark in the northern Athenian suburb of Kifissia and at toy stores across the country.
