The Sixth Park
- visited on September 11, 2000 -
In those days, 2000, the site playmobil.de announced officially that there were only five - German, Greece, France, USA*2(Orlando, Palm-Beach) - FunParks in the world.
But you believe it or not, the next sixth park surely existed in this globe.
It came in sight when I browsed the net lazily. I'm surprised to see the site had a description about an unfamiliar FunPark. The name is Malta. Now, although the name also came to be known, but I suppose that there were almost no people those who know the existence of this park those days. I also didn't know it, so I emailed to this site. After a while, I recieved the reply from a staff in that place. Yes, I made up my mind to go there.
It was one hour trip by air from Rome. As soon as I passed through the arrival gate, I went towards to the departure floor. Because I knew the Playmobil officail shop was located in one corner of the floor by the airport official site. There was one woman staff in the shop. She said to me "Where do you return?" "I arrived just now" I said. She looked amazed but
she took out a certain figure slowly. It was the elderly man on the front page of the web site.
On the next day, I really went to the place. I remembered it took 15 or 20 minutes to go there by bus from its capital Valleta.
This Funpark was put side by side with its office and factory, and all this building was built in one corner of an industrial complex.
I went outside but it was really narrow.
There is a board tell visitors to do or no to do. It was very fun.
I think the most exciting experience in this FunPark is company tour(Participants were prohibited to take photographs. So please imagine about what I describe after this).
This tour held 3 times a day means you can see how to make Playmobil with detailed explanation by a company staff. The processes to make Playmobil I remembered are :
Raw plastic material(tiny sphere) -> Fabrication -> Painting -> Assembly -> Measurement -> Packaging
At first, I was greatly surprised at the smell of a tighter paint. it is beyond my imagination. At the end of this tour, staffs might give you a Playmobil figure as a memory of this tour.
As well as other FunParks, this FunPark had a shop. There are many merchandises not only normal Playmobil Figures but also key holders, seals and more. Furthermore, you can purchase a voucher printed a Playmobil pierrot's face. But this voucher can be use only here. So if you get this, you have to return back here and use it at that time.
The prpduct with which I was impressed most were stationeries. They were a ball point pen and post-it. I heard from a shop staff that some workers in the office use the same goods,
this sound made me happy more.
I'd like to visit there again some day.
If you find some mistakes, please let me know. It's really helpful for me.