Playmobil Security Check Point: Toys Get A Reality Check March 11, 2008

Read more Entertainment , Gadgets , Gizmodo UK

What times we live in. There was time when your kid’s play toys included firehouses, hospitals and police stations but that’s just so 1950s now, which is why Playmobil have released the Security Check Point.

I’m betting that’s one side effect of the War on Terror the experts didn’t predict. The blurb on Amazon – it’s out of stock unfortunately – says:

"The woman traveller stops by the security checkpoint. After placing her luggage on the screening machine, the airport employee checks her baggage. The traveller hands her spare change and watch to the security guard and proceeds through the metal detector. With no time to spare, she picks up her luggage and hurries to board her flight!"

However, far more interesting is this customer review:

"I was a little disappointed when I first bought this item, because the functionality is limited. My 5 year old son pointed out that the passenger's shoes cannot be removed. Then, we placed a deadly fingernail file underneath the passenger's scarf, and neither the detector doorway nor the security wand picked it up. My son said "that's the worst security ever!". But it turned out to be okay, because when the passenger got on the Playmobil B757 and tried to hijack it, she was mobbed by a couple of other heroic passengers, who only sustained minor injuries in the scuffle, which were treated at the Playmobil Hospital.

The best thing about this product is that it teaches kids about the realities of living in a high-surveillance society. My son said he wants the Playmobil Neighbourhood Surveillance System set for Christmas. I've heard that the CC TV cameras on that thing are pretty worthless in terms of quality and motion detection, so I think I'll get him the Playmobil Abu-Gharib Interrogation Set instead (it comes with a cute little memo from George Bush)."

The oddest thing of all on the Amazon page is the list of other items buyers of the Security Check Point bought: all books by top drawer flake, L.Ron Hubbard, father of Scientology. Do they know something we don’t?-Martin Lynch

[The Register & Playmobil]

toys security geek fun