Miniature Martin Luther beats Angela Merkel and Darth Vader

What’s 7.5cm long, took on the pope and sold out in 72 hours? Playmobil’s homage to the the father of the reformation, Martin Luther.

Some 500 years after he broke with Rome, Martin Luther is breaking sales records in Germany. Bookshop shelves are groaning with new titles, museums compete for visitors to their exhibitions and, in the middle of it all, Protestants are distraught at news that the toy Martin Luther has sold out its entire 34,000 production run even before Reformation anniversary events kick off next month.

Sales records

Playmobil, based outside Nuremberg, produced the €2.39 figure as a special edition for the city’s tourist authority. It is now on sale for up to €1,000 on eBay. Fans claim the tiny Luther figure has smashed previous sales records set by the Playmobil Darth Vader and Angela Merkel.

“No one knew it would go so quickly,” said Anna Ermann, a spokeswoman for the German toy company.

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Disappointed Playmobil and Luther lovers have gone online to air their frustration, and to demand that the company do more than simply reissue Luther.

In a special Facebook group, users have demanded the company produce a set of Reformation accessories

In a special Facebook group, users have demanded the company produce a set of Reformation accessories, including Wartburg castle where the monk worked on his German-language translation of the New Testament, and where he was reportedly pestered by the devil. Others want to see other Reformation figures, including Luther’s wife Katharina von Bora.

Second run

“On his own, there’s no play enjoyment – that has to change,” fumed one Facebook user in a post liked by 1,000 others.

Yielding to demand, Playmobil is producing a second run of 100,000 Luthers. Some of those who snapped up one of the first run suggest the second edition should have some changes. Laden down with accessories – hat, cape, bible and quill – the man who insisted, “Here I stand, I can do no other”, has, in the Playmobil version, a worrying habit of falling over.