To clarify: it isn’t the best-selling toy of all time.
It’s the fastest-selling Playmobil toy of all time. Of all Playmobil toys, it has sold the fastest.
Thank you I was wondering where these numbers were coming from because they actually sound really low.
And are these real sales or are we talking distribution?
Next up: the Hitler toy! Hey, why not. They thought the same way. Was Playmobil not aware of this?
That’s quite a leap, going from “fastest-selling Playmobil figure of all time” to “best-selling toy of all time”.
Best-selling sells better than quickest selling.
While Luther’s ugly treatise is indefensible, I call Godwin’s Law. Perhaps the fastest example of Godwin’s Law of all time.
Of course they were. It’s a German company. Not very surprisingly both Luther and antisemitism feature rather prominently in our history lessons. That bit of information is hard to avoid.
Astonishing as it may be, Luther is still admired by some people today, despite having published one antisemitic rant. Among them are millions of Lutherans, myself included, and also presumably the parents of two Drs. King.
Turns out he did other things, too.
Also, what an adorable toy! I hope nobody is buying them for children, but I can see this as a gag gift for clergy.
More than one, and there’s also his treatment of the Peasants’ Revolt and a some other issues. He seems to be a good person to bring up if people argue that Islam is inherently violent due to issues with some of Mohammed’s life and teachings. Lutherans (or Protestants in general) are not antisemitic as a rule, and there’s no problem with them admiring Luther and his teachings. If some of them take On the Jews and Their Lies as some kind of inspired teaching, then we do have a problem.
I can see it being very popular - my brother just finished a PhD in theology, so I may send one on to him.
“Careful with that quill, Adolf, you’ll put Poland’s eye out!”
I don’t think I have contradicted that. However his antisemitism is still pretty well known in Germany (and arguably always has been, while the judgment changed in recent decades.)
(movie trailer voice)
In a world of extreme political correctness and fear of lawsuits, a single remaining toy company stands out by keeping making toys they think children will enjoy, even if they include guns, crime, thorny non-make-believe historical themes, and yes, even religion.
Personally, I like them even more for this. i think there’s a place in the world for their toys, in the vast gap between “approved by the committee of decency and thinking of the children” guaranteed-not-to-offend toys and over-the-top shock value “collectible for adults” figures.
Here, have a nun.
Does it comes with a Diet of Gummi Worms?
If someone subscribed to the prevailing “evil sentiment” of their time, I generally don’t hold it against them if they’re pretty much like everyone else in that respect, and give them tons of credit if they go against the majority consensus. I also revile them if they take the evil to a further level than others of their era. (That’s why I hate Columbus, but not so much Thomas Jefferson).
In this case, it would seem, Luther grew to such a rapid antisemitic position that even his contemporaries considered him over the top. As much good as he might have otherwise done, that glaring pro-active, above-and-beyond nastiness shouldn’t be ignored.
Gummi Werms. FTFY.
I was about to write the same thing. They could make this a series: Henry Ford, Richard Wagner…
If it came with the Junker Jorg disguise, I’d totally buy it.
One thing that he did that was admirable in my opinion (although Luther himself would have been horrified to learn of it) was to start the secularization of Europe. When the only form of Christianity in Western Europe was Roman Catholicism, religion was enormously powerful and was even more powerful than kings. After Luther all this changed. Then religion was subservient to the secular leaders (who could threaten to, and sometimes did, change their religion if they felt the clergy was getting too powerful).
