Hans Beck | Playmobil inventor, 79

Hans Beck, 79, creator of the colorful plastic Playmobil toy figures that sold by the millions around the world, died Friday in Frankfurt, Germany, after a long illness.

A trained cabinetmaker and passionate model-builder, Mr. Beck became a pattern developer for Horst Brandstaetter in 1958. He created and developed the 3-inch-tall line of figures for the company, which were dubbed Playmobil and brought to market in 1974. A year later, the line went global. It has since expanded to include farm animals and dinosaurs, along with planes, trains, automobiles and ships. Some 2.2 billion of the toys have been sold.

"Playmobil is a toy that doesn't impose specific play patterns on children, but rather stimulates their imagination," said Mr. Beck, who retired in 1998. He once said his main rule for toy designs was "no horror, no superficial violence and no short-term trends."

- Associated Press