Pop-up store selling custom Playmobil makes a splash in Waterloo

A pop-up store selling Playmobil figures and Lego in Waterloo has been causing quite a stir since it opened in September. While usually the toys wouldn’t cause too many shoppers to bat an eyelid due to them being quite popular in many other stores, these ones are a little different…

Cédric Evrard, the owner of Les Petits Mondes d’Ivy-Rose in the Passage Wellington, is the first store to offer custom Playmobil figures. Basing his custom toys on the original factory standard, the former photojournalist moulds and paints the extra flourishes himself to create figurines that the brand does not produce itself.

The custom figures range from characters from Hollywood sagas such as Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings series, historical figures such as Napoleon and Neil Armstrong, and comic book heroes like Asterix and Lucky Luke. The customisation can take many hours of work and the resulting figures can cost collectors upwards of €80.

In addition to the customised figures, Evrard also sells individual original Playmobils and Legos. These are toys that are usually salvaged from damaged boxes which brands do not want to send to traditional distributors. Instead, they come to Les Petits Mondes d’Ivy-Rose. "Customers just buy the character or piece they want, without cardboard or packaging, which is both environmentally friendly and economical," Evrard said.

"Contrary to what you might think, 65% of my clients are adults," added Evrard. “There are schools and psychotherapists, but also jewellery designers, craftsmen and artists. Today, Playmobil is more than just a toy, it's a timeless art object."

The pop-up store is expected to leave Waterloo in mid-February and will probably move to another city. "We will also try to get into e-commerce, especially since I have Spanish, French or German customers," said Everard, who owns another store in his hometown of Saint-Hubert in the Province of Luxembourg.