Whoah! That sure is a big Playmobil person! (click to expand.)

This post is part of a series where we celebrate the many beautiful and characterful sights of Princeton, NJ. You can find previous entries in this series here and here or by searching our site for ‘beautiful walkable Princeton’.

Gigantic Playmobil personages recently appeared at the corner of Hulfish and Chambers Street in downtown Princeton, sentries for a Playmobil store that has appeared for the holiday season (yes, it’s here all right!)

The store, which has been opened in partnership with local toy store jaZams will remain until December 31 of this year. In addition to long-time kid favorite Playmobil, which is apparently the largest German toy manufacturer, the store also offers ‘Lechuza‘ self-watering planters- a Playmobil sister-brand.

This place looks like fun. (click to expand.)

‘Pop-up retail’, where companies rent stores for short-term projects, is an emerging trend. Whereas Halloween seasonal stores have been around for ages, the phenomenon is now spreading to many different sectors. This store looks like a lot of fun, but maybe it’s good that it’s not permanent. Those huge Playmobil folks look kind of scary, especially their hands, which appear even more like giant pincers when expanded to real-life size.

Have you been to the Playmobil store? What did you make of it? Do you think it’s a good fit for Princeton? Should it be a permanent feature, or will you be glad to see it gone come New Year? Have your say using the comment box below!