Playmobil has created an online community to bring older fans of the brand together.

The company - which operates a free UK Birthday Club that sends birthday and Christmas cards to its 14,000 members - this week officially launched The Playmobil Collectors Club, which costs £8 a year to join and is open to those aged 13-plus. Members can share photos of their collections online, and will be offered discounts, exclusive merchandise and previews of new toys.

Playmobil has enjoyed strong supermarket sales of its blind-packed figure range (rsp: £1.99), which was expanded this summer with a third series that included the brand’s first pregnant character.