How a toy figure of Luther sparked charges of anti-Semitism

Cloaked in black robes, Playmobil’s toy figure of Martin Luther holds a quill in one hand and his German translation of the Bible in the other.

But the inscription on the open pages of the Bible led to a theological controversy and a change to the toy’s design for this year of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.

Back in 2015, after consulting with a Protestant theologian, Playmobil, one of Germany’s leading toy manufacturers, rolled out a three-inch plastic figure of Martin Luther.