Bonniebeth's Playmobil Zoo Model

I recently stumbled across this YouTube video of a gigantic Playmobil zoo model. The video, entitled Bonniebeth's Playmobil Zoo Diorama, is embedded above. The miniature zoo has a variety of exhibits and animals which must have taken a lot of time and effort to stitch together. I wanted to know more so I contacted the creator and was able to gain some additional information about the passions behind this magnificent creation.

Bonniebeth: "...my biggest passion, besides Playmobil, is zoos! I visit zoos everywhere I go... so far I have been to nine different ones, with many more on my list that I'd like to see. I just love seeing how different zoos are laid out, what kinds of exhibits they build, and what types of animal enrichment they provide. Besides giving me inspiration for my Playmobil zoo, it gives me a chance to get some exercise and fresh air, spend some time with my husband who also loves zoos, and take lots of pictures of the animals. I just absolutely love zoos."

ZT: I couldn't agree with you more there! What inspired you to create this model zoo?

Bonniebeth: "So I guess you could my inspiration was just that... the various zoos I have visited, and my passion for animals and admiration of the conservation efforts that zoos take part in. It took me about four days to set all this up, but I had been planning it for a couple of years, planning different exhibits and acquiring the pieces I needed for it. A lot of the playmobil sets I used belonged to other themes, but I utilized pieces of them make creative exhibits, such as jungle ruins in the jaguar exhibit, a tree house for an orangutan exhibit, and a sun room for a tropical bird house. Also, some of the sets I needed for my ideas were older retired sets, so I had to turn to eBay to find what I needed. I actually got my very first playmobil zoo set almost 20 years ago, as a child, but I started back to collecting as an adult about four years ago, and now have an entire closet full of playmobil from not only the zoo theme (my favorite, of course), but many others as well."

ZT: Very interesting. Sounds like this has been in the works for quite some time. Where can people go to see more pictures of your model zoo?

Bonniebeth: "Here is a link to a playmobil forum, which I moderate on, where you can see lots of pictures. There's another round of pictures on page six of that thread."

ZT: I must say I love the attention to detail you're created. Thanks again for taking the time and showing us around your personal zoo diorama!

Check out our other zoo model posts.