Cobi (building blocks)
Encyclopedia
COBI is a Polish toy company with its headquarters in Warsaw
, Poland
. COBI's most prominent toys are building blocks - sold primarily in Poland and central Europe. They sell other products but none of these are available from the company's English language online store. The COBI website accepts payment in Polish Zloty or Euros. The building block themes are: Small Army, Tannenberg 1410, Action Town, Boeing, Renault F1 Team, Romans & Barbarians, McLaren, Pirates, and Creative Power. Small Army is a military theme with tanks, aircraft, artillery, forts, and ships; Tannenberg 1410 is a medieval theme based on the Battle of Grunwald
, it includes siege craft, fortresses, and knights on horseback; Action Town is a town theme with police, firefighter, and construction sets; McLaren is a Formula 1 racing theme; and Creative Power isn't a theme at all with sets of loose blocks and simple vehicle sets where the vehicles are less than 30 pieces each. The other themes are self explanatory. COBI's variety of themes is not nearly as expansive as Lego
's product lines but they have an abundance of sets in each theme. The building blocks don't use very many special pieces and are reminiscent of older Lego
sets from the 70s and 80s. The mini figures look similar to Lego
figures. however most figures have a head with a nose sticking out, others also have a mustache. The most notable distinction from Lego
is that COBI has four military and para-military themes, with more than two thirds of the sets belonging to one of these four themes.
In COBI and BEST-LOCK announced a merger on February 2, 2006. BEST-LOCK, another privately owned toy manufacturer, had a strong presence in North America and Asia. The merger has since yielded co-branded building block toys. Toys are still sold under the separate labels BEST-LOCK and COBI, but many COBI sets appear in North American retailers such as Toys R' Us and Amazon.com
under the BEST-LOCK brand. BEST-LOCK adds a space themed set called War of the Outer Planets, and Dinosaurs.
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. COBI's most prominent toys are building blocks - sold primarily in Poland and central Europe. They sell other products but none of these are available from the company's English language online store. The COBI website accepts payment in Polish Zloty or Euros. The building block themes are: Small Army, Tannenberg 1410, Action Town, Boeing, Renault F1 Team, Romans & Barbarians, McLaren, Pirates, and Creative Power. Small Army is a military theme with tanks, aircraft, artillery, forts, and ships; Tannenberg 1410 is a medieval theme based on the Battle of Grunwald
Battle of Grunwald
The Battle of Grunwald or 1st Battle of Tannenberg was fought on 15 July 1410, during the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War. The alliance of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, led respectively by King Jogaila and Grand Duke Vytautas , decisively defeated the Teutonic Knights, led...
, it includes siege craft, fortresses, and knights on horseback; Action Town is a town theme with police, firefighter, and construction sets; McLaren is a Formula 1 racing theme; and Creative Power isn't a theme at all with sets of loose blocks and simple vehicle sets where the vehicles are less than 30 pieces each. The other themes are self explanatory. COBI's variety of themes is not nearly as expansive as Lego
Lego
Lego is a line of construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts...
's product lines but they have an abundance of sets in each theme. The building blocks don't use very many special pieces and are reminiscent of older Lego
Lego
Lego is a line of construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts...
sets from the 70s and 80s. The mini figures look similar to Lego
Lego
Lego is a line of construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts...
figures. however most figures have a head with a nose sticking out, others also have a mustache. The most notable distinction from Lego
Lego
Lego is a line of construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts...
is that COBI has four military and para-military themes, with more than two thirds of the sets belonging to one of these four themes.
In COBI and BEST-LOCK announced a merger on February 2, 2006. BEST-LOCK, another privately owned toy manufacturer, had a strong presence in North America and Asia. The merger has since yielded co-branded building block toys. Toys are still sold under the separate labels BEST-LOCK and COBI, but many COBI sets appear in North American retailers such as Toys R' Us and Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
under the BEST-LOCK brand. BEST-LOCK adds a space themed set called War of the Outer Planets, and Dinosaurs.