#1044 ALME - WESTERN PLAY INDIANER (Ref. 1700) (Around 1984)

I sometimes complain about the lack of information regarding some Spanish toy manufacturer on the Internet but it is also the case of Italian, Greek or Hongkongese toymakers. But this also applies now to the German manufacturer ALME, from the DDR (Democratic Republic of Germany). They were producers of plastic cowboys and Indians, of that kind that can be combined by using several pieces that connect to each other (so-called Steckfiguren), similar to those made by Timpo or Manurba.

But it is not the case of this toy I found in a second hand shop. It is still in its original blister, so I decided to buy it. Otherwise I would have probably not buy it. It is an indian child, similar to or inspired by the character from the comic books and also the TV series Yakari, which was a Sioux boy capable of communicating with animals.

The figure is made of plastic and is poseable (thanks to a kind of cable skeleton). This type of toy is called Biegefigur in German and bendable in English. It comes with a couple of nice accessories: an axe and a shield. The second accesory is still attached to the plastic tree. It was sold under the “Western Play” with the reference No. 1700. I have been searching the Internet, and there are a few of this, but it does seem to be a single figure, there are no other characters in this series.

As said before, there is no information at all about ALME. The company logo carries the word "economical" and "quality", which maybe suggest, that their toys were not the top of the row, maybe limited to popular events, small shops and rare to find in big toy shops. At the time in which it was made (I guess it was in the mid-80s, as the TV series Yakari was aired between 1983 and 1986 for the first time), the quality of budget toys was much higher than it was in the 90s or the 2000s… so, it is a good toy overall.

FACTS AND FIGURES:

• Name: INDIANER
• Toy Line: Western Play
• Year: Around 1984
• Company: Alme (Democratic Republic of Germany)
• Size of the figures: Around 8 cm tall