Other Notable Deaths

HANS BECK, 79

Creator of Playmobil toy figures

Hans Beck, creator of the colorful plastic Playmobil toy figures that sold by the millions around the world, died Jan. 30 in Frankfurt, Germany, after a long illness. His death was announced by Geobra Brandstaetter GmbH & Co., which owns the Playmobil brand.

A trained cabinetmaker and passionate model builder, Mr. Beck in 1971 created and developed the 3-inch-tall line of figures for the company, which were dubbed Playmobil and brought to market in 1974.

About 2.2 billion of the toys have been sold since their debut.