Blogger Nikos Papadopoulos has taken a German toy and created a dark, witty commentary on life in Greece, but not everyone is happy with the genius result, especially not the German Playmobil toymaker itself that sought to remove his images from the internet.

He describes himself as a “happy father, unhappy Greek” on his infamous blog, known as  ‘Plasticobilism ’ (and on his Facebook page here ). He first began to use Playmobil as a medium when purchasing toys for his son, but soon realized that the plastic men, women, children and entire Playmobil community could be used to cast a political message.

So from astrophysicist and professional screenwriter, Papadopoulos became a toymaster, spreading the dark and gloomy message of Greece with playfulness and charm – far more effective than a long-winded political debate.

He fought austerity with the Germans’ own plastic figurines, but Playmobil was not ammused and complained to Facebook to take down his page without warning. The company said that the page and blog violated its rights as it used the name Playmobil – but Papadopoulos changed the name, though the messages are just as gloomy whether it be Playmobil or Plasticobilism.