I'm curious. Not alot of people have talked about gifts from their parents as kids. Like, did you all just take that for granted or were they really crappy gifts of love?
Well, for me the playmobil ship was important for a number of reasons.
First, it was expensive for a toy. Maybe my gaming computer was more expensive but it was more useful and important so it was pretty reasonable. A toy on the other hand, is not. Someone could find it ill-advised to buy an expendable and useless toy for so much money. And I knew that then. But I actually got it and that's why it had so much impact on me.
Moreover, I was kid then (9) and I was a lot more enthusiastic about gifts.
Also it was the first toy to put me in a circle of the playmobil frenzy and enthusiasm that not only made me spend a lot of money on toys but also made me discover the internet and thus discovering animation and turning into a playmobil aficionado. You could say that it was a pivotal point in my life. In an alternate universe where I never got that toy and never got invested in playmobil toys I would be a different guy.
Lastly, there is an interesting side-story behind this. Before I got the gift, I was talking to my godfather who paid a visit about this ship I really wanted. I said that since it was so expensive there was no chance that I would get it. When my father returned his said to me to go to the car. I, confused, went to the car and I saw the pirate ship inside. The one I always wanted.... yeah... Someone who remembers how being a little kid is would surely understand how amazing I felt.