Born in Greiz, Thuringia, Beck grew up in the small town of Zirndorf, which had a history of toy manufacture.

At the end of World War II, when he was a teenager, he trained as a cabinet maker and also began to make model airplanes.

He competed in the FAI World Championships in Debrecen, Hungary in 1966 and won the individual title in the F1D class.

Brandstätter was not initially convinced by Beck's idea, but allowed the inventor to continue developing the product.

This prompted Geobra Brandstätter to consider products that generated more revenue for less plastic raw material than the hula-hoops and other large toys they had been producing.

[4] "Playmobil is a toy that doesn't impose specific play patterns on children," Beck has remarked, "but rather stimulates their imagination.

[4] When developing the product line, Beck always maintained the motto of, "No horror, no superficial violence, no short-lived trends".

Geobra Brandstaetter GmbH & Co. released a statement upon his death, stating, "(Beck) rendered outstanding services to the company in a special way," and noted that he worked, "with enormous craftsmanship talent and great qualification.

Hans Beck and Playmobil wrote an important chapter in toy history and made millions of children happy.