I was thinking for my next review I should do a rodent or lagomorph. I decided to review the eastern grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis Gmelin, 1788) by Safari LTD, which was released for their North American Wildlife line in 2006. The figure was marketed simply as ‘squirrel’ but was clearly intended to represent this species. I lived alongside this squirrel for 9 years in Atlanta from 2007-2016. I was excited to see them when I first moved there and still enjoyed them the day I left! A lot of people do not like them, as they get into chimneys, attics, and furnaces and set up nests, essentially becoming domestic pests. But, I always really liked them (even when I had them in my attic).
The eastern grey squirrel is native to the eastern half of the United States and adjacent Canada. It has been introduced to Europe, Australia, and South Africa where it has become a pest. It was eventually eliminated in Australia, but it is still a pest in Europe where it has displaced the native red squirrel (S. vulgaris) in several localities.
The figure is a very nice rendition of this species. the figure measures 5.5 cm body length (excluding the tail), making the figure 1:5 on average. The total length of the figure is 7.0 cm (note that is total length of the figure; it would be longer if the tail was stretched out).
The paint is simple, matte gray with a whiter underside. It would be a little more realistic if it had some red worked into the gray. The eyes are realistic but the ears and nose are painted pink, like rodent and rabbit figures often are. Still, overall it is a very nice representation.
The figure also come with an acorn (seed of an oak tree) in its mouth, as if gathering nuts to prepare for the winter ahead. Some collectors do not like figures with objects/food in their mouths, but I think it gives the figure a certain charm.
This figure makes a nice collectible or a children’s toy. Surprisingly, unlike its Eurasian red cousin, figures of this species are rare. The only other representative I can track down is a very red-colored figure by K&M International. So if you are a collector of species, this might be one for you!
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It just occurred to me that this is a ‘Wild Safari’ figure, do you think it would be possible to add that to the title?
I added it; I had left it off initially as I thought Safari dropped ‘Wild Safari’ from the North American line
…but I could be wrong 🙂