Canada Goose (Wild Animals by Papo)

Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972

If you had to name the most fearless and ferocious bird in the world, which one would you choose? The great horned owl, which regularly preys on hawks and other owls larger than itself? The harpy eagle, which boasts the biggest talons of any bird of prey and can carry off a 15-pound sloth? Or the cassowary, which is on record for actually killing a human being with its huge claws? Those are all strong candidates, methinks, but if you ask any number of Canadians, they’ll likely give you the same answer: the prolific, iconic, and frequently irritating Canada goose (Branta canadensis).

Although the Canada goose rivals the beaver as a national symbol, there have been relatively few toys made of it. Perhaps that has to do with the fact that it’s as much of an annoying pest as it is a cultural icon. They rank right up there with pigeons and rats in terms of adapting to human civilization: they live comfortably on farmers’ fields, golf courses, and public parks and beaches—and befoul them with their excrement in the process. They have been involved in numerous bird strikes with aircraft while flying in their famous V-shaped formations, including the famous US Airways Flight 1549 incident. And they can be downright vicious and dangerous to random people, but more on that in a bit.

Here we have Papo’s 2021 Canada goose figure. It is sculpted in a rearing pose with its neck curved and its wings spread wide, looking as though it is either stretching, displaying, or alighting on the ground. It measures a respectable 5.5 cm tall and 7 cm long with a wingspan of slightly over 12 cm.

The head and neck are painted black with a white chinstrap. The tips of the tail feathers white and black and the large, webbed feet are black with grey wash. The breast is white painted over with beige and the wings and the back are greyish-brown with darkened tips. All of these colours have been applied with great care and anyone would be able to instantly recognize this toy as a Canada goose.

The sculpting is just as impressive. The feet have a pitted texture, the breast looks soft and fluffy, the head and neck feel sleek, and most importantly of all for any flying bird figure, the wings feature all the different types of feathers, from the primaries and secondaries to the various coverts. This Papo product is on par with any from CollectA or Safari Ltd.

In terms of accuracy, the neck looks to be a little short at first glance, but it could just be that this individual is retracting its neck as many species of waterfowl are capable of doing. No real way of telling which of the seven subspecies it is, or whether it’s a male or a female. Canada geese are monogamous and both parents look after the goslings once they hatch, with one leading them in a line and the other bringing up the rear. And when confronted by any real or perceived threat, the parents go on the offensive, particularly the larger males. They will spread their wings wide and hiss loudly, charge on the ground or in the air, and peck and bite with their hard bills and swat with their powerful wings. Many an unsuspecting person has forced to flee or been knocked clean off their feet or their bicycle by an attacking Canada goose. So have far larger and more powerful animals for that matter!

Overall, Papo has delivered a very good toy of a very annoying, yet at the same time very respectable bird. This Canada goose is generally available wherever Papo products are sold.