Barn Owl (Wild Animals by Papo)

The barn owl is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful birds of prey in the world. With its white, golden-ash plumage, and uncannily silent flight, there’s an otherworldly allure to these birds; undoubtedly this is why the bird is also nicknamed the ghost owl, and how it’s managed to spook many a farmer or unwary traveler throughout history. Tyto alba is not the only species under the Tyto genus, nor the only member of the family bearing the moniker of “barn-owl”; but T. alba is certainly the most familiar and most beautiful.

With such fame to its name, it’s only natural Tyto alba should get some collectibles to its name as well. Sure enough, a number of prominent toy brands have released their different takes on the ghostly night predator, including Safari, K&M, Mojo, and Collecta. Papo produced a figurine as well, checking off their barn owl box in 2013, and the resulting product is the subject for this review.

Papo’s barn owl, released under their Wild Animals series as merely “owl”, stands 6 cm tall and stretches roughly 6.5 cm (2.5 in) long from head to tail tip – the folded wings might add another centimeter. Living barn owls average 33-39 cm (13-15 in) long, so the figure fits within 1:5 or 1:6 scale. Numerous subspecies (sometimes split into distinct species) are recognized in connection to T. alba, but it’s likely Papo’s figure is based on the Western barn owl (T. alba alba) or the American barn owl (T. alba furcata). The figure is sculpted in a basic standing posture, feet flat on the ground, with head turned to the left in idle observation. An impressed stamp on the lower right wing bears the copyright info.

Proportions generally look good on the figure, although it can be hard to gauge dimensions on a feathered animal sometimes. The body is relatively sleek and smooth, streamlined in shape from the head down. The feet have been enlarged on the figure, likely for balancing purposes; barn owls have rather modestly-sized feet by raptor standards. Ironically, the talons – which are quite long and sharp on the real bird – have been extremely blunted on the figure. The dullness of the tips is understandable for child safety, but did they have to be sculpted so short? The killing talons of raptors are their signature feature as a paraphyletic group, so it’s a bit of a shame they’re not on better display here.

As a company, Papo pride themselves on the “realistic” details of their figurines. The barn owl is certainly well-detailed, although it might be less consistently so on close inspection. The heart-shaped facial disk looks excellent, with finely-feathered sculpt patterns, a small but pronounced curved beak, and deep glossy inset eyes. Past the facial disk, feathers grow progressively larger as plumage extends down the body and wings; at the shoulders, however, there is a seam between the head and body mold parts which is just a little more obvious than it should be, due to the sculpt and paint qualities changing. Feathers on the wings are shaped nicely, but look noticeably smoother and more plastic than the plumage on the head and breast.

The paint applications on the toy are similarly good, if inconsistent. Barn owls come in a range of beautiful tawny & golden yellow/browns, mixed with soft ashy greys. Papo’s toy does a pretty good job capturing this range, with a layer of washed orange-yellow on the neck and a light grey cap. The face is solid creamy white with ruddy brown trimming to the eyes and rim of the facial disk; application is a bit heavy, but still fitting to the likeness of the bird. All along the back, little “eyespots” freckle the plumage to nice effect, further breaking up the patterns in an almost fluid manner like what is seen in the real birds. The breast is a cooler tint of white with a faint lavender wash to bring out the sculpted feathers. The figure lacks any speckling on the underside though, which is commonly seen in live individuals.

The caveat to the coloration comes again with the separate mold pieces. While the head and underside blend well enough, the wings show a stark transition. The base colors of yellow and grey are about the same, but the wings lack the additional paint wash that adds depth to the plumage, making the wings look flat and much more plastic. On their own that’s not so bad, but it’s a bit jarring in context of all the figurine’s parts. The black-&-white dots are also sloppier across the wings on my copy. Thankfully, these issues aren’t obvious from a distance or at a casual glance, so most customers needn’t be worried. The feet are a flat dirty yellow in conclusion, with simple black talons; flip the figurine over, though, and some grey stripes mark the shadows between toe joints. Not a bad touch!

While Papo’s barn owl isn’t the most consistently-produced model they have, it’s a very fine and affordable representation of an iconic owl, one of the most striking predatory birds in the world. The market isn’t wanting for barn owl toys, but I dare say Papo’s is one of the best, so this figure comes recommended. To my knowledge, the figure is still in production, so you should be able to purchase it through any regular retailers for Papo products; I recommend Happy Hen Toys for USA customers, which is where I bought mine.