Cheetah Family (Toymany)

Before we begin, I would like to thank bmathison1972 for sending this set to me, which he received as a review sample from Toymany.

Although lions are widely regarded as the only social species of cat that’s not entirely true. While their social structure might be the most complex, other species exhibit varying degrees of sociality. Take cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) for example. Male cheetahs will form social groups known as coalitions comprised of two or more males that are typically brothers. They hunt together, defend territory, groom each other, and remain together for life. Male cheetahs in a coalition have an easier time tackling big game as well, like wildebeest, kudu, and ostriches. And while females are solitary they’re typically accompanied by cubs throughout a large portion of their lives.

Today we’re looking at Toymany’s Cheetah Family set, comprised of two males, two females, and four cubs. While family groups like this don’t exist in nature it’s easy enough to split them up into groups: the two males as a coalition, and each female with two cubs as the females that live within their territory.

The adult cheetahs are all decently accurate with a light build, small, rounded head, deep chest, and long legs and tail. They’re generously spotted but aren’t spotted along the underside. Although some cheetahs are sparsely spotted on the underside it’s not to this degree. One of the figures has no spots on the inside surface of the legs while the rest do. Black tear marks run down the faces, the back of the ears are black, and the tails are banded. Their fur is sculpted short and some shaggier hair around the nape, neck, and belly would have been appreciated. Refer to the comparison with the Schleich cheetah, below.

The figures representing males can be differentiated from the females by the presence of scrotums while the females have nipples. All the figures are pale yellow with lighter bellies and brown eyes. The inside surface of the ears are brown, and the claws are painted on and black. Paw pads are sculpted on the underside of the feet. 

For poses we get one of the males standing statically and looking leftward while the other is strolling along with his head lowered. For the females, one of them is strolling along with the head elevated and the other one is sitting on its haunches. The sitting cheetah looks a bit rigid but having the figure in a sitting pose is appreciated.

Cheetahs average 26–37” (67–94 cm) tall at the shoulder and have an average head-body length of 43” – 59” (1.1-1.5 meters). The figures measure about 4” (10.16 cm) long in total length and have a shoulder height of about 2” (5.08 cm). Using shoulder height this puts them between 1/13 and 1/18.5 in scale.

Concerning the cubs, two use the same sculpt and are depicted standing statically and looking rightward. Another one is sitting and looking slightly leftward while another is just standing statically and looking forward. I think Toymany could have gotten a bit more creative and playful with the cub poses but they’re adequate and most importantly, cute. The cubs measure about 2.5” (6.35 cm) each and look decently in scale with the adults.

The cubs are sculpted with the same coloration and details as the adults. As babies, cheetahs have a mantle of long silver-gray fur that grows along their back. This fur provides camouflage and protection from the elements, and it has been suggested that it might help cheetah cubs mimic the aggressive honey badger. There appears to be an attempt to sculpt it here, with some longer hair sculpted along the back, but it’s painted the same as the adult cheetahs. It would have been nice if this feature was better illustrated on these figures.

This set retails for about $15-20, and you really can’t beat a set of 8 figures for that price. Although they might be a bit less refined than figures by the other major companies, you’re definitely getting a bargain if you’re buying the entire set, where each figure costs about $2! They are available individually as well, but not for $2 each. I highly recommend the Toymany cheetah family to anyone wishing to bulk up their collection of big cats. Obviously, this set will be a hit with children as well.