The genus Maratus, commonly referred to as peacock spiders, consists of over 80 species, all endemic to Australia. One must wonder how a single genus of spiders could speciate to this magnitude on a single geographic land mass (although there are some on Tasmania). The answer lies in their courtship rituals.
Classification: Arthropods
Rusty Patched Bumble Bee (Animals with Superpowers by Yowie Group)
3 (2 votes)
Bumble bees are not uncommon in the toy realm, usually as ‘generic bees’ in bin-style sets. Some have been made by major manufacturers, including Bullyland, CollectA, and Safari Ltd., but none of those are identified at the species level. To my knowledge, there are only two figures of bumble bees attributable to the species level, the golden northern bumble bee (Bombus fervidus) by Play Visions in 1996 and the rusty patched bumble bee (B.
Black Widow (Fun World by Easter Unlimited, Inc.)
1 (1 votes)
For my final Halloween post, I am reviewing a figure that was specifically sold as a Halloween novelty toy! I am referring to the black widow (Latrodectus mactans) by Fun World, which is a Division of Easter Unlimited, Inc., a novelty shop that sells seasonal and holiday-themed toys, décor, and costumes.
Castor Bean Tick (3B Scientific)
5 (2 votes)
For my next instalment of creepy critters for October, I decided to review the castor bean tick (also known in Europe as the sheep tick, Ixodes ricinus) by Germany-based 3B Scientific. I also chose this figure because it’s my forum avatar, and I have never presented it here.
Scorpion (Wild Animals by Papo)
5 (5 votes)
Review and images by Lanthanotus; edited by bmathison1972
Today I want to introduce you to a creepy crawly that is probably even more abhorred or feared than its close relatives, the spiders. Where I live this is mainly an abstract fear, as there are no scorpions here as of yet (let’s see what climate change brings us within the next 20 years).
Killer Bee (Insect Predators by Trendmasters)
3 (1 votes)
Today is my second contribution to the ongoing October theme of presenting ‘creepy and scary’ critters on the Blog. Today I will be reviewing the ‘killer bee’ (Apis mellifera) by Trendmasters. It was released in 1993 as part of their Insect Predators collection. The collection also included a scorpion (unidentified, but presumably the emperor scorpion, Pandinus imperator), the giant stag beetle (Lucanus elaphas), a wasp (Bembix americana), a mosquito (Aedes taeniorhynchus), and the Carolina mantis (Stagmomantis carolina).
Carolina Mantis (Insect Predators by Trendmasters)
3.5 (2 votes)
Collectors of figures and memorabilia from the Godzilla franchise should be familiar with Trendmasters. But did you know they released a series of ‘Insect Predators’ in 1993? Well, they did! The series consisted of a scorpion (unidentified, but presumably the emperor scorpion, Pandinus imperator), the giant stag beetle (Lucanus elaphas), a ‘killer’ bee (Apis mellifera), a wasp (Bembix americana), a mosquito (Aedes taeniorhynchus), and the subject of today’s review, the Carolina mantis (Stagmomantis carolina).
Japanese Black Ant (The Arinko, Volumes 1 & 2 by J. Dream Co. Ltd.)
2.5 (2 votes)
Ladies and gentlemen, uh, we’ve just lost the picture, but what we’ve seen speaks for itself. The Animal Toy Blog has apparently been taken over, ‘conquered’ if you will, by a master race of giant space ants. It’s difficult to tell from this vantage point whether they will consume the blog reviewers or merely enslave us.
Crabs (Habitat Earth by Play Visions)
4 (4 votes)
Today is a review of the complete set of Crabs by Play Visions, Habitat Earth series (1996). Another in the taxonomically-diverse sets of animals released by Play Visions in the mid-late 1990s. I have made some taxonomic changes to a couple figures in this set since I first presented it on the ATF back in 2016, so it seems like a good time to introduce it to the Blog!
Maine Lobster (Incredible Creatures by Safari Ltd.)
5 (5 votes)
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
Homarus americanus, better known as the American, Canadian, Atlantic, Maine, or northern lobster, is both the heaviest crustacean and the heaviest of all extant arthropods. Old individuals regularly average around 20 lbs and the record holder, caught off the coast of Nova Scotia in 1977, weighed a staggering 44 lbs, which is heavier than my four year old son!
Gooty Sapphire Ornamental Tarantula (Animals with Superpowers by Yowie Group)
3 (1 votes)
Poecilotheria metallica is a beautiful theraphosid spider from the forests of Andhra Pradesh in India. It goes by several common names, including the Gooty sapphire ornamental tarantula, blue ornamental tarantula, and peacock tarantula, among others. It is an arboreal species, and like many tropical tarantulas, has a very limited geographic distribution, making it prone to population decline.
Japanese Rhinoceros Beetle, life cycle (Bandai Spirits & F-toys)
5 (2 votes)
In just under two years ago, on August 21, 2019, I posted the first review here on the Animal Toy Blog. Now, I have the pleasure of posting review #500! Wow, 500 reviews just under two years! Many thanks to all the reviewers who have made this possible!
Allomyrina dichotoma is known as the Japanese rhinoceros beetle in English and kabutomushi in Japanese.
Rubber Ducky Isopod (Dango Mushi 08 by Bandai)
5 (2 votes)
Rubber Ducky is a common name given to a species of Cubaris that was discovered in limestone caves in Thailand in 2017. To my knowledge, the species is still undescribed (I propose C. erniei). Despite this, it is becoming very popular in the hobby of rearing isopods (honestly, until I investigated this figure before buying it, I had no idea isopods were so popular in terraria).
Fleas, Lice, and Ticks (Play Visions)
5 (1 votes)
OK folks, here we are. I was finally able to complete this holiest of Holy Grail sets, thanks to STS forum member NMR_Okapi who found me the last missing figure! Most of you who follow me on the Blog and forums know I am a professional parasitologist, so it should be no surprise that this has been one of the most sought-after sets for someone like me.
Golden-ringed Dragonfly (B.I.G. Insects by Takara Tomy A.R.T.S.)
5 (2 votes)
Today we are looking at a rather ingenious set of figures by Takara Tomy A.R.T.S., representing the golden-ringed dragonfly (Anotogaster sieboldii), that was released as part of their 2021 B.I.G. Insects collection. Every year, Takara releases a set of five large and articulated arthropods in the B.I.G.