Before I start this review, I would like to thank @Toymany-kenc and the folks at Toymany for these review samples. We hope this is the start of a long and productive relationship between Toymany and the Animal Toy Forum and Animal Toy Blog!
The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is one of the most recognizable, familiar, and iconic animals on the planet.
In late 2023, Eikoh released another collection in their Miniatureplanet line. Typically, these releases are marked by ‘volumes’, which would make the set Volume 23 if I am doing the math right, although there is no indication on the accompanying paperwork that this is the case. There is a number ’13’ on the paperwork after ‘Miniatureplanet’, but there have clearly been more than 13 sets, and there are more than 13 animals in this particular set (16 to be precise).
For my first ATB review for 2024, I would like to review a very special plush Dachshund created by Douglas Cuddle Toys, which is one of my favorite toy companies. Douglas Cuddle Toys was founded in 1956 and has been making designer-quality stuffed animals ever since in Keene, New Hampshire. Douglas Cuddle Toys is probably best-known for their variety of breed-specific dogs and cats, so it is fitting that my new favorite is a Douglas dog.
Review and images by Kikimalou; edited by bmathison1972
The honey badger, or ratel, (Mellivora capensis) is a Mustelidae widely distributed in Africa, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent. The animal has a fairly long but strong body, with short, sturdy legs equipped with impressive claws. It is perfectly equipped to resist fights with its fellow creatures and predators alike.
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
Phoca largha, most commonly known as the spotted or largha seal, is a species of earless seal inhabiting the waters of the Northern Pacific from Alaska to the Yellow Sea. It is sometimes mistaken for the closely-related harbor seal (P.
The Border Collie is a British breed of herding dog. It is believed to have originated along the border between England and Scotland (hence the term ‘border’ collie). It was originally bred to herd sheep, and today is most common in regions of the world with communities that herd livestock. In addition to sheep, they are also used nowadays to herd cattle, poultry, pigs, and even ostriches!
The moon bear (Ursus thibetanus), also known as the Asian black bear, gets its name from the white or cream colored crescent shaped marking on its chest. They’re found in Asia, stretching in a narrow band from southeast Iran across central Asia, and into southeast Asia, including China, Taiwan, far east Russia, North and South Korea, and Japan.
Today we’re looking at the Safari 2020 weasel, part of their North American Wildlife Collection. Safari’s website doesn’t specify the species, just that it belongs to the Mustela genus. The Mustela genus contains about 18 species, including the domestic ferret, European mink, stoats, and the least weasel…the smallest member of Carnivora.
Here’s a walk-around of the miniature meerkat figurine from the ChocoEgg Series 6 by Furuta. I previously shared this on the Animal Toy Forum, where member Isidro commented that it looks like it has a meerkat body and ring-tailed lemur face. Brontodocus also commented that its pose and size is nearly identical to the Play Visions ‘Civets & Mongooses’ meerkat.
Off we go back to the Arctic to explore another extreme climate inhabitant… the Safari Ltd. Arctic fox for 2023! Released under the item number of #100731, it presents a very special Arctic animal. This will also be the first post for this species on the blog! Unlike the Arctic wolf discussed in another recently released blog post, this animal is a unique species to its mainland cousin.
Happy holidays to all! I hope this latest post finds you in the holiday spirit, or at the very least an “Arctic animal appreciation” one. This post will focus on the Mojö Fun Arctic wolf #381052 released in 2022. The model itself is the first of its kind for Mojö, having only released one other wolf species, and the most common (read “generic”) of them at that.
Being December we’re now at the height of the holiday season and so for my next couple of reviews I’ll be featuring seasonally appropriate animals. “But this is a cat”, I hear you say, “what do cats have to do with the Holidays?” Well, if you’re asking that question then you’ve apparently never heard of the Yule cat, my favorite piece of Christmas folklore.
