Today I will be presenting a brief overview of the 2024 Frogs collection by Toymany, which was kindly gifted as a review sample by @Kenc and the folks at Toymany for the Blog. This was intended to be posted yesterday when the set was announced, but I was traveling for work so it’s coming up a day late.
Classification: Frogs & Toads
Green-and-black Poison Dart Frog (Wild Animals by Papo)
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
While toads have long been associated with witchcraft and the occult due to their unpleasing appearances (to some) and the toxins they excrete from their backs, they have nothing on the poison dart frogs of Central and South America in terms of lethality.
Toad (Ashland)
Thanks to their poisonous nature the humble toad is steeped in myth and folklore, with a strong link to the occult, witchcraft, and the devil, particularly in Europe. Toads are a common ingredient in witch’s potions and folk medicine, and a popular choice as a familiar (animal servant). Indeed, in Shakespeare’s MacBeth one of the three witches has a toad familiar named Paddock and a toad is also used in one of the witch’s potions…
Round about the cauldron go;In the poison’d entrails throw.
Blue Poison Dart Frog (Wild Life America by Schleich)
Before we begin the review, I would like to extend my gratitude towards Happy Hen Toys for sending this figure along as a review sample. Happy Hen Toys is a U.S. distributor of figures by Safari, Papo, CollectA, Schleich, and other companies significant to our hobby. In the case of CollectA they’re often the only place that sells their products at a reasonable price within the United States.
Animal Collection 1/1 Waxy Monkey Tree Frog & Breviceps adspersus (SO-TA)
So-Ta, a Japanese toy company, released this set of frogs this summer (2022). There are actually two sets. These sets were released as a gashapon set (plastic eggs in vending machines) and as a boxed set. The sets both contained the same two species but in different colour schemes. The box set has the designers initial colour scheme with the mint coloured Waxy monkey tree frog and the duller painted B.
Frog, Male (AAA)
As the first group to leave the waters to become, at least partially, terrestrial, amphibians have had a long and intriguing evolutionary history. Though no longer the mighty giants they were once, they still exist in a multitude across the globe, in spite of the many trials they face from disease and humanity.
American Bullfrog (Wild Republic FrogWatch USA, by K&M International)
The American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus) is the largest frog species native to North America and a member of the Ranidae, or true frog, family. Bullfrogs are native to most of eastern North America but have been introduced elsewhere in North America and around the world. Bullfrogs are bold and voracious feeders, eating anything that moves in front of them that they can fit in their mouths.
American Bullfrog (Incredible Creatures by Safari Ltd.)
Spring Peeper (Wild Republic FrogWatch USA, by K&M Internationl)
With spring fast approaching throughout the northern hemisphere I thought it would be fun to review one of the season’s most famous harbingers, the spring peeper (Pseudacris crucifer). Of course, the species is only famous if you happen to live within its range, which happens to be the eastern portion of North America, from eastern and central Canada, south to eastern Texas and every state east of the Mississippi.
Eternal Lost Breeds, Extinct animal (Takara Tomy A.R.T.S.)
Despite the progress we have made as a species, there is one fact we cannot change: extinction is forever. As a result of our hubris, many spectacular species have been wiped from the face of the earth. Takara have created quite an exquisite set, showing a selection of the species that have been lost of the centuries, each with a stand stating scientific names and year of extinction.
Tropical Rain Forest Frogs, Part 2 (Real Figure Collection Box by Colorata)
This is the second part of a two-part review of the Tropical Rain Forest Frogs collection box by Colorata. Part 1 covered the Neotropical species. This second part covers the African, Madagascan, and Asian species.
Each figure is a single, solid piece of plastic. Five of the figures in the set come with a habitat-style base, three of which appear to be permanently attached to the base.
Tropical Rain Forest Frogs, Part 1 (Real Figure Collection Box by Colorata)
When researching the frog species in the recent Capsule Q Museum release by Kaiyodo, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that 14 of the 16 figures in the Tropical Rain Forest Frogs collection box by Colorata were new species for me! I decided to buy a complete set, as paying for a whole set for 14 figures is still more cost-effective than hunting down individual figures of interest.
Ornate Horned Frog (Incredible Creatures by Safari Ltd)
For this post I am revisiting a figure that I originally discussed on the Animal Toy Forum here, the Safari Ltd Horned Frog from 1997! This figure has a few sources of mystery around it due to a few factors–first, the line it is part of. In the few places it is referenced online, it is referred to as a part of the Incredible Creatures line–this makes sense as it is nearly perfect 1:1 scale and has the typical hollow-cast design.