Clown Anemonefish, 2005 (Incredible Creatures by Safari Ltd.)

In my last review we looked at the 2017 Safari Ltd. Incredible Creatures clown anemonefish (Amphiprion ocellaris) and perhaps not surprisingly, I gave it a good review. Today we’re looking at another clown anemonefish, also by Safari Ltd. and also part of their Incredible Creatures line. I think you’ll find my thoughts on this one to be a bit less positive.

This older clown anemonefish measures 5” (12.7 cm) in total length while the actual clown anemonefish reaches a maximum length of 4.33” (11 cm). So, it’s about the same size as the more recent figure and slightly larger than life size. Like the last figure it is also hollow and able to stand with the aid of its fins. It is presented in a completely static and rigid pose with only a slight rightward bend in the tail. It completely lacks the lifelike grace and illusion of movement we get with the 2017 model.

Fine details are virtually non-existent here. The figure is entirely smooth with no scale detail and there’s no nostrils or gill openings on the head. The mouth is nothing more than a slit cut into the front of the face, which along with the bulging eyes make it look downright unsettling when viewed head-on. The fin rays are about the only details you get, and they’re crudely etched into the fins although I have seen much worse.

The coloration is accurate, being orange with three white bands although the band on the caudal peduncle should connect at the bottom and doesn’t. Thin black edges along the white bands make this figure identifiable as a clown anemonefish vs. the orange anemonefish, which has wider black edges. The fins are accurately edged in black as well.

This figure could stand as an example of how much Safari has improved as a company over the years but honestly, Safari was producing much better toys than this all the way back in the 90’s, like the Incredible Creatures leafy sea dragon or the Creatures of the Deep collection. The real travesty with this toy is that it is still in production even though there’s a far superior clownfish in the same line, but at $6 this one costs about half as much as the other. You’re not getting a bargain with this one though, it looks like it’s from a dollar bin at a discount store. Surely the popularity of the species is the only thing keeping it from retirement.  It’s a bad figure, and was bad in 2005, and the only reason to acknowledge that it exists is so that you don’t accidentally buy it while shopping for Safari’s other clownfish.