Dove, pair (Noah’s Pals by Caboodle! Toys LLC)

Whatever your stance on religion, it is hard to deny the impact that the story of Noah has had on animal welfare and conservation. Zoos have been named in his honour, and peace symbols based on animals in his story. In the mid 2000’s it also inspired a toy line, Noah’s Pals, where animals are packed two-by-two and numbers based on their conservation status, educating children in a fascinating way. This review covers the set containing the most famous animals in the Noah story, the doves, specifically rock doves (Columba livia), a ‘common species’ in the series, as it is found across the globe.

As these animals are so central to the story, and quite small, this set comes packaged with Noah. He is shown as wearing robes and basic clothing as might be seen a thousand or so years ago, looking like a typical depiction of a wizened old man. At 2.9″ high and 1″ wide (shoulder to shoulder), it fits with the rest of the line, and could work with others too. My only issue is his staff, as the hands aren’t very good at holding it, being too loose, resulting in him dropping it quite often.

Now, to the main event, the pair of doves, named Derek and Delilah (nice names!) I believe Derek is the one holding the olive branch, hinting at the end of the story, while Delilah is the one looking as if she is roosting. The outstretched wings of Derek are quite dynamic, flying in with it’s branch. If you wanted a more natural approach to this pose, perhaps he is bringing back the branch to help his mate with nest building. Eggs ahead maybe?

What stands out for me is the colouration. The white dove is a well known symbol of peace and calm, as much as the olive branch is a sign of friendship and peace. While white rock doves are common, it is more common among domestic breeds, used in racing and weddings (although the fact they do not survive long has reduced the number used for the latter). The eyes have the orange eyes common in these birds, which could look like the red eyes associated with albinism from certain angles. Works well enough, but think the speckled look may have been a better choice.

Finally, I want to talk about size. The whole line fits into a 1:24 scale, meaning that everything works well together. It also means these doves are tiny, with Derek measuring 1″ high and 1.6″ from wingtip to wingtip, while Delilah is 0.9″ long and 0.5″ high. It is no surprise Noah was packaged with them!

With their great sculpting and dynamic poses, this is a really nice set, working well with others from the line or alone. As Noah’s Pals has long been discontinued, finding them is tricky. eBay is the best bet, and the fact this was a common means it’s the easiest to find, and the cheapest. I do recommend it if you are curious.