North African Hedgehog (Baby Animals by Yowie Group)

Today we’re looking at the North African hedgehog (Atelerix algirus) by Yowie Group, part of their Baby Animals set. Although the figure is meant to be a baby (or hoglet) there’s nothing about it that indicates it’s a baby and it can be used to represent an adult hedgehog.

The North African hedgehog is one of four hedgehogs belonging to the Atelerix genus, all found in Africa. The African pygmy hedgehog that’s prevalent in the pet trade also belongs to this genus. The North African hedgehog is found along the northern coast of Africa, from Morocco to Libya, as well as southern Spain and the Canary Islands where they live in Mediterranean conifer and mixed forests. It is extirpated from France.

Yowie was clever in manufacturing this figure since they decided to have it curled up into a ball with the face peeking out. That allowed them not only to fit it inside its egg but also made it so that Yowie didn’t have to sculpt pesky bits of anatomy, like legs. The result is an admittedly cute and charming figure with a decent focus of attention on the parts you can see, such as the face. A slightly flattened bottom allows the figure to stand.

The North African hedgehog reaches a length of 7.9-9.8” (20-25 cm) while the toy stands 1.75” (4.44 cm) tall. I’m not sure how to go about calculating scale with this one, since it is rolled into a ball. Hedgehogs roll into a ball by tightening their back and belly muscles and tucking in their head, legs, and tail. This means the face is near the rump when rolled up. There’s a bit of a bulge on the figure where the tail would be and measuring from the snout, down and around the back of figure, to the rump, gives us a length of about 4.25” (10.7 cm). Using that the figure comes out to be 1/2.3 in scale. That’s probably not a great way to go about calculating the scale so take it with a grain of salt.

The quills that make up most of the toy’s surface are brown and white while the face is white with a brown snout and black nose. The slightly visible forepaws are painted pink, and the eyes are black. The quills are nicely layered and textured, which is appreciated since Yowie could have just crudely etched them into the sculpt. Fine hair is etched into the face and the digits are clearly defined on the forepaws.

The Yowie North African hedgehog is the only figure of this species and could probably stand in for other Atelerix species if one felt so inclined. It is also undeniably adorable and with its unique presentation will certainly stand out in a collection of hedgehogs. The Yowie Baby Animal series is available in the United States, but they were released in 2023 and have largely been replaced on store shelves by the 2024 Ultimate Dinosaur series. You can still find some figures from this set “in the wild” but this figure is widely available on eBay too.