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.
Type: Figurine
Common Goldeneye (Large Ducks by AAA)
4.7 (3 votes)
The genus Bucephala contains three species of small diving ducks collectively referred to as goldeneyes. I am lucky that all three species can be found in my area in the winter. The Common Goldeneye (B. clangula) occurs in the boreal Holarctic, wintering throughout North America, Southeast Asia, and Japan.
Giant Panda, cub (Baby Wildlife by Toymany)
3.8 (4 votes)
It’s about time that I get the other half of this baby set from Toymany up on the blog! My portion of this set covers the animals from Asia and North America and will reflect the other half of the figures from Africa that have been covered by my fellow reviewer, bmathison1972.
Kookaburra (Wings of the World by Safari Ltd.)
4.9 (8 votes)
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
One of Australia’s most famous and recognizable birds is the laughing kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae). A member of the kingfisher family, its native range covers all of the eastern side of Australia, but it has also been introduced to the lower western tip of the continent and to the island of Tasmania.
Brown Trout (3″ figure by Replica Toy Fish)
4 (5 votes)
Now that I’ve reviewed all twelve of the original 3″ Replica Toy Fish figures (here, here, here, and here) I will start taking the opportunity to go into the figures that were released later. There was no specific release schedule, or indeed, any announced waves of releases. From what I could work out based on purchasing records, there were a number of figures released in 2015, the first assortment coming out for April.
Howler Monkey (Wild Safari Wildlife by Safari Ltd.)
5 (7 votes)
The howler monkeys of the genus Alouatta are among the largest and most widespread of new world monkeys and are famed for their loud vocalizations, among the loudest of all terrestrial animals. With the aid of an enlarged hyoid bone the guttural howls of these monkeys can be heard up to 3 miles (4.8 km) away.
Pinta Island Tortoise (Lonesome George, Grab-N-Go by REBOR)
5 (10 votes)
My gratitude goes to Happy Hen Toys for providing this review sample, as well as for their patience in my completing this review. Be sure to check out their website after reading to fetch some prize models of your own.
On June 24th, 2012, a treasured celebrity left the world – not an actor or artist, and not exactly a political figure, but an icon of conservation and national wildlife awareness.
Blue-winged Teal (Large Ducks by AAA)
5 (5 votes)
Despite sharing the common name ‘teal’, the Blue-winged Teal (BWTE, Spatula discors) is not in the same genus (Anas) as the Green-winged Teal (GWTE) from my earlier review, although it was for a period. The genus Spatula, originally described in 1822 and eventually placed in synonymy with Anas, was resurrected in 2009 after a molecular phylogeny looking at two mitochondrial genes (cytochrome b and the NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2) determined Anas to be non-monophyletic.
Nile Crocodile (“Naeem”, Living Animal Models by PNSO)
5 (8 votes)
Although they’re most recognized by collectors for their prehistoric animal models, PNSO has also produced a number of extant animal figures over the years, aptly named the Living Animal Model Series, in both large and small sizes. In 2015 PNSO released thirteen Small Model Series figurines as an African Animals set, sold separately or bundled all together.
Humpback Whale (Sealife by Mojö Fun)
4.8 (10 votes)
Although the blue whale is the largest of all baleen whales it seems that the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is the most popular, but maybe that’s just my personal assumption after seeing it plastered all over Christian Lassen school supplies in the 90’s. The toy market seems to back up my claim though, with Toy Animal Wiki cataloging several more humpback figures than blue whale.
Tiger Family Set (Toymany)
4.2 (5 votes)
Before I start this review, I must thank the @Kenc and the kind folks at Toymany for sending me this complete set as a review sample. I normally save my overall analysis and thoughts on the figure or set for the end of the review. However, I was floored by the quality of these tigers!
Bottlenose Dolphin (Sealife by CollectA)
5 (5 votes)
Review and images by Sam; edited by bmathison1972
The bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is arguably the most iconic marine mammal. Known for their playful, friendly personalities and their amazing intelligence, they have appeared in many TV shows and movies, and are a popular attraction at aquariums and marine parks, so it is no surprise that there are quite a few toys based on them, and today’s review covers just one of these toys.