Bombyx mori, the domestic silkworm moth, is a wholly domesticated species of insect. The origin of B. mori is unknown, but is believed to be descended from an extinct moth that shares a common ancestor with the wild silk moth, B. mandarina. Domestication is thought to have originated in China over 5,000 years ago.
Type: Set
Mini Garden Birds (Archie McPhee)
4.8 (4 votes)
Archie McPhee is a store based out of Seattle, Washington known for quirky and unusual novelty toys and kitsch gifts. They also have an online store. Among many of the products sold by Archie McPhee, which can include anything from rubber chickens to bacon-scented air freshener, to finger puppets, are a decent selection of toy animals.
Saltwater Fish (Mini-verse Mini Lifestyle by MGA)
4.5 (4 votes)
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
I always have a love-hate relationship to blind bag/box figures. On one hand it’s thrilling to try to get what you want, but if you’re on a budget, it can be a nightmare especially if the figure you want isn’t appearing despite spending a lot of money.
Insects 02 (Diversity of Life Mini Collection by Bandai)
5 (7 votes)
Praying mantises are cool – I think that’s an opinion I can safely say is shared between many animal enthusiasts. Out of all the hundreds of thousands of insects known to science, probably no group is equal parts so peculiar and charismatic as Order Mantodea, the mantises. It’s only natural, then, that a number of toy and collectible animal brands have tackled mantises and continue to do so.
3D Dangerous Sea Creatures Pictorial Book (The Access)
4.5 (8 votes)
For my next October review I will be giving a brief overview of the entire 3D Dangerous Sea Creatures Pictorial Book collection by The Access (also known as Access Toys), which was released just a couple months ago this past August 2023. I was originally going to just review the jellyfish, but was convinced to review the whole set by forum member JimoAi.
Fish Assortment 2 (Wonder World by Kenner)
4.8 (4 votes)
Today I am reviewing a set of four animals I originally bought for just one of the figures. The set, which was being sold on eBay, was alerted to me on the ATF by forum member NSD Bashe. The set is called Fish Assortment 2 and it is one of four components of a larger collection that’s part of the Wonder World line by Kenner, a subsidiary of Hasbro at the time it was released (1995).
Mini Sharks (Diversity of Life on Earth by Bandai)
5 (4 votes)
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
As previously mentioned, 2023 has been a great year for cartilaginous fish fans with, many figures from big and small companies alike. Today, we will be taking a look at the Bandai’s Mini Sharks collection which is part of their Diversity of Life on Earth series.
Saltwater Fish in Colour Part 1, Part 3: The Secrets (Yujin)
5 (4 votes)
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
To close off my Yujin Saltwater Fish in Colour Part 1 reviews (see the first parts here and here), I am hereby reviewing the last 3 of the fish; they’re all the secret and chase pieces. Instead of going by numerical numbers, I’ll start from the weakest to the best (in my opinion).
Jellyfish Collection (Nature Techni Colour by Ikimon)
3.3 (4 votes)
In 2010, Kitan Club released a set of 8 jellyfish (well, technically 6 scyphozoans and 2 hydrozoans) in their Nature Techni Colour line. These figures were advertised as ‘soft strap’, meaning they were soft and rubbery and had a strap attached to the top of the bell (disc) so they can be dangled from hooks or other support or worn on keychains, etc.
Penguins of the World (Colorata)
4.4 (8 votes)
Recently, when forum member Suspsy reviewed the Papo emperor penguin, I made a comment that I also had this figure, and it was one of only a couple figures I didn’t initially retain from Colorata’s Penguins of the World box set. After I published that comment it got me thinking, and I revisited the three figures from that set I didn’t retain (the other two were the chinstrap penguin and rockhopper penguin, both of which I went with Safari Ltd.’s versions).
Japan Deep Sea Life Bath Bomb Collection (Moritoku)
4.3 (4 votes)
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
While deep sea life figures are seen as a rare treat amongst the western market, Japan has been mass-producing them for many years since the early 2000s, where they have been made into both high quality figures for collectors and sometimes also cheap novelty toys.
European Animals TOOB (Safari Ltd.)
5 (9 votes)
Europe is a continent consisting of the westernmost peninsulas of Eurasia. It is said to be separated from Asia by a variety of natural features including the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, Ural River, and the Caspian and Black seas, among others. Truthfully though, the boarders between Europe and Asia, geological or manmade, are arbitrary.
Australian Continent TOOB (Safari Ltd.)
4.2 (11 votes)
In addition to being a country, Australia is also a continent, but the continent of Australia is not just composed of Australia itself. The Australian continent includes mainland Australia, Tasmania, New Guinea, the Aru Islands, the Ashmore and Cartier Islands, and most of the Coral Sea Islands as well as a smattering of other islands.
Crested Gecko (Diversity of Life on Earth by Bandai)
4.5 (11 votes)
Review and images by Fembrogon; edited by bmathison1972
There’s a Gashapon for just about everyone, I’d wager. Bandai’s trademarked capsule toy brand (an onomatopoeia name for the “gacha-pon” sound of the machine crank and tumbling capsule) has been running strong for over forty years, covering just about anything that can feasibly be made into a miniature – from company mascots and popular anime characters, to erasers and food items, to even highly realistic insects and lizards.
Cryptozoology Designer TOOB (Safari Ltd.)
4.8 (12 votes)
Review and images by Saarlooswolfhound; edited by bmathison1972
This article marks my first multiple model (Safari Ltd. TOOB) production! Presented here are 14 figures, 7 original pieces and 7 later re-released with updated paintwork. The Cryptozoology Designer TOOB by Safari Ltd. #677504 was originally released in 2013 with simplistic paintwork, then re-released a few years after retirement with much improved paint schemes for most of the figures.