Today it’s my contribution to the Shark Week posts, and just like last year, it’s a very unusual species from the Discovery Science set “Return to Isle of Jaws”. As before, I haven’t actually see the show of the same name, but it did lead to a whole box set of shark figures.
Hippopotamus (Wild Animals by Papo)
4.5 (8 votes)
Now having two pygmy hippopotamus reviews under my belt I figured it was time to check the other hippopotamus species off my review list, the common hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius). This species has been reviewed a few times and is so widely familiar that it needs no introduction from me, so let’s dive on in.
Pygmy Hippopotamus (JXK Studio)
4.4 (7 votes)
Today, July 10th, is a very special day. It’s Moo Deng’s first birthday! Moo Deng is a pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis) that was born at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Si Racha, Chonburi, Thailand and became a viral sensation in the summer of 2024. So popular was Moo Deng that she was featured in an SNL skit and in Google’s “year in review” Google Doodle video.
White Stork, 2022 (Schleich Farm by Schleich)
3.8 (6 votes)
Review and images by Animal Lover; edited by bmathison1972
The White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) is an elegant, graceful bird. It is a long-distance migratory bird, migrating from as far as southern Africa, where it spends the winter. In the past, due to habitat change, far fewer storks bred in Northern Europe.
Nile Crocodile, leaping (Wildlife by CollectA)
4.4 (11 votes)
Review and images by Animal Lover; edited by bmathison1972
Among the most dangerous and feared animals are Nile crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus). They have always instilled fear. And this fear is justified. A first fact about Nile crocodiles is that they can measure up to a maximum of 6 m (20 ft) which makes it the second largest extant reptile in the world.
Elephant Seal (Mojö Sealife by Mojö Fun)
4.6 (16 votes)
Also known as sea elephants, the seals of the genus Mirounga are the largest pinnipeds in the world. Two species have been described. The northern elephant seal (M. angustirostris) and the southern elephant seal (M. leonina). Northerns live in the eastern Pacific Ocean, in the northern hemisphere.
Madagascar Animal Figurine Playset (Toymany)
4.5 (11 votes)
Before I start my review I must again thank @Kenc and the folks at Toymany for sending me these review samples for the Blog. This may have been the most anticipated set by Toymany for 2025 and having had the figures in hand, it doesn’t disappoint.
When Gondwana broke up, Madagascar split from what is now Africa during the Early Jurassic, about 180 million years ago.
Insects TOOB (Safari Ltd.)
3.8 (8 votes)
I have recently reacquired the Safari Ltd. Insects TOOB and thought I would showcase it for the Blog. There have been at least three (maybe more) iterations of this TOOB over the years, with I believe the first version coming out in 2004. At some point (I don’t know what year) Safari also released a glow-in-the-dark version of the TOOB.
Guineafowl (Farm Animals by Papo)
4.6 (9 votes)
Before we begin the review, I would like to extend my gratitude towards Happy Hen Toys for sending this figure along as a review sample. Check out their large selection of animal and dinosaur figures by clicking the banner below.
Guineafowl are Galliformes belonging to the family Numididae and are native to Africa.
Dromedary Camel, calf (Baby Wildlife by Toymany)
4.2 (5 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.
North African Hedgehog (Baby Animals by Yowie Group)
3.3 (6 votes)
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.
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.