I recently discussed a pair of figures from a Takara Tomy set featuring some unique fish species that are visually or culturally striking. Species that are notable for being scary looking, notorious, and somehow engaging for fishing (I think). I tried to translate the papers and it appears to be called World Fishing Monster Fish, but I can’t be certain.
Barramundi, Adult and Juvenile (Freshwater Fish Pictorial Book 1, original release and re-release by Yujin)
5 (4 votes)
(editor note–I need to update more than normal–because I didn’t discover the adult figure until long after the original writing about the juvenile)
These figures represent the Barramundi (or Asian Seabass), Lates calcarifer. The model number is 13 from the first series (original release); the juvenile is also model number 13, but number 14 in terms of the Yujin series.
Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Wings of the World by Safari Ltd.)
3.9 (12 votes)
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
The sulphur-crested cockatoo (Cacatua galerita) of Australasia is nearly as iconic a parrot as the macaws of South America. It is also one of the smartest and longest living of all birds, with some captive individuals lasting well into their 70s, and a few even surpassing 100 years.
Cormorant (Marine Life by Papo)
4.7 (11 votes)
My recent review of the Safari blue-footed booby motivated me to review another Suliforme bird that I featured in a comparison photo in that review, the 2020 Papo cormorant, which is also my most recent acquisition.
Cormorants, along with shags, make up the Phalacrocoracidae family, made up of about 40 species.
Mini Insects Vol. 2 (Diversity of Life on Earth by Bandai)
5 (8 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.
Southern Pygmy Spiny-tailed Skink (Animal Kingdom by Shantou Yixinsheng Toys Co., Ltd.)
3.7 (9 votes)
Every now and then an interesting figure comes along of seemingly unknown origin. This is often the case with figures from China and Japan, the former of which are often referred to as ‘Chinamals’. Such appeared to be the case recently when forum member Kikimalou posted an interesting figure of a pygmy spiny-tailed skink on the STS forum.
Elephant Shark (Art in the Pocket – Sunshine Aquarium by Kitan Club)
3.3 (6 votes)
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
Holocephali was once a diverse group of fish, emerging in the Devonian and lasting until the present. They were once more diverse, occupying a lot more niches, including apex predators, but modern members are mostly restricted to the deep sea. Eugeneodontids are one of the more well known group amongst general audiences, as it includes the famous Heliocoprion and related genera like Edestus, which in many depictions are shown to have a shark-like body plan despite only being distantly related.
3D Dangerous Sea Creatures Pictorial Book (The Access)
4.2 (10 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.
Life Cycle of a Monarch Butterfly (Safariology by Safari Ltd.)
3.8 (10 votes)
The monarch, Danaus plexippus, is probably the most commonly made species of butterfly. It’s been made by several major company, including CollectA, Safari Ltd (at least five times), Papo, and K&M International (at least twice), and is a common edition to insect and butterfly tubes, blister packs, and box sets ( couple examples on the Blog, here and here).
Platypus (Wildlife by Mojö Fun)
4.9 (13 votes)
Review and images by Fembrogon; edited by bmathison1972
Is there any animal more perfectly suited as the poster child of nature’s weirdness than the duck-billed platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus)? …Well, okay, there probably is; but the platypus is almost certainly the most ubiquitous. When it was first discovered by the Western scientific world, many did not believe this “flat-footed” mammal was real; of course, today we know clearly otherwise.
Blue-ringed Octopus (3D Picture Book Poisonous Creatures by Toys Spirits)
4.2 (6 votes)
Review and images by JimoAi; edited by bmathison1972
Octopuses in the genus Hapalochlaena are probably the most striking out of them all, especially with their yellowish bodies and iconic blue rings on their bodies, which become more vibrant when threatened (although one species, Hapalochlaena fasciata, has lines rather than rings on its mantle).
Great White Shark (Folkmanis)
4 (9 votes)
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
Behold, I give you the biggest shark toy in my possession, the great white (Carcharodon carcharias) from Folkmanis! I came across this magnificent puppet in a local toy store more than fifteen years ago. I was in my mid-twenties at the time, single without any children, and the price tag was a hefty $89.99 Canadian.