Today is my birthday and since I am getting older and slower (at least when I run lol), I am reviewing the recent snail by Papo, and thus wrapping up the Papo 2020 invertebrates. First, let’s discuss possible identities for the figure. When it was first announced, most of us assumed it was the Roman snail (also known as the Burgundy or edible snail), Helix pomatia.
Grasshopper (Wild Animals by Papo)
4.5 (2 votes)
Today I am continuing my review of the 2020 Papo invertebrates with their grasshopper figure. First, we should discuss the possible identity of the species. Given the shape (especially head shape), color, and that France-based Papo likes to focus on its local fauna, I am identifying the figure as the common green grasshopper, Omocestus viridulus.
Konik Foal, Blue Dun (Horse Country by CollectA)
4.8 (5 votes)
Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
The Konik is a breed of pony (Equus ferus caballus) native to Poland. It is a solid and sturdy beast with a low set neck, a relatively short height of slightly over 13 hands (140 cm), and a weight of 350-400 kg (770-880 lbs).
Sturgeon (Red Rose Tea, Endangered North American Animals Series IV, by Wade Ceramics)
4 (2 votes)
Here’s something a little different, and not an actual toy, but worth taking a look at anyway. This is a ceramic sturgeon by Wade Ceramics, a pottery manufacturer operating out of Stoke-on-Trent, England. Wade Ceramics got its start in the 1950’s and produced ceramic figurines up until 2018. In 1967 Wade Ceramics entered a partnership with the American Rose Red Tea company who started including Wade figures in their boxes of tea.
Cinereous Vulture (Bullyland)
4.4 (5 votes)
Review and images by Lanthanotus; edited by bmathison1972
The cinereous vulture (Aegypius monachus) is one of the largest raptorial birds of Europe, with wingspans reaching close to 3 metres. It is also known as the black vulture (despite not being black at all, but at least considerably darker than other vultures) and in my home country Germany it is usually called monk vulture, for its head appears like it wears a tonsure.
Wild Boar (Wild Safari Wildlife by Safari Ltd.)
3.8 (8 votes)
An adaptable, intelligent animal, the wild boar (Sus scrofa) was already a successful species long before it was domesticated and transplanted around the world by humans in the form of the domestic pig (S. scrofa domesticus). Naturally, they range across Europe, Asia, and Northern Africa, where they thrive in a variety of habitats.
Common Pheasant (Wild Animals by Papo)
4.8 (6 votes)
Review and images by Lanthanotus; edited by bmathison1972
The bird life of Middle Europe generally does not flaunt too much color, although if one looks closely there are a few corlorful species, as the gold finch or the green woodpecker. A fairly common species in middle European fields and meadows nowadays is the common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus).
Emperor Dragonfly (Wild Animals by Papo)
5 (4 votes)
Today I am continuing the 2020 Papo arthropods with the emperor dragonfly, Anax imperator, a species distributed throughout much of Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and west-central Asia. Anax imperator belongs to the family Aeshnidae, which includes the green darner (A. junius), which is common here in North America and is the more-commonly made species of the two.
Reindeer (Wild Life by Schleich)
4.3 (4 votes)
Review and images by suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
The holiday season is upon us once again after what has been a truly difficult and tragic year for everyone on planet Earth. And there are still more hardships lying ahead of us in 2021. We must all stay safe, strong, calm, well-informed, and above all, hopeful.
Reindeer (Early Learning Centre)
3 (1 votes)
Well, the holiday season is upon us, and Christmas is just around the corner, so I thought I’d do a review of an animal that is quintessential to the holiday. And I can think of no better than the reindeer (Rangifer tarandus), famous for carrying Santa’s sleigh.
Ladybug (Wild Animals by Papo)
4.3 (3 votes)
In 2016, Papo released their first two arthropods, a European wolf spider (a.k.a., tarantula) and a fat-tailed scorpion, which probably represent the best spider and scorpion figures outside of Japan (and the wolf spider may just be the best spider figure, period!). For someone like me who, at the time, only collected arthropods, this was a welcome sign!
Butterflies to Go (Club Earth)
5 (1 votes)
I recently completed a Holy Grail collection, so I thought to share it on the Blog. I am referring to the Butterflies to Go collection by Club Earth. I am not sure when it was released, but it was probably alongside the classic Play Visions collections in the late 1990s. The set consists of 12 species of butterflies.