Review and images by stargatedalek; edited by bmathison1972
Quite the mouthful of a title this one has. Introducing “Toxin the Rattlesnake”, part of the Untamed Snakes set of the Fingerlings line by WowWee.
Full disclosure, this toy is awful and no one should ever buy it, I regret doing so heavily.
Review and photographs by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
The green anaconda (also known as the common anaconda, Eunectes murinus) is the world’s heaviest snake, and second only to the reticulated python in length. Females, which grow far larger than males, can be at least 17 feet (5.2 metres) long and weigh 215 lbs (97.5 kg).
Review and photographs by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
The word “sloth” means slowness, laziness, indolence, or a habitual disinclination to exertion, and looking at the arboreal South American mammals called sloths, one might think that they fit their name to a tee. But while sloths are indeed slow-moving, they are not at all lazy.
Reviews and photographs by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
Parrots are found across the globe in a wide variety of sizes and vivid colours, but the ones people tend to think of the most are the macaws of South America. Not only are they arguably the most beautiful members of their family, they have also gained a reputation as the faithful talking pets of pirates and sailors and sorcerers in film and literature.
Review and photographs by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
Spider monkeys, which belong to the genus Ateles, live in the jungles of Central and South America. They derive their popular name from their long, spindly limbs and prehensile tail. Such adaptations make them superbly agile climbers despite their relatively large size.
Review and photographs by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
In Africa, the top land predator is the iconic lion. In Asia, it is the royal tiger. And in Central and South America, the tenacious jaguar (Panthera onca) reigns supreme at the top of the food chain.
Schleich’s most recent take on the jaguar came out in 2017.
So, after a long hiatus (sorry about that) I have finally gotten myself writing again–and of course it’s fish! Recently the company Toy Fish Factory released two new sets, a Gulf Coast fishes and a Northern Angler set. 2 sets were released previously, the American Angler and River Monsters.
For those who are unaware, I will give a bit of background, and then I’ll discuss each figure in detail–they are all small, and generally wouldn’t warrant a full write up each.
Review and photos by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
A truly awesome beast, the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) is the largest of all extant flesh-eating animals, the second deepest diving mammal, the scourge of squid, and the inspiration behind Moby-Dick. Its unusual name is derived from the fact that its head contains a waxy substance called spermaceti, which was originally mistaken for the whale’s seminal fluid!
For this post I am revisiting a figure that I originally discussed on the Animal Toy Forum here, the Safari Ltd Horned Frog from 1997! This figure has a few sources of mystery around it due to a few factors–first, the line it is part of. In the few places it is referenced online, it is referred to as a part of the Incredible Creatures line–this makes sense as it is nearly perfect 1:1 scale and has the typical hollow-cast design.
For my next review I thought I would do an overview of the Cave Dwellers TOOB released by Safari Ltd. in 2014. When this set was first released, I was excited because five of the eight figures are arthropods. Unfortunately I have misplaced four of those five, so I recently bought the entire set, which is good because now that I am building a synoptic collection I really wanted the three non-arthropods.
A lot of my posts for the Blog to date have been to introduce interesting lines or add some new broad taxa. But, it is time for me to go back to my entomological roots! So today I am reviewing the orange-barred sulfur (Phoebis philea) that was released by Safari Ltd.
So for my next foray into Animal Toy Blog I am going to discuss a full set of ten figures from a relatively new set from Safari Ltd, released in 2017 (but I only just discovered it…go figure). I’m going to come out and say, there will be brief parts (in point format) and longer parts (paragraphs) as I will discuss the toob figures individually (save two).
