Also known as the short-tailed weasel and ermine, the stoat (Mustela erminea) has a circumpolar distribution around the northern half of the northern hemisphere in North America and Eurasia. The stoat was also introduced to New Zealand to control rabbit populations but has been wreaking havoc on New Zealand’s bird population. Its wide range and familiarity mean that the stoat is one of the most frequently made mustelids in our hobby. Today we’re looking at the Mojo Fun stoat, originally released in 2013 and then again in 2016 with a new paintjob.
Female stoats have a head-to-body length of 6.7-10.6” (17-26 cm) while males measure 7.4-12.8” (19-32 cm). Despite their small size stoats are capable of taking prey up to the size of European rabbits, although large prey is usually targeted by the larger males. The Mojo stoat measures 3.5” (8.89 cm) in total length and has a head-to-body length of 2.5” (6.35 cm), giving us a scale range of 1/2.68-1/5.12.
The figure is sculpted low to the ground, resting on its hindlimbs, with its forelimbs lifting its front half and its neck craning upwards, with the head looking slightly leftward. It looks like the stoat is momentarily observing its surroundings whilst slinking through the underbrush. It’s a cute and charming little figure.
The head is appropriately wedge shaped, neck long, and body long and cylindrical. The ears are short, wide, and rounded. On the outer side of the ears, we can see the cutaneous marginal pouches (Henry’s pocket), the addition of which I applauded Safari’s long-tailed weasel for including. I’m pleasantly surprised to see it here too, even if not as well defined. Five digits can be seen on each paw and paw pads are sculpted on their undersides. A fine coat of hair is etched across the toy’s surface. Overall, the anatomical accuracy and fine detail are to be celebrated here. For a Mojo toy that’s over a decade old, it’s standing up rather well.
Originally painted with a sharply contrasting brown and white body, this version of the Mojo stoat has a more blended color palette. The body is entirely brown with a white underside and black tip on its tail. The mouth is outlined in black, and the eyes are shiny black. The nose is pink. The claws and paw pads are black. The paint application on the paw pads is terrible, with the paint misaligned or incompletely covering some of the pads. It’s just random little specks of black paint.
Actual stoats have white feet, which aids in telling them apart from the long-tailed weasel with its brown feet. The black tipped tail helps identify the stoat against the least weasel, which has no black tip on its proportionally shorter tail. Most stoat populations trade in their brown coat for a white one during the winter and Mojo produces this same figure in white, marketed as an ermine. Getting the white version would be an effective way to combat the color inaccuracies of this brown one.
It’s actually the white version of this figure that I really wanted but Happy Hen Toys had this brown one on sale and I’m always a sucker for a bargain. I might eventually get the white one too. Whichever color you choose the Mojo stoat is an adorable and dynamically posed figure worth seeking out. It’s also the only stoat figure currently in production from a western company.
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Funny! I have the white version of this figure, because when I went to buy it (probably 2019), Happy Hen Toys only had the white, and not the brown, version.
The white one has caught my interest. This one is difficult to get in Europe anyway.
And Safari’s long-tailed weasel is nowhere to be found.
Every year, popular animals like giant pandas, tigers are released.
I wish more focus was put on more obscure, often less impressive critters like the mustelids, which play nonetheless a very active role in the food chain but seem to be dismissed by toy manufacturers.
A pine marten or a sable would be cool additions.
That’s a shame that these figures are hard to find in Europe. And surprising in the case of Mojo, which is a European company.
I would love a pine marten (European or American). I have a ceramic one by Wade Ceramics but obviously a plastic figure would be preferable.
Great review. It’s cute, but nothing special. 3 stars
It’s a stoat figure, which are few and far between. For that reason, I consider it special. But it is a Mojo figure so it’s not quite as refined as something like the Safari weasel.