Using actual specimens to mold their toys, the company AAA has made some of the most realistic animal toys ever produced in plastic. Some of them are so convincing in their appearance that they can easily be mistaken for real animals, or taxidermy of them at least. The irony in taking this approach is that the company then often gave their toys inaccurate paintjobs and included incredibly vague names to identify them. In the case of this one, it’s simply identified as “lizard”. As such, identifying AAA figures can be difficult.
I have identified this particular lizard as a tokay gecko (Gekko gecko). Toy Animal Wiki identifies it as a common house gecko (Hemidactylus frenatus) but it’s not. The common house gecko reaches a maximum length of 6” (15 cm) and the toy measures about 11” (28 cm). So, while the brown coloration may match the common house gecko, the size does not. And remember, this is cast from an actual specimen.
The tokay gecko can reach a maximum length of 16” (40 cm) and males average larger than females. They’re one of the largest gecko species in the world, which certainly helps in identifying this figure. At 11” this toy would be within the average size range for an adult female.
There are at least three tokay gecko figures made by AAA. One is smaller than this one and cast from what appears to have been a juvenile specimen. The other has an open mouth and I cannot tell if it was cast from another specimen or if it’s just a modified version of this one.
Tokay geckos are native to east and southeast Asia where they live in rainforests and near rural dwellings. They get their name from the “tou-kay” mating call that males make. Tokay geckos have been introduced to Florida, Martinique, Belize, and possibly Hawaii.
The toy is a uniform brown color, and this is a far cry from the stunning blue-gray body with red and orange spotting of the actual species. Captive bred color morphs exist for this species, including some brown ones, but even those still have patterning of some kind. Additionally, the eyes are red with round black pupils while the actual tokay gecko has brown or yellowish eyes with elliptical pupils.
This toy would be the perfect choice for a repaint though. Being cast from an actual specimen, it is as anatomically accurate as it could possibly get. The head is large and broad, which enables tokay geckos to inflict a painful bite, something they do not hesitate to do when captured. In nature they’re nocturnal predators and pursue various invertebrates, small reptiles, and amphibians.
The finely scaled body is covered with larger round tubercles and labial scales are present along the lips. The wide toepads are complete with lamella that allow the gecko to climb smooth, vertical surfaces. Interestingly, it appears that the specimen this toy was cast from had a regrown tail, as about 3/4ths of the tail is visually different from the rest with a demarcation between what’s left of the old tail and the regrown portion. Tokay geckos are capable of caudal autotomy, the ability to drop and regrow their tails. Regrown tails don’t look the same as the original.
The AAA tokay gecko is a shockingly lifelike figure that is unfortunately painted completely wrong for the species. For that reason, it will only really appeal to AAA or 1/1 scale figure collectors. There are a handful of smaller tokay gecko figures, but they all pale in comparison to this one. By far the best tokay gecko figure is the retired Safari Ltd. figure but that one is rare and typically commands a high price. This one will have to do for now.
