Who makes it? The company Learning Curve, as part of the series of figures with the Dinosaur Train PBS series. His name is apparently Adam.
When did it come out? Originally came out in 2010
Still available? I honestly can’t tell. The distribution was always a bit difficult to pin down. Probably not though.
Where can it be found in my displays? On the shelves filled with colourful oddball figures. One of those shelves anyway.
How does it fit in the collection? Although it’s pretty cartoonish, the unusual species of prehistoric turtle appeals to me. Plus, fossils of this animal have been found within a short drive from where I live (and lived), so that’s kind of cool.
Any story behind it? Not in particular. The kids of course enjoyed the PBS show (shocking!) and enjoy my collection as well (they’ve been taught about handling and display from the time they were walking and talking). Getting some of the more unusual animals from the line was worth the effort of tracking them down for us!
Notable remarks about this figure (a review that isn’t really a review): A figure like this is too stylized and cartoon-like to really be reviewed as a ‘representative’ model. Some things stand out more–the really big feet and large, raised legs, which wouldn’t really be seen on what was probably a water-living terrapin (it makes it seem more tortoise-like). The feet are not webbed, and it seems like they should be. The head is also too big, but again, all of these things are reflective of their animated program background–it’s hard to fault them for that, and at least it gets the name of an less-popular prehistoric animal out there. Plus, they did make some effort–the shell and plastron (belly) scutes are individually sculpted in a pattern that is similar to the real animal (with a lot less ornamentation).
Would I recommend it? If you are looking for a few turtles to round out a Cretaceous display? Probably not; not only is it not very realistic (assuming that’s your goal) it’s also pretty big–the shell is 7.5cm long, making the figure about 1:11; most dinosaur and prehistoric figures are in the 1:20 – 1:40 range (also assuming that scale is important to you). But for a fun little representative of an unassuming prehistoric animal? It can’t hurt to have it. There aren’t that many prehistoric turtle figures (although, more than zero, and more than one species) but I don’t believe there’s another Adocus. Plus, this is certainly one that kids can play with–it’s made for that!
