Anyone include human figures in their animal figure collections?

[andrewsaurus]

i suspect in most people's minds, humans are distinct and separate from (and superior to) animals.  An egocentric viewpoint.  I would argue that figures of humans are just as valid to include in any animal collection as a lion or porcupine.  We are products of nature and evolution, just like every other living thing on the planet.  Just because we evolved notably higher intelligence and are extremely adept at tool building, why should that set us apart?

Many animals have human like traits eg masturbating dolphins, tool using chimps, ants that enslave others to work for them and so on.  But these traits and many that are nastier, seem to be given a pass in animals, because they are part of the natural world and the animals 'don't know any better', whereas humans should.  Applying human morality to other animals doesn't seem to be a reasonable thing to do

Anyway, given that humans and the rest of nature are in reality so intimately intertwined, it seems reasonable and indeed essential to include figures of humans, from cave people to modern day soldiers and civilians in an animal collection.  But I would bet nobody does....myself included.

[bmathison1972]

Yes, but only prehistoric hominids. One of them is technically H. sapiens, but it represents the Paleolithic stage of our species.

[andrewsaurus]

so that's where you draw the line then?  And if so, why?

[bmathison1972]

so that's where you draw the line then?  And if so, why?

Yes, and I don't know why. Although now that I think about it, if a company released a line of various indigenous peoples from around the world, preferably from non-industrial societies, those could be fun to collect. I guess I don't have much interest in figures/toys of technologically advanced humans LOL

[andrewsaurus]

so, bows and arrows would be ok, but not firearms?

[Gwangi]

My collection is still quite small but I would certainly include a human amongst a collection of primates.

[SerAndrew]

I would like to include hominids, of course.

But I find all the ones that have been released are rather ugly and cartoonish (mainly our prehistoric cousins). Like for example the Bullyland series.

In fact, I wonder if I see them so bad because I'm more familiar with the features and traits than, for example, a goat's or a dolphin's.

My preference would be to include the naked specimen, with no tools. But I'm also open to a line showing some characteristic behavior (like clothes or phone in Homo sapiens, spears in neanderthals, and so on, I'm not an expert).

At some point I resigned and decided that my Homo sapiens would be a Charles Darwin's figure that I thought would be easy to catch, but I didn't found any. It was like a tributte to him from my (taxonimically ordered) collection.
So, finally, and given that I'm a diver myself, my only hominid figure is the Schleich's diver, that is "overflying" (it's displayed hung) the rest of my primates.

[NSD Bashe]

@SerAndrew
The Accoutrements box set "Evolving Darwin" is regularly on eBay.  There's a number of them available now even if you're interested..

[stargatedalek]

I wouldn't say I have an "animal figure collection" so much as a "collection of things I enjoy, most of which happen to be animals". So I have plenty of human figures, mostly Figma's of characters (or character designs) I really like.

[pachyrhinosaurus]

I have a few humans. I think my favorites are the two Safari zookeepers in uniforms (John and Jane). I also have a few Schleich human figures, and the Papo Inuit and Santa Claus. Still looking for the Schleich Sioux Chief. I'd like to make some of my own as well.

[andrewsaurus]

the Papo Inuit figure is interesting......does it represent a particular time period?

[sbell]

I have some, mostly for scale models. But I don't seek them out or anything.

[GojiraGuy1954]

I have three of the CollectA ones that come with some of the large dinosaurs