Greetings from Mudpup Waterdog!

[MudpupWaterdog]

Hi everyone! Longtime reader, first time poster. I finally decided to make an account so that I can join in the conversations instead of just listening.

I've been collecting since I was a kid in the 90s, so I'm lucky to still have a bunch of 1990s Safari/Club Earth/PV stuff. I also regularly pass through Japan and I always swing by Akihabara to see what Japanese figures I can grab. My collection is mostly sea life, from plankton to whales, but I'll grab almost everything reptilian, amphibian, fishy, or invertebrate. I have a handful of mammals and birds too, but overall they're not really my jam.

My forum handle comes from a trip to the Aquarium of the Great Lakes in Duluth. I was looking at a display of mudpuppies (also sometimes called waterdogs) and thought "wow, Mudpup Waterdog has a ring to it." Profile pic is my self portrait. I do a bit of drawing, and I'm just starting out with scrimshaw (artificial ivory only of course) and custom painting. I'll post a few of my repaints on here once I get good pics.

I'm not a scientist so I'm not nearly as good at taxonomy as most of you, but I love reading the blog reviews and walkarounds. Professionally, I research the history of aquariums and marine science, so I love discussing the history and social/humanities aspects of the hard sciences. Regarding aquariums, I've now been to more than 60 on four continents so I also love discussing aquarium design and setup.

Some more relevant details:
Favorite animal: horseshoe crab.
Favorite aquarium: Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Favorite figure in my collection: Hard call for sure, but probably the Schleich wobbegong/carpet shark. I just love something about the lil' guy.
Favorite brand: Probably Safari because I grew up with them.
Holy grail item: A complete F-Toys Creatures of the Waterside set.
Other desired items are the Safari Ltd Bat Star and as many of the original Replica Toy Fish figures as possible.

Anyways, happy to be here and glad to be a part of the conversations now!

[EpicRaptorMan]

yo

[bmathison1972]

Welcome @MudpupWaterdog - sounds like you will be a good fit here

If you enjoy reading the Blog, you should consider contributing, too!

[Gwangi]

Welcome! You're in good company. A lot of folks around here seem interested in sea life in particular, myself included. I'm interested in seeing your scrimshaw!

Incidentally, I caught a mudpuppy once, while dip netting in Cayuga lake in New York. It's the only one I ever saw in the wild and was a thrilling experience. I wish I was able to photograph it. As a result, the Safari Tennessee Aquarium mudpuppy happens to be one of my holy grail items.

[NSD Bashe]

Hello 

[AnimalToyForum]

Welcome! I like your self portrait profile picture.

[MudpupWaterdog]

Thanks everyone!

EpicRaptorMan - yo

Blaine - I'll contribute if I can! My taxonomy knowledge is limited, so any review I can do might be a bit general. I do have a few figures around here that I've never seen on the Blog or the Forum.

Gwangi - Thanks, I'll post some then! Lucky you got to see a mudpuppy. I actually grew up not too far from Cayuga Lake, but never got to see one in the wild myself. The Safari mudpuppy is one of my most treasured figures. If I can find a double, you'll be the first to know.

NSD Bashe - Hello back!

ATF - Thanks! Just a big ol' fish, still figuring things out

[sbell]

Welcome! Interesting choices of favorites.

I too am a fan of the fish and salamanders.

As for replica toy fish... they're not easy to find. Some of us are fortunate to have a complete double set...! Plus even some one offs and test models.

[BlueKrono]

Welcome! I actually got the Safari mudpuppy toy from that same aquarium in Duluth years ago. They're my favorite amphibian. I got a tattoo of one that used the patterning from the toy. I never saw one in the wild until last year, when a group of herpetologists took me river hunting for them. We caught several, and I was thrilled.

[Gwangi]

Gwangi - Thanks, I'll post some then! Lucky you got to see a mudpuppy. I actually grew up not too far from Cayuga Lake, but never got to see one in the wild myself. The Safari mudpuppy is one of my most treasured figures. If I can find a double, you'll be the first to know.

No way! Where abouts? If you don't mind me asking. I lived in the Finger Lakes region for 20 years, my family moved there when I was 14. I've written a few articles for Life in the Finger Lakes magazine about the local wildlife.

[MudpupWaterdog]

@sbell Thanks! I was working abroad for much of RTF's short but glorious reign, and they went under right about when I moved back. Oh well, I've been following the Toy Fish Factory spinoff and I hope that TFF can follow through on a lot of their planned releases.

@BlueKrono that sounds like an amazing tattoo! And a great experience catching mudpuppies.

@Gwangi I was born and raised in Buffalo, and while 150 miles may not be close by some standards, my family and I took regular day trips out to the region, and I'm occasionally in Ithaca for work. It's such a beautiful area, if I move back to New York that's the region I'd want to be in.

[Gwangi]

@sbell Thanks! I was working abroad for much of RTF's short but glorious reign, and they went under right about when I moved back. Oh well, I've been following the Toy Fish Factory spinoff and I hope that TFF can follow through on a lot of their planned releases.

@BlueKrono that sounds like an amazing tattoo! And a great experience catching mudpuppies.

@Gwangi I was born and raised in Buffalo, and while 150 miles may not be close by some standards, my family and I took regular day trips out to the region, and I'm occasionally in Ithaca for work. It's such a beautiful area, if I move back to New York that's the region I'd want to be in.

Well, Buffalo is pretty close when you consider there are members here from around the world. I used to live near, and for awhile worked in, Ithaca. Used to volunteer at the Museum of the Earth there too. Check it out if you're in the area! The Finger Lakes is a beautiful place, and I miss it but I wasn't into the long, harsh winters and now I live in Maryland which also puts me close to the ocean, something I've always wanted.

[MudpupWaterdog]

Well, Buffalo is pretty close when you consider there are members here from around the world. I used to live near, and for awhile worked in, Ithaca. Used to volunteer at the Museum of the Earth there too. Check it out if you're in the area! The Finger Lakes is a beautiful place, and I miss it but I wasn't into the long, harsh winters and now I live in Maryland which also puts me close to the ocean, something I've always wanted.

I love that place! It's so cool, and I love that it's not in a big city. It's a nice gem of a museum tucked into such a scenic area. I don't blame you for leaving for warmer and more maritime climes, the whole region freezes solid for half the year.

[Gwangi]

Well, Buffalo is pretty close when you consider there are members here from around the world. I used to live near, and for awhile worked in, Ithaca. Used to volunteer at the Museum of the Earth there too. Check it out if you're in the area! The Finger Lakes is a beautiful place, and I miss it but I wasn't into the long, harsh winters and now I live in Maryland which also puts me close to the ocean, something I've always wanted.

I love that place! It's so cool, and I love that it's not in a big city. It's a nice gem of a museum tucked into such a scenic area. I don't blame you for leaving for warmer and more maritime climes, the whole region freezes solid for half the year.

Well, the tradeoff with moving is intense humidity for much of the year and an abundance of biting insects unlike anything I ever encountered in NY.

[sbell]

@sbell Thanks! I was working abroad for much of RTF's short but glorious reign, and they went under right about when I moved back. Oh well, I've been following the Toy Fish Factory spinoff and I hope that TFF can follow through on a lot of their planned releases.

Sadly, I don't think it'll happen. They seem to have stalled at 4sets. Really wish he would have taken my advice and went with sets featuring more unique or populist figures.
The trout, catfish and gars/sturgeon were always the most popular of the RTF, but he left those for later.

[MudpupWaterdog]

Sadly, I don't think it'll happen. They seem to have stalled at 4sets. Really wish he would have taken my advice and went with sets featuring more unique or populist figures.
The trout, catfish and gars/sturgeon were always the most popular of the RTF, but he left those for later.

Oh man, that's sad to hear. He had such a cool idea, and I was really looking forward to a bunch of new catfish figures. I'm glad he at least got the Gulf set done, 8 year old me was super into mangroves and would have died of happiness if he could have had a toy snook, tarpon, and red drum.