Mystery trout?

Saarlooswolfhound · June 25, 2025, 03:57:41 PM

Any ideas on the maker of this fish? It was sold to me as a K&M but its nothing like other models I am familiar with and I am sure it was a mistaken ID by the seller. Its partly hollow and squishable in the body cavity. Thoughts? The stamp is hard to make out but it says something like "No S-352" there is a cock-eyed 8, and then the next line is "China"

NSD Bashe · June 25, 2025, 07:20:43 PM

This might be a long shot but I think it might be Sun Wai, they have similar numbering on them, the hollow squishy aspect and as well the flappy fins resemble them, especially when you look under it the way the paint slightly peels off on the bottom of the fin's joint pretty exactly matches how it looks on Sun Wai models. I think I might even have that same one somewhere that came with another couple small Sun Wai fish, I think it's just too small for the regular logo to be stamped on it

sbell · June 25, 2025, 07:41:30 PM

Is it stamped 'trout' because it doesn't really look like one. But sort of painted like one

The deeply forked tail looks like...a smelt or something? Can't quite put my finger on it

Saarlooswolfhound · June 25, 2025, 08:29:41 PM

Thanks @NSD Bashe! I could see it being a Sun Wai model. Google Lens brought up 2 images of similar figures (one with different paint) but neither link had any further info.

@sbell, I went with trout as the ID since the paintwork is that of a rainbow trout. But I agree, its not a great likeness morphologically.

If anyone has any more ideas please share! If I find anything on it I will update.

K907 · June 27, 2025, 03:31:04 AM

Oh I def remember this one, I think I still have it. It is most likely a Sun Wai toy and they had an adult one as well (I wished I still kept mine). Because I live in Alaska, I remember being sold as a salmon toy.

Saarlooswolfhound · June 27, 2025, 04:10:09 AM

Interesting! If you had to hazard a guess @K907, how big was the adult? This one is roughly 4 inches long.

MudpupWaterdog · June 27, 2025, 01:30:30 PM

I had three different variants of them as a kid, I'll have to look around and see if I still have them.

One was this color scheme (rainbow trout), one was blueish-silver like a salmon, and I vaguely recall that the third was greenish?

I also had the adult, which was probably 8 inches long? My adult was blueish-silver too and had a hooked beak, but I think it came in "rainbow trout" colors too.

K907 · June 28, 2025, 04:43:56 AM

Quote from: Saarlooswolfhound on June 27, 2025, 04:10:09 AMInteresting! If you had to hazard a guess @K907, how big was the adult? This one is roughly 4 inches long.

Maybe 6-7 inches, mouth is open with teeth.

Saarlooswolfhound · June 28, 2025, 05:18:58 AM

Thank you both! I guess I have to keep an eye out for both variations and for adult fish!

NSD Bashe · June 29, 2025, 06:34:09 AM

I think I found an official answer on this:

https://www.goldsupplier.com/provide/p146787792.html

There's no image unfortunately but the Sun Wai salmon is listed as 21 centimeters, with a production number of S-321. The big and small versions of the Sun Wai fish all have different numbers ranging from the 300s to the early 400s, at least of the ones I have, so this very much tracks with the production number on the smaller one. Also I do indeed have that same small one, and it has the mysterious 8 but in a slightly different spot under the jaw. So I'm not sure if it's an intentional mark or even something related to how they put the mold together. Like with yours I couldn't find the typical Sun Wai logo marked anywhere but a couple of my other small Sun Wai fish don't seem to have the mark either and I'm fairly positive they're also Sun Wai.

Saarlooswolfhound · June 29, 2025, 06:42:00 AM

Amazing sleuthing skills! This all makes sense to me and I agree, with the few Sun Wai I have it does seem similar. Thank you everyone for your feedback and thoughts! I love these sorts of discoveries.

NSD Bashe · July 08, 2025, 04:43:09 AM

Here's my small Sun Wai salmon with the "8" under the chin also a strange kind of large "A" formation. And just for fun there it is with the actual K&M trout

Saarlooswolfhound · July 08, 2025, 04:53:08 PM

Yes, its completely different from the K&M model isn't it? Your SunWai trout is a lot darker than mine. Interesting variation!

MudpupWaterdog · July 10, 2025, 02:45:05 PM

Found mine. I only kept the silver/blue one but as a kid I definitely had three. The other two were rainbow trout.

Saarlooswolfhound · July 10, 2025, 03:30:04 PM

Thank you for sharing this @MudpupWaterdog ! Now I know what to look for in an alternate color. I bought the adult to this one I think, its on the way to me!

MudpupWaterdog · July 11, 2025, 06:06:40 PM

So I don't have my adult salmon anymore but I found this old picture of my toybox from childhood where it's visible. It was blue and silver like the small one that I posted before. It was well-loved and much of the paint wore off.

Saarlooswolfhound · July 11, 2025, 06:21:42 PM

I love looking at my old photos of my toys too- yours was well loved but thats the whole point as a kid right? My blue/silver adult is supposed to be delivered today so I can update this weekend hopefully.

MudpupWaterdog · July 11, 2025, 06:25:27 PM

I agree; I like to say that I never got into this hobby - I was always in it. The very first toys I can remember owning were animal toys and that general interest has never gone away. I'm glad I was able to keep so many of them from way back then.

Saarlooswolfhound · July 11, 2025, 06:57:12 PM

Same here, and at least from my experience, thats a rarity that son
omeone gets into it when young and sticka with it. I've had these kinds of toys for as long as I can remember, and can even remember picking out some of my very first Schleich animals back in the day!

sbell · July 11, 2025, 07:02:27 PM

Quote from: Saarlooswolfhound on July 11, 2025, 06:57:12 PMSame here, and at least from my experience, thats a rarity that son
omeone gets into it when young and sticka with it. I've had these kinds of toys for as long as I can remember, and can even remember picking out some of my very first Schleich animals back in the day!

Like the Baltimore museum frogs by Safari that decorated my locker? Lost forever now

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Mystery trout?