Dodo (Forgotten Friends Series A by yowie)

The Dodo has quite the reputation among extinct animals, but the image has always been a bit skewed. Most portarits are based either on third or fourth hand accounts, and most European depictions are from obese specimens kept by gentry that didn’t know how to care for them properly. Modern skeletal analysis now shows it was sleek, brown and quite aggressive. In spite of this, the classic depiction is usually made into figures, as in this example by Yowie’s Forgotten Friends line.

As with all the Yowie figures, this is small, at 1.6″ high and 1.4″ from beak to tail, though this works for the dodo, as it was only one meter tall, so this would fit most figure lines. It goes for the classic dodo model looks, all over grey with white feathers, with a blue face with yellow beak. The pose is stationary, and what movement is available from construction doesn’t offer much to alter this.

Being based off the classic depiction means that accuracy suffers in two ways: the body mass and the feathers. This bird is horribly overweight compared to what it should be, perhaps it was someones pet. The feathers should be darker and the tail feathers much reduced (most models based on water fowl and farm birds). Not accurate in those regards, but still recognisably a dodo, as all other features are right.

This figure has quite a nice retro vibe to it, and I appreciate it for that. The sculpt is nice, paint done well and has a charm to it. While I would like a more updated, modern incarnation to come out, I do like these ones from the past. Once again, eBay is your best bet, and I do recommend it for a reasonable price.