Woolly Mammoth (Inpro)

Looking back again at the toys of yesteryear we have another little Inpro figurine dug out of my attic, this time it’s a woolly mammoth. Inpro would produce only two mammals for their collection; this mammoth and the equally popular Smilodon. According to the date stamped on its underside this toy was produced in 1972 and while mammoth toys are almost a dime a dozen this one is sufficiently interesting enough to be worth taking a look at.

First off, we need to address the elephant in the room here (see what I did there?) and look at the weird proportions of this thing. The head alone is absolutely enormous compared to the body, and that’s not taking the trunk and tusks into account. The trunk (which looks like an earthworm I might add) is roughly the same length as the body, as are the curved tusks. These odd proportions make this toy look not only cartoonish, but a little uncomfortable. But hey, it was 1972, the majority of prehistoric toys were quite crude and the Inpro line in general is evidence of that.

Now with all that said, there is no denying that this toy is quite charming and I can admit that it’s kind of cute too. I like the odd proportions, long curved tusks, wide legged stance, and upturned worm-like trunk.  My model is brown as most mammoth toys are with a bit of turquoise blended in and black eyes. Looking at pictures online I can see that most are brown and black with white tusks, white eyes, and red inside the mouth. The toy is made out of hard rubber and measures about 3” from tail to trunk.

This is a quirky enough toy with enough character that any collector of the obscure and odd might be into. Of course those that collect vintage prehistoric toys will seek it out as well, and then there are those die-hard mammoth fans. Naturally eBay would be your best bet in hunting one down but you might be able to find one at a yard sale, antique shop, or in a lot of other animal toys like I did. Despite its age and small size I think this little mammoth still stands out in a herd.