Australia is home to numerous species of parrot, from the Gallah to the sulpur-crested Cockatoo. Many are now quite rare as a result of humanity, but most are now protected and hopefully will recover. Sadly, this isn’t the case for all of them, as one species no longer exists among them, the Paradise Parrot. Once they were common across Queensland and New South Wales, they were last seen in 1924. The reason for the extinction is unclear, though likely affected by the drought in 1902, as well as human activity, like introduction of new predators and hunting. The only company to have replicated this fabulous animal is, as you may expect, Yowie. Let’s take a closer look and see how they did.
Onto the figure! The pose is a great perching pose, stood atop a stone pillar or termite nest, whichever you imagination prefers. Not many figures have these bases, but it is needed here, as I will explain later in accuracy. There is some movement to the figure, as the head, legs and tail feathers can move a little. Not enough to make great changed, but it is there. The colours are great, a mix of grey, red and green, as seen on drawings of the animal as it was. The lack of darker colours suggests this may be a female, as the males are shown to have darker grey feathers. The whole figure is 2.5″ high (though the parrot is only 1.8″ high) and 2.6″ long, a decent size, though likely too large for a lot of lines.
To accuracy! The reason for the base is quite easy to see: the tail feathers. The Paradise parrot is unusual for having had tail feathers as long as the rest of it’s body, and this model certainly fits the bill. Speaking of bills, or beaks, that is perhaps a little short here, but the animal was known for having a short, hooked beak, so it isn’t too short to be unbelievable. On the whole, pretty good.
I love the Forgotten Friends line Yowie produced for showing animals that likely would be forgotten by the general public, lost to the ages. This is a great representation of a beautiful bird, and I definitely recommend picking one up if you see the chance. It is long discontinued, so best to try on eBay. You won’t be disappointed.
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Yowie has to be one of the most diverse line of extinct animal toys to date. It’s a shame they’re out of production, but I suppose covering more obscure creatures comes with risk.