Bendable Dinosaur Playset (Dorda)

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Review and photos by Emperor Dinobot, edited by Suspsy

Hello everyone! Welcome to yet another EmperorDinobot(TM) dinosaur review! Today we are going to give a look at these quirky bendable dinosaurs from Dorda! Made in 1987 (I think I would have to lift up their skirts to make sure it was ’87 or ’88), these dinosaurs look a wee bit like the Playskool Definitely Dinosaur figures from the late 80s, but definitely have their own aesthetic and gimmick in order to keep kids and strange adult dinosaur toy collectors entertained for hours! Let us have a look and see, shall we?

I must admit I found very little on the company that made these toys. There is not a lot of information out there, but I did see in some old stock photograph that they made a different type of ankylosaur than the one featured in this set, which I assume to be Euoplocephalus. The others are Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops, Stegosaurus, Brontosaurus, and Pteranodon. There is nothing printed on their bellies except Dorda 198?. I have owned this set for around six years or so. For research purposes, I do look them up on Google once in a while, and some individual figures with different color applications have showed up. For example, I did see a red and white Triceratops show up on eBay once.

These toys all measure about five inches long. Their paint applications are not that different from the figures from Definitely Dinosaurs, but they do look somewhat crudely sprayed on. And they do show their age. My set was possibly put in a bathtub at some point. They are also made out of rubber, which helps with the bendy limbs. They can do a range of poses, but due to their age, I would be careful with them, otherwise you end with this:

The detail level is once again on par with Definitely Dinosaurs. They still retain their own unique friendly demeanor, and even though they are made out of rubber, they still have some very nice details. I apologize for the “crude paint applications” comment. It looks charming when one looks at them up close.

Once again, I am pretty sure the same species came in different colors. I have an orange and green Brontosaurus and a purple and blue Stegosaurus.

Now you may be asking yourself “Where do I find these fine Dorda products?”Well, that’s the gag! I am the only one who owns this set as far as I know! They are charming, but I have no intention of keeping them in my collection, and they are living in a plastic tub until I or someone else shows them love. If you love vintage bendable dinosaurs, this set is a must-have because they are rather rare. After all this time, they have still managed to retain their original high quality. Too bad for the orange Brontosaurus, but that is just part of the business of dealing with vintage dinosaurs.