Review and photos by Skinny Davenport, edited by Suspsy
An updated version of the appealing Wild Republic Woolly Mammoth (and my favorite stuffed animal) is finally here! I like to call this mammoth “Ellie,” due to her girlish expression and appearance (this was also the name I gave to my first one). This version has the most recent Wild Republic tag style (orange with white letters and the monkey silhouette inside the “D”; the 2013 version had the green tag) and a few other minor changes to the body proportions and pattern. Also, on the tag, the spelling of “Woolly” has been erroneously changed to one ‘L’ instead of two.
The 2013 version of the Wild Republic woolly mammoth has already been reviewed on the blog, and this version of Ellie is quite similar. Apart from the tag, the most obvious differences in the 2017 version from the older one are that the trunk appears as though it might be slightly longer and the darker sections of the fur appear to have a slightly more chocolate-brown hue with a hint of gray. This I like, as it is more faithful to the original version from 2007. Also, the 2013 mammoth’s fur appeared to have a more orange tint. I have since discovered that some versions exist that appear to date all the way back to 2006. This was not known to me when I wrote the review on the 2007 Cuddlekin mammoth; it may have actually been a 2006.
The biggest improvement, I would have to say, is the change in the consistency of the plush fur. The older versions were unbelievably luxuriant when new, but had a real tendency to mat. The colours of the 2017 Ellie are pretty faithful to the original, but the consistency is softer and the strands of fur stay more much more distinct and so are less prone to matting. This is a huge plus for me (and probably most woolly mammoth-loving children) as cuddling with her is very important to me. The shape of the pink trunk tip is also revised; in the old mammoth, it had a diamond shape, but this one has a triangular-shaped trunk tip. This is more accurate to the appearance of the real woolly mammoth’s trunk, which had a broad lower trunk “fingertip” and a long upper one (similar to the Asian elephant, although they are considered to have only one “finger” on the top).
There are also some slight changes to the sewing pattern. The dart above her tail that gives her lower back its curved shape is retained from the old pattern in the 12″ version, but omitted in the 8″ version. The feet all have three toes, unlike the old mammoth Cuddlekin, which until circa 2012-2013 had five toes on the front feet and four on the back feet like an Asian elephant. The extra seam around the black button eyes has been removed. The little tusk sockets next to the mouth are made in one long piece rolled up and sewn together in the back with a single seam, with the exception of a small dart on the front side of the tusk socket. A dart has also been added to the underside of the jaw to replace the knot of thread in the old mammoth’s jaw, and the upper part of the trunk on the front of the face has a straight edge instead of a curved one like the old mammoth. And the extra outside seam around the edge of the inner ear has also been removed.
This is an AWESOME mammoth plush, the best one out there in my opinion. Five stars, no doubt! I hope you all enjoyed my review of the latest generation of Ellie as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you want her for yourself, you can get her here.
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