Ankylosaurus (Bumpy) (Jurassic World Dino-Escape, Roar Attack by Mattel)

They grow up so fast! It was just over 13 months ago when I reviewed the bouncing baby Bumpy for the DTB and now here I am again with another Bumpy review. Only this time, Bumpy isn’t a baby anymore. When I reviewed that baby Bumpy, the animated series Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous hadn’t even premiered yet, but I knew I had to have Bumpy in my collection because she was just so stinkin’ adorable. Now we’re 3 seasons into the show and thankfully, the show turned out alright. And in addition to being cute, Bumpy has also proven to be an important character with her own fleshed out personality. Although I have enjoyed the series thus far, I do have to admit that Bumpy’s transformation from a cute, stylized infant into a considerably more realistic and franchise-accurate adult was a bit jarring, never mind that it all seemed to happen in a matter of weeks. Kids grow up fast, but maybe not that fast.

The adult Bumpy is new for 2021 and part of Mattel’s Dino-Escape, Roar Attack line. She is very similar to her predecessor, the Roarivores Ankylosaurus. Indeed, some body parts have been reused but she has a few new parts including more detailed spines along her flanks, a new head sculpt, and a new back with a re-tooled action feature. I never got the original Roarivores Ankylosaurus so cannot compare them directly for you.

The action feature on all the new Roar Attack figures replaces the push button with a three-phase sliding apparatus. Sliding the device once will cock the tail towards the right, sliding it again cocks it further, and then on the third slide the tail releases and swings. Each of the three stop points also produces a different sound and the sounds are taken directly from Bumpy in Camp Cretaceous. This feature produces a more powerful swing of the tail than Bumpy’s Roarivores counterpart and works smoothly and effectively. On the flip side, it is visually distracting and does not blend into the figure as well as the push button did. The ease in which it works probably makes it more fun for children and since they’re the primary demographic for these toys I can’t really complain. I know that collectors have been vocal about their dislike over the change so it will be interesting to see what Mattel does going forward.

Although people like to nit-pick the accuracy of the Jurassic franchise’s theropods some of the worst offenders in the franchise are the often-overlooked ornithischian dinosaurs. The franchise’s Ankylosaurus look more like they’re from the 1960’s than they do a modern depiction of the genus. For example, those cool spines along the sides shouldn’t be there at all, making baby Bumpy more accurate than adult Bumpy in that regard. For accurate Ankylosaurus figures, look to Safari Ltd. or PNSO, which have both produced outstanding Ankylosaurus figures based on different life appearance studies.

Although scientifically inaccurate the toy is at least film accurate, as it should be, even if we dislike it. The toy nails Bumpy’s on-screen appearance with a nice attention to detail. The top of Bumpy’s head is decorated with large, plate like scales while her face has finer, pebbly scales. Her various horns and spikes are etched with grooves and the horns on her head are asymmetrical in size like the show’s Bumpy. The armored back has various plates running down in an overlapping, segmented fashion and the entirety of the back is covered in fine, pebbly scales.

The tail club has a hardened, cracked appearance, and the rest of Bumpy’s body is sculpted with scales of varying sizes and skin wrinkles where appropriate. The hindlegs are robust with nice muscle definition and longer than the forelimbs. Four digits are sculpted on each limb, another inaccuracy as it is believed that Ankylosaurus has three digits on its hindlimbs, like other ankylosaurs. The number of digits on a toy seem to be an afterthought over at Mattel, as their upcoming 6-fingered Ouranosaurus shows.

As far as articulation goes, Bumpy’s head is on a ball joint so can swivel completely around. Her hindlimbs can move back and the forelimbs forward but don’t move much in the opposite direction, limited by her armor. The body is made of hard plastic but the tail, head, limbs, and the spikes along the flanks are a more flexible, rubbery material.

Bumpy’s paintjob matches that of her younger counterpart and on-screen iteration. Her body is primarily mustard green with a turquoise back and some turquoise coloration around the face and along the flanks. The tail club, horns, beak, and spikes are gray, and her eyes are painted brown with black pupils. The toenails are unpainted, as usual, and unfortunately the osteoderms on her tail are unpainted too, although the spikes are painted. I’ve always enjoyed this unique color scheme for Bumpy and in terms of Mattel’s Ankylosaurus toys this is the most attractive paint scheme so far.

For fans of Camp Cretaceous and Bumpy as a character, this toy is obviously a must have. For more casual collectors that already have an Ankylosaurus, it might be a pass. Even for those that don’t watch the series however, this toy has an attractive paint scheme with some slight sculptural improvements over the original Ankylosaurus, so might be worth seeking out, as long as you can ignore the unsightly sliding button. Bumpy is currently available in stores but I can’t say for how much longer. As with Jurassic World toys in general you’ll want to acquire her sooner than later.