This small outdated ankylosaur model was sold by the Early Learning Centre in the UK in the 1990s. It doesn’t have any brand markings, but I’m reasonably confident it’s an AAA model based on the style and knowing the strong relationship the Early Learning Centre had with AAA.
Author: DinoToyBlog
Dr Adam S. Smith (aka 'DinoToyBlog' here, and 'DinoToyForum' on the Dinosaur Toy Forum) is a curator and palaeontologist at the Nottingham Natural History Museum, Wollaton Hall, UK. Adam launched the Dinosaur Toy Blog in July 2007 and followed it up with the Dinosaur Toy Forum in January 2008, and the Animal Toy Forum in December 2012. He is particularly interested in marine reptile figures, especially plesiosaurs. Adam also runs The Plesiosaur Directory website and has published several popular articles and technical papers on fossil marine reptiles. He is a children's book author with 'The Plesiosaur's Neck' (2021) and 'The Tyrannosaur's Feathers' (2023).All reviews by this author
Review: Compsognathus corallestris (Monster in my Pocket by Matchbox)
3.3 (17 votes)
I have a doozy for you today, a remarkable figure of C. corallestris, a semi-aquatic species of Compsognathus with fin-like hands. At least, that’s what palaeontologists thought when they described the type specimen in 1972. The interpretation didn’t last long though. The flippers were formally dismissed and reinterpreted as ‘normal’ hands in 1978, and ‘C.
Review: Iguanodon (Margarinefiguren by Wagner)
2.9 (18 votes)
Sometimes in our clamour for the most spectacular, expensive, hot new dinosaur figures, we can forget there’s still plenty of joy to be found in plain, cheap, cool old dinosaur figures. And you can’t get cheaper than free! The German Margarinefiguren, or Margarine Figures, by Wagner, came free with packets of ‘butter’ (and maybe other products, I don’t know) in the 1950s.
Review: Atopodentatus (version 1) (Paleo-Creatures)
3.8 (15 votes)
I’m fascinated by how depictions of prehistoric animals change over time in the face of new evidence. This is the theme of my recent children’s book, The Tyrannosaur’s Feathers, which focusses on T. rex as a case study for this ‘make-over’ phenomenon. However, while the appearance of some prehistoric creatures, T.
Review: Kronosaurus (‘daddy’/Kronos)(Dinosaurs and Friends by De Agostini)
4.1 (17 votes)
The DinoToyBlog has evolved over the years, much like the prehistoric creatures we review. Articles here are more substantial now than ever before. The average word count has increased, the number of photographs has gone up, and the scientific rigour has shot through the roof. It’s fantastic!
Review: Plesiosaurus (Mini Dinosaurs I by Bullyland)
3.5 (17 votes)
This small Plesiosaurus toy belongs to the first line of dinosaur figures produced by Bullyland beginning in 1980, a few years after the German toy company was founded in 1973. The line of seven miniature dinosaurs (and other prehistoric creatures) is informally known as Mini Dinosaurs I, to separate it from a later line of mini dinosaurs released by Bullyland in 1993 (Mini Dinosaurs II), and other separate Bullyland dinosaur lines.
Review: Stegosaurus (Animal World Dinosaurs by Bullyland)
2.5 (23 votes)
If we were handing out awards for ‘chonkiest Stegosaurus toys’ this one would surely be in the running. When I first embarked on this review I had assumed it would be a simple matter of specifying this as the Bullyland ‘mini’ Stegosaurus, but I quickly realised it isn’t that simple.
Video: Top 10 New Prehistoric Animal Figures of 2023
3.7 (10 votes)
Video of the ‘Top 10 New Prehistoric Animal Figures of 2023’, as voted by the DinoToyForum community. Edited by Sim and DinoToyBlog. Title graphics by Patrx
Review: Spinosaurus (Monster In My Pocket by Matchbox, Series 6)
2.7 (22 votes)
After four series the Monster in my Pocket line began to run out of actual monsters to make, and began to take inspiration from the real world instead. Series five was a line of ‘Super Creepies’, essentially an array of extant bugs and other creepy crawlies, and series six turned its attention to dinosaurs in 1993 – that’s the line we’re all interested in here.
Video: The Birthday Liopleurodon
3.3 (13 votes)
In which I unbox ‘the birthday Liopleurodon’, a gift from mum and dad, and recount its epic journey from bondage to freedom and onto my display shelves. The toy is the Jurassic Clash action figure by Lanard Ltd.
A version of this video was originally uploaded to Youtube on Sep 18, 2018. Title graphics by Patrx.
Video: Top 10 New Prehistoric Animal Toys of 2022
4.4 (8 votes)
A compilation of the top 10 new releases in 2022, as voted by the Dinosaur Toy Forum community. Main video content edited by Sim.
Video: DinoToyBlog Channel Trailer
5 (5 votes)
The Dinosaur Toy Blog Channel is now directly here on dinotoyblog.com. We’ll be migrating all our legacy video content from Youtube over here in time, and new video content is being posted here instead of Youtube. View all the DinoToyBlog Channel content here.
Title graphics by Patrx (check out his own channel on Youtube).