The Definitely Dinosaurs line by Playskool was a series of dinosaur toys produced in the late 80’s and early 90’s. For those unfamiliar with them they were basically the more toddler-friendly version of Tyco’s Dino-Riders. Some of them, like the Stegosaurus, were eerily similar to their Tyco counterparts.
Brand: Definitely Dinosaurs
Review: Anatosaurus AKA Edmontosaurus (Wendy’s Exclusive from Definitely Dinosaurs by Playskool)
Review: Ankylosaurus (Definitely Dinosaurs by Playskool)
Review and photographs by Charles Peckham, edited by Suspsy
Definitely Dinosaurs was a quite popular line of toys from Playskool, produced from 1987 to 1996. Playskool is a subsidiary of Hasbro, and it has become a brand recognizable for its distinct style of cartoonish, yet detailed and sturdily built figures.
Review: Ceratosaurus (Wendy’s Exclusive from Definitely Dinosaurs by Playskool)
And now for something completely different from all the scientifically sound and modern reconstructions of dinosaurs. I’ve tackled many different figures for this blog, but today marks the start of a series of reviews that will be very different.
Review: Deinonychus (Definitely Dinosaurs by Playskool)
Review and photos by dinoguy2, edited by Suspsy
Deinonychus was hot in the 80s’ – a relatively new, small, fast, vicious theropod that was beginning to catch kids’ attention in books and TV specials, and therefore made an obvious choice when it came time to fill in the small dinosaur slots in a toy line.
Review: Leptoceratops (Definitely Dinosaurs by Playskool)
Review and photographs by dinoguy2, edited by Suspsy.
Playskool released several series of individually carded dinosaurs between 1988 and 2000. These were very similar to the small vinyl toys released as Wendy’s kids meal promotions in 1988 and 1989, though the Wendy’s dinosaurs generally had different color schemes and didn’t include some of the carded species.
Review: Pachycephalosaurus (Definitely Dinosaurs by Playskool)
Review and photographs by dinoguy2, edited by Suspsy
Playskool’s Definitely Dinosaurs line can be broken down into two basic categories: the larger, ride-able toys that came with saddles for their “Cavester” companions, and the smaller toys with minimal accessories. Pachycephalosaurus was part of the smaller assortment, and like the others, it was pretty basic, with only four real points of articulation.
Review: Parasaurolophus (Definitely Dinosaurs by Playskool)
Review and photographs by dinoguy2, edited by Suspsy
One of the larger dinosaurs from Playskool’s Definitely Dinosaurs Series 2, the Parasaurolophus is really nice-looking for a preschool toy. Featuring similar articulation to the other large dinosaurs in the series, it has a hinge jointed neck for up and down head movement, swivel joints at all four limbs, and a rotatable tail .
Review: Polacanthus (Definitely Dinosaurs by Playskool)
Review and photos by Art Rex, edited by Suspsy
Before the release of Jurassic Park in 1993, Playskool’s Definitely Dinosaurs was one of the best brands of prehistoric playtime, rivaled only by Tyco’s Dino-Riders. Most of the Definitely Dinosaurs were relatively simple in design, almost cartoonish to play to a younger demographic.
Review: Protoceratops (Definitely Dinosaurs by Playskool)
Review and photographs by Loon, edited by Suspsy
Protoceratops is the only species I actively collect multiple figures of, and luckily, many companies have released their own versions. This has allowed me to sample lines that I usually wouldn’t have much interest in, such as Playskool’s Definitely Dinosaurs.
Review: Psittacosaurus (Definitely Dinosaurs by Playskool)
Review and photos by Cretaceous Crab, edited by Suspsy
This time around, I have the pleasure of reviewing one of my favorite dinosaur toys as a kid: the Psittacosaurus from Playskool’s Definitely Dinosaurs line. I remember carrying this one around everywhere. Of course, in those days, we didn’t think too much on saving toys that may be considered vintage or “collectible” decades later, so when I got old enough not to play with toys (as if!
Review: Stegosaurus (Wendy’s Exclusive from Definitely Dinosaurs by Playskool)
For my second Definitely Dinosaurs soft model review, I will be tackling their rendition of Stegosaurus. Right off the bat, this model is downright cute, and it is clear it was made for toddlers because of the bright colours and the hard vinyl plastic it is made off.
Review: Triceratops (Repaint)(Wendy’s Exclusive from Definitely Dinosaurs by Playskool)
Review and photos by Charles Peckham, edited by Suspsy
The Wendy’s Triceratops that Definitely Dinosaurs put out in 1988 was a very odd, scientifically implausible little toy. Still, in my humble opinion, it had panache. The foremost reason for this was its striking neon colour choices.
Review: Triceratops (Wendy’s Exclusive from Definitely Dinosaurs by Playskool)
Review and photos by Charles Peckham, edited by Suspsy
Definitely Dinosaurs is a toy line I’ve written about on here before. To reiterate my thoughts on it succinctly, it was a great bridge between durable, cutesy kids’ toys and scientifically accurate (for the time) models. But the Triceratops that came from Wendy’s is perhaps the worst example of this.