I Found My first Dinosaur Toys in 1951 When I Was Six.

This website will serve as a Dinosaur toys Collectors Guide as it takes you on an ongoing and decades long trip. No one can collect real Dinosaurs (except, perhaps, in the movies) but Dinosaur toys are available to stir the imagination and arouse the little boy (or girl) in each of us.

Eventually every "Dinosaur" ever made will be findable here, from Apatosaurs to Velociraptors and Battat to X-Plus, depending on whether you are searching by Dinosaur or company name.

I discovered that I could have Dinosaurs of my very own when my aunts first took me to visit the American Museum of Natural History in 1951. I was only six years old and I was entranced by the great fossil exhibits. I could never look at a fossil without clothing it in flesh and imagining its life.

The bones of the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex, Triceratops, Brontosaurus (renamed Apatosaurus years later), the Stegosaurus and the Allosaurs all fired my imagination, came to life and incited a passion in me that burns to this day, nearly sixty years later.

The museum shop carried SRG metal figures that were the only such toys available at the time. Over the following years we would visit the museum on average twice a month and I would return home with one, two and sometimes even three SRG figures to play with on the floor of my room. These prehistoric animal toys became central to my play for years after and have accompanied me throughout my life.

My collection grew in the mid-fifties to include the wonderful MARX prehistoric figures until, today, I have a collection spanning nearly six decades and many manufacturers. I will be sharing that collection with you, here, on this site.

Today's models by Battat, Bullyland,  Carnegie, Invicta, PAPO,  Safari Ltd, Schleich and the Jurassic Park movie action figures among others are a far cry from those of my childhood. The detail and "realism" have increased geometrically from those early SRG and the MARX figures.

I have collected them all, and as many as I could, and hope that this site will help those who are interested in collecting these models and interest those who are fascinated with the mind and playfulness of a fairly typical collector.

Among the things that you will not find here are Museum Quality (and museum expensive) Dinosaur statues, Dinosaur art, crafts or folk-art. You won't find Dino-jokes (this is a serious site :+)), nor songs, poetry or other what not.

You will not find Dinosaurs that cost more than about twenty dollars ($20.00) retail when new. Many of these little gems have since greatly appreciated in value ( Battat comes to mind) but they were not particularly expensive when new and off the shelf. These are toys first and foremost.

A Prejudice...and a Disclaimer

I do not much like toys that do things for themselves. I do not like toys that stop doing things because the battery dies. I do not like remote-control toys. I do not like toys with moving parts that can break, come apart or get jammed with dirt. I like toys that just sit there, waiting to be animated by my imagination.

I like toys that are "realistic" and detailed, rather than fanciful and/or "toylike."

I like bi-pedal Dinosaur toys that stand on their own two feet, are well balanced and do not require the tail as a third point of contact in order to stand on their own. I don't like integral "stands" such as little green-army-men have.

I like toys that can be buried in mud and washed off with a hose and be ready to be played with under any conditions.

Eventually the site will provide a complete listing of toy companies including a complete list of all Dinosaur toys they made in the past sixty years. I will devote a page to each one.

What will make this undertaking unique is that all my pictures will be of Dinosaur toys that I personally own. Dinosaurs hunting, exploring and partying around my home.

I will include in some of my photos this little statuette of ME (courtesy Schleich), at 2" in height, for purposes of gauging the size of the dinosaur figures (scale would be 1/34).

Luckily I am retired now and can devote myself (almost) wholly to the task. I expect to be about 142 when it is completed. As long as no new companies or figures appear in the interim.

Information and contributions from readers and visitors is welcome as I know that I neither own, nor know of, every Dinosaur toy made. All contributors will be credited.

This site is begun in the hope of helping others in this great, fun hobby and providing a complete Dinosaur toys Collectors Guide.

We here at The Dinosaur Toys Collectors Guide have only one purpose in being here at all. Providing you, our readers, with the best, most informative and entertaining information about Dinosaur toys both past and present.

In order to best achieve that goal, in addition to providing pages on individual figures, advice and suggestions on obtaining the Dinosaur toys and pricing, availability and age and personality appropriateness information.... We have instituted our:

1) The (easily subscribed to, FREE) Daily "Dino-Blog" where you are regularly updated as each new page is created and kept up-to-date on Dinosaur toys news and the happenings in "Dino-town."

2) Our Contact-osaur-Us form which you can use to send us comments and tell us what you need and want to see. After all, this site is for your information.

3) Social Networking links (way bottom, upper left) so you can share this page, and our site, with your friends. Thank you.

4) Our mighty and inimitable Search-osaurus Center. (Click link or Below.) You can use the search bars to either search the site for all things Dinosaur (toys) or search the entire web for all things anything at All-a-saurus.

5) As you have been perusing this site you may be wondering, "Can I do that?" Well, if having your own website has been your dream you can make that dream come true, here.

6) Our always open Donate-O-saurus Center (opens new window) where you can make a donation and keep us in business, such as it is. We thank you for anything you can give.

Search-O-Saurus Center

You can use this site-search box to find everything you need about Dinosaur toys collecting. Can't remember everywhere we mentioned, say, Velociraptors or Diplodocuses? Just put in your search term and you'll get a listing of everyplace on our site where you can find what you are particularly interested in.

The Dinosaur Toys Collectors Guide Blog

The Dinosaur Toys Collectors Guide blog keeps you updated on the latest changes and additions to this playful picture encyclopedia. Subscribe here.

THE Dinosaur Toys Blog Archive.

The Dinosaur Toys Blog Archive offers the "best" of the blog.

Tyrannosaurus Rexford Dinosaur accepts donations here.

Donations will keep Tyrannosaurus Rexford and this site from going extinct.

List of All Toy Companies Specializing in Dinosaur Toys (incomplete).

List of Dinosaur Toy Companies including an imperfect List of Dinosaurs they manufacture(d).

Marx Toys - Dinosaur Toys Filling a Need and a Toy Box

All you will need to know about the Marx toys Dinosaur toys figure series, produced from 1955 to 1978, and beyond. Probably the most popular dinosaur toys ever made.

The Permian Period produced some fine Dinosaur toys.

The creatures that stalked the Permian Period make great Dinosaur toys today.

A Pack of Allosaurus For Your Dinosaur Toys Collection.

The Dinosaur Allosaurus is Known as "The Wolf of the Jurassic."

Ankylosaurus: a living fortress and a tough Dinosaur toy.

The Ankylosaurus dinosaur toys are a rich variety of replicas.

Apatosaurus was Brontosaurus and are great Dinosaur toys.

The Apatosaurus is one of the best known Dinosaurs and favorite Dinosaur Toys.

Ceratopsians Aren't Your Grandma's Frilly Dinosaur Toys.

The Ceratopsians were Big Horned and Big Headed, not Frilled Doilies.

The Safari Dilophosaurus brings realism to a new level.

The 2008 Safari Dilophosaurus will ambush your heart and boggle your mind. You'll be easy prey.

The Diplodocus Dinosaur toys are fairly spectacular.

The Dinosaur Diplodocus toys are among the best replicas today.

Feathers make for cute Dinosaurs and Dinosaur toys.

If you want cute Dinosaurs, just cover them in feathers and make Dinosaur toys out of them.

The Duck Billed Dinosaur Hadrosaurus makes a wonderful addition to the family of Dinosaur toys.

The Plateosaurus, not the first of the Sauropod Dinosaur toys.

The Plateosaurus was one of thje largest Dinosaurs of the later Triassic Period.

Sauropods are the most recognizable Dinosaur toys.

An overview of the Sauropods Dinosaur toys requires a long neck.

The Spinosaurus is unique among the Dinosaur toys.

Several companies are making Spinosaurus Dinosaur toys at this time.

The Stegosaurus Dinosaur toys are as odd as the real thing.

The Stegosaurus was bizarre as are the Dinosaur toys based upon it.

Theropods are the Carnivorous Dinosaur toys.

The Theropods are the Dinosaur toys your mother warned you about.

The Triceratops is One of the Big Three Dinosaur Toys

The Triceratops has been one of the top Dinosaur toys for generations

Tyrannosaurus Rex is the King of the Dinosaurs and the Dinosaur Toys.

The Tyrannosaurus Rex is the King of Dinosaur toys. Get yours anytime, they're always hot.

The Velociraptor has become one of the most popular Dinosaur toys.

The Velociraptor may be the most versatile of the Dinosaur toys.

Dino Search will help you find the Dinosaur toys you want.

Dino search is the premier dinosaur toys search engine.

Our Contact Us "Contact-osaur-Us" page.

The easiest and fastest way for you to contact us.

The Dinosaur Planet of relevant Dinosaur toys links.

A Dinosaur Planet worth of valuable Dinosaur toys collectors links.

Rexford's July 4 2011 Commentary

This July 4 2011 Rexford discusses the responsibility of the vote, and big teeth.

Power Yoga is good for YOU.

Power Yoga Information and Schedule.

Morganton Yoga for the foothills.

Morganton Yoga, the fastest hour and a half in town.