How play-proof are these dinosaur brands?

[Paleomimi]

When it comes to dinosaurs, some are toys designed to be handled a lot while others are meant for display only as they are more fragile. This is a thread to help find out which brands are safe for play and which are more for display.

In my experience, things like Papo, Safari ltd, or Terra by Battat are pretty sturdy and you can even trust children with it.

Brands like Eofauna and Rebor though are a bit more fragile. I've had some paint come off of Rebor figures when they fell due to stability issues (ended up gluing them to their base for safety) and when it comes to Eofauna, I've had a minor scratch on my Giga just taking it off the packaging.

I was wondering about brands I haven't tested yet such as PNSO, Haolonggood, Collecta or the newest Recur. How would you rate their sturdiness?

[ZelSeraph]

PNSO are definetely statues to put in a shelf and look at them I'd say. I have not tried being rough with them, but from the feel, I would not trust them in the hands of children. I would even be afraid something might break off.

Collecta feels a lot more sturdy to me. I would be more careful with them than with Papo, but I would not jump from my chair to save it if my little niece got her hands on one of those.

One you did not mention is Schleich, which are extremely child-friendly.
They are the standard animal toy company here in Germany and you can buy Schleich figures basically anywhere, be it toy stores or zoos or museums and every kid seems to have a box where they just get thrown into. My niece is now playing with some that I played with as a kid and they survived decades of rough play easily. That is why I like Schleich a lot, they are so very durable while still being detailed enough to be put on a shelf.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

CollectA, Safari I'd be ok giving to a kid to play with, maybe not a teething one though.  Imaginext is good for them and old, not much they chew on there so far as I've noted. Papo can have some sharper pointy bits on their more detailed sculpts.

I don't have any RECUR products, PNSO is definitely not for kids unless they are older, 10-12 years? HLG is in a sort of middle ground there. Overall I'd say they are also for older kids.

Schleich for all their inaccuracies and weird sculpts are pretty durable I'll give them that.

[SidB]

CollectA, Safari I'd be ok giving to a kid to play with, maybe not a teething one though.  Imaginext is good for them and old, not much they chew on there so far as I've noted. Papo can have some sharper pointy bits on their more detailed sculpts.

I don't have any RECUR products, PNSO is definitely not for kids unless they are older, 10-12 years? HLG is in a sort of middle ground there. Overall I'd say they are also for older kids.

Schleich for all their inaccuracies and weird sculpts are pretty durable I'll give them that.

In my experience, I've found that Schleich are not only extraordinarily durable, but also quite attractive to kids. Something about the size, coloration and texturing seems endearing to them.

[SBell]

Schleich, CollectA, Safari, and MojoFun (everyone forgets about them) are first and foremost made as toys for kids. Scratches and breakage is possible, but that's always true. Same with Recur.

If you have access, the Japanese Favorite figures (both the PVC soft models and larger vinyls) are also good.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

CollectA, Safari I'd be ok giving to a kid to play with, maybe not a teething one though.  Imaginext is good for them and old, not much they chew on there so far as I've noted. Papo can have some sharper pointy bits on their more detailed sculpts.

I don't have any RECUR products, PNSO is definitely not for kids unless they are older, 10-12 years? HLG is in a sort of middle ground there. Overall I'd say they are also for older kids.

Schleich for all their inaccuracies and weird sculpts are pretty durable I'll give them that.

In my experience, I've found that Schleich are not only extraordinarily durable, but also quite attractive to kids. Something about the size, coloration and texturing seems endearing to them.

I've sold the few I've carried in our shop. Maybe it's like the old Playskool Dinos I still have all mine and love them.

[SidB]

CollectA, Safari I'd be ok giving to a kid to play with, maybe not a teething one though.  Imaginext is good for them and old, not much they chew on there so far as I've noted. Papo can have some sharper pointy bits on their more detailed sculpts.

I don't have any RECUR products, PNSO is definitely not for kids unless they are older, 10-12 years? HLG is in a sort of middle ground there. Overall I'd say they are also for older kids.

Schleich for all their inaccuracies and weird sculpts are pretty durable I'll give them that.

In my experience, I've found that Schleich are not only extraordinarily durable, but also quite attractive to kids. Something about the size, coloration and texturing seems endearing to them.

I've sold the few I've carried in our shop. Maybe it's like the old Playskool Dinos I still have all mine and love them.

Of course, they've long since become more than toys or even collectibles, but nucleation loci for treasured memories, like grains of sand at the centres of a collection of pearls.

[Libraraptor]

Yes, Schleich dinosaurs are pretty durable, sturdy and also attractive for children. Maybe that´s why the designers do not care for accuracy whatsoever. Bullyland figures, by the way, are pretty long-lived and sturdy, too. What´s also important is that your children don´t get cancer or poisoning after putting figures to their mouths. Schleich and Bullyland both claim their figures are safe in this regard.

[Protopatch]

Schleich and Papo are good options indeed, much appreciated by children and quite safe for the youngest.
A friend of mine bought a few Papo figures for her 3-year-old boy, without any problems.
PNSO, Haolonggood or BotM offer figures which are definitely more for display.
You can even find warning messages such as Not suitable for the children under the age of 14 on the PNSO and Haolonggood boxes.

[Joliezac]

Depends on age of the child. I would say Schleich is probably best for younger kids because some of the figures are a bit more rubbery and less of a hard plastic. If they are older any of the major brands (Scleich, Safari, Papo, CollectA) are fine. When I was little I took my Papo rexes and spinosaurus to the beach, pool, sandbox, and played with them constantly somewhat roughly and they are all in great shape still.

Eofauna, PNSO, HLG, Rebor and others are more what I would call collector's pieces and wouldn't recommend them for play. PNSO especially, they seem to be a lot more fragile and the paint they use seems to chip pretty easily.

[SBell]

Yes, Schleich dinosaurs are pretty durable, sturdy and also attractive for children. Maybe that´s why the designers do not care for accuracy whatsoever. Bullyland figures, by the way, are pretty long-lived and sturdy, too. What´s also important is that your children don´t get cancer or poisoning after putting figures to their mouths. Schleich and Bullyland both claim their figures are safe in this regard.

Of course, no figures lose paint like Bullyland. It's a risk with most brands, but a near guarantee with Bully. Most of mine arrived to me with at least a few scuffs

[Torvosaurus]

Any of the previous manufacturers that have dinosaurs with a posable jaw need to be watched with younger children. Somehow kids find a way to get the jaw off and it becomes a swallowing hazard. I don't know how but it took my friend's 2-1/2 year old son about 5 minutes to get the jaw off a Mojo t-rex. Needless to say, his t-rex couldn't bite with only half a jaw.

Torvo

[Libraraptor]

Yes, Schleich dinosaurs are pretty durable, sturdy and also attractive for children. Maybe that´s why the designers do not care for accuracy whatsoever. Bullyland figures, by the way, are pretty long-lived and sturdy, too. What´s also important is that your children don´t get cancer or poisoning after putting figures to their mouths. Schleich and Bullyland both claim their figures are safe in this regard.

Of course, no figures lose paint like Bullyland. It's a risk with most brands, but a near guarantee with Bully. Most of mine arrived to me with at least a few scuffs

Yeah, unfourtunately this is true. I often take their Mastodonsaurus to my cladistics offerings for children, and it has lost much of its paint.

[stargatedalek]

PNSO are more durable than people are giving credit, at least the older figures were. The newest PNSO's I currently have are the minis and those are very kid friendly, they're even in a relatively soft flexible plastic.

Now, generally speaking I wouldn't give any of these brands aside from Schleich and some of the larger figures from Safari and CollectA to particularly young children. That's partially just due to price.

[Paleomimi]

Thanks for your answers! I'm asking for a 11 years old. She is gentle with her stuff but she still prefers dinosaurs that she can move around and bring outside, she gets bored with stuff she can't touch. She watches Andy's dinosaur reviews so that's how she knows about all the beautiful higher end brands.

[Cretaceous Crab]

Toys - designed specifically for play
Mattel Jurassic World line
Chap Mei
Definitely Dinosaurs (1980s Playskool line, but they sure hold up)
Imaginext

Low-end Figures - can withstand most play from appropriate ages
Mojo
Schleich
Carnegie (retired)
Terra by Battat
older CollectA
older Safari Ltd

Higher end Figurines - maybe could take limited play, but best left for display
newer Safari Ltd
Papo
newer CollectA
Haolonggood
PNSO
Eofauna


Of course, it depends on the child as well. Do they generally take decent care of their stuff? Are they just interested in a toy because it was featured in a show or movie, or they have a deeper interest in dinosaurs and can appreciate detail & accuracy?

[Turkeysaurus]

In my opinion;
Papo is the best choice for artistic quality & playability for 11 year old kid.
Safari ltd. is best choice for scientific accuracy, durability for 11 year old and lesser.

I think safari , collecta would be more a lot more durable to falls than Papo though.

PNSO, Haolonggood will give you same issues like Eofauna if not more.

[Rain]

PNSOs are not very durable at all. One of my floating shelves tends to have stability issues and sees figures fall off of it, quite frequently. It currently has a Papo ceratosaurus, REBOR Trex, PNSO Saurophaganax and a few Bandai minis.

The Bandai minis and Papo are perfect. The REBOR has lost a bit of paint on it's claws, the PNSO is missing 2 toes, lots of paint and a piece of its snout.

[stargatedalek]

Thanks for your answers! I'm asking for a 11 years old. She is gentle with her stuff but she still prefers dinosaurs that she can move around and bring outside, she gets bored with stuff she can't touch. She watches Andy's dinosaur reviews so that's how she knows about all the beautiful higher end brands.

Almost anything done in PVC should be fine for an 11 year old so long as they aren't being thrown around. I don't understand people saying Safari ltd. and Collecta are just for display, that is actively ridiculous. They are literally designed for kids in that age range.

The PNSO minis are a perfect choice for a kid in that age range. Durable, flexible soft plastic, lots of small species like Nyctosaurus and Archaeopteryx that make good companions to larger kid friendly toys she likely already has, and she gets to feel included with toys from one of the fancier companies!