Panini

[DinoToyForum]

[NB: image-heavy post]

Here's a little piece of my childhood that I remember fondly and I'm happy to revisit! I've been promising to take photos of the original Panini dinosaur figures for a while now, and have finally got around to it. These miniature dinosaur toys were available in the UK in the 1990s in conjunction with stickers and a sticker book. The sticker album came with a foldout cardboard play set to be populated in due course, and each packet of six stickers came in a blind bag with a figure inside.

I spent several months' worth of pocket money acquiring the set and filling in the sticker book. I proudly completed the set of figures (I think, there was no checklist, but a picture of the completed set on the back cover of the sticker book showed no missing figures [Edit - I was missing a Dimetrodon]). However, I never did find those last illusive stickers! I dug out the cardboard set and all the models for the first time in over a decade and set it up especially to share here. I also took individual photos of the toys.

The same figures, or slight variants thereof, have been released multiple times since (possibly before too?), sometimes at slightly reduced sizes and/or in harder plastics, and sometimes with additional figures as well (e.g. Dimetrodon). For example, I believe the figures were released by a company called Mech. However, the versions I'm personally familiar with are these slightly larger and softer ones distributed by Panini. The undersides of the toys are marked with the animal name, [edit - a number (1-24)] and "China", but no company details, so Panini might not be (and probably wasn't) the manufacturer. The other smaller versions of these figures don't have the animal name printed on. If anyone can shed any light onto this question it would be helpful.

Enjoy!

The constructed play set with figures (when I was a kid I taped over the holes in the set to stop the figures falling through). 


The full list of 24 figures is as follows:

Ankylosaurus


Apatosaurus


Brachiosaurus


Camptosaurus


Coelodonta


Corythosaurus


Cynognathus


Diatryma


Dimetrodon


Elasmosaurus


Ichthyosaurus


Iguanodon


Mammoth


Moropus  (this is not the original Panini version, which I certainly owned but seem to have misplaced, but a smaller version)


Palaeoscincus


Parasaurolophus


Polacanthus


Protoceratops


Pteranodon (this is not the original Panini version, which I certainly owned but seem to have misplaced, but a smaller version)


Smilodon


Stegosaurus


Triceratops


Tylosaurus


Tyrannosaurus

[Dinomike]

That is a lovely set! Good photos too! Panini as a brand is familiar from my childhood as well - mostly because of their stickers.

[stargatedalek]

I have the three marine reptiles and the diatryma, I also have multiple versions of the icthyosaurus.

[Roselaar]

One of my most fondly remembered dinosaur lines. In my case, this may have actually been the line that got the collecting ball rolling at age. Still have the sticker book (with all stickers) and all the figures. The play set is still in the attic somewhere, but probably won't look as good as yours.

Aside from the species name and 'China', each figure also carries a number (1-24) on its belly. I'm noticing the Dimetrodon and Coelodonta are missing their own pics in the first post, how come?

[RobinGoodfellow]

Panini was an italian company.
That's the original stickers album "Prehistoric Animals" ( from my childhood ) 

[DinoToyForum]

One of my most fondly remembered dinosaur lines. In my case, this may have actually been the line that got the collecting ball rolling at age. Still have the sticker book (with all stickers) and all the figures. The play set is still in the attic somewhere, but probably won't look as good as yours.

Aside from the species name and 'China', each figure also carries a number (1-24) on its belly. I'm noticing the Dimetrodon and Coelodonta are missing their own pics in the first post, how come?

Oh, yes, I forgot about the numbers on the undersides. So, there are 24.

I made a typo in the Coelodonta photo URL - it should work now.

I have a version of a Dimetrodon figure, but I wasn't sure it was part of the original set as it doesn't appear in the publicity photo I mentioned. It must be hiding behind a tree I'll photograph it in due course, but I'd be interested to see a photo of yours too, for comparison. What number is it, by the way?

[DinoToyForum]

Here's a photo of the Dimetrodon I have, is it essentially the same as the original Panini version?

[DinoToyForum]

Panini was an italian company.
That's the original stickers album "Prehistoric Animals" ( from my childhood ) 

Yes, that's it! (but mine has an English title). I think I also had a different version of the sticker album as well, an older one with a different cover. But I can't remember.

[Gwangi]

That's a really cool little collection. If I had any growing up, I don't remember them. I think I have a few currently in a box in the attic though. The obscure species are by far the coolest, and some of the best designed too.

[laticauda]

I only remember Panini as stickers.  Very nice collection!

[Arul]

Nice collection Dr 

[Jetoar]

I have some figures of Panini and they are one of my first figures of dinos  .

[joossa]

I like the art on that sticker!

[DinoToyForum]

I like the art on that sticker!

That's the front of the sticker album. I defaced the cover of my copy with duplicate stickers. 

[Iohannes]

Hello everyone! Together with this book (http://www.ebay.it/itm/DINOSAURI-del-cielo-del-mare-della-terra-1991-FR-MELITA-EDITORI-/111147196158), that Panini sticker album is what sparked my interest in prehistoric animals 

And it was well before the release of "Jurassic Park" in cinemas.

Unfortunately my cardboard scenario went missing (i.e. destroyed: it was quite lightweight and not very stable), but I still have all those mini figures and the album.

I loved (and I still love) the pictures of the stickers: many of them are Burian rip-offs, which looked very lifelike to my eyes 

[RobinGoodfellow]

The Panini's stickers were taken from a 1971 book for children.
Probably it was an italian translation from an english dinosaur book ( I don't know).
Art by Andrew W. Allen, Zdenek Burian and more.



Some illustrations:

[Roselaar]

Here's a photo of the Dimetrodon I have, is it essentially the same as the original Panini version?

Here's a group shot of my original Paninisaurs (I got them all back in the day  ), with the Dimetrodon luckily in the foreground. I don't think I could get as good a close-up of the figure as you provided. But I think it suffices to spot the differences. The spikes on the sail don't stick out as much and it has less yellowish colouring. Its numbered 12.

[DinoToyForum]

Thanks very much! So the Dimetrodon is number 12, that fits the gap in my sequence, perfect. Mine is obviously a slightly different version but I'll add it to the original post anyway, with a note.

This means that I'm officially missing three of the original numbered figures from my collection: the Moropus, Pteranodon, and Dimetrodon. The first two I definitely had at one point, but I have misplaced them. The Dimetrodon I never had (or realised existed), although I should have noticed the gap in the numbered sequence - I probably did back in the day but presumed it was an error.

The other two numbers missing from my sequence are 3 and 22, so I guess the Pteranodon and Moropus are these numbers?

Now I really want those three missing original numbered figures, even though I do have them as different versions! Anyone have any duplicates for trade or sale? I have three duplicates of the original numbered figures I'd be happy to trade if anyone is interested: the Corythosaurus, Tylosaurus, and Diatryma.

[DinoToyForum]

The Panini's stickers were taken from a 1971 book for children.
Probably it was an italian translation from an english dinosaur book ( I don't know).
Art by Andrew W. Allen, Zdenek Burian and more.

Thanks for sharing! I always liked the sticker artwork so nice to know where it originated from.

[Roselaar]

The other two numbers missing from my sequence are 3 and 22, so I guess the Pteranodon and Moropus are these numbers?

Now I really want those three missing original numbered figures, even though I do have them as different versions! Anyone have any duplicates for trade or sale? I have three duplicates of the original numbered figures I'd be happy to trade if anyone is interested: the Corythosaurus, Tylosaurus, and Diatryma.

Correct on those numbers 3 and 22, respectively.

Can't help you on the Pteranodon, but I have a spare good looking Dimetrodon and a decent Moropus with a slightly gimpy leg. PM me if interested.