Paleo-biography of the "chinasaurs"

[CityRaptor]

Like Inpros?
Anways, wouldn't toys made in Hong Kong still be marked Made in China today, due to to switching from the British Empire ( effectively ending it ) to China in 1997?

Quite surprisingly, I have a large handful of REALISTIC chinasaurs. They are in storage right now or I would show pictures. They are obviously not like safari or collecta by any means, but they are recognizable and semi-accurate.

Do you mean something like AAA or UKRD?

[terrorchicken]

I have a few that are decent. I just foud one at a dollar store near me that is a nicely done ankylosaur of some kind. I previously bought 2 sauropods that were also nice. The brand is called Jaru. $1 each.

[Takama]

I found chinasaurs of the past to be more interesting then now.  Today I can't go anywhere without finding the same type of chinasaurs being priced anywhere from $1-$5.  And there all the same types that been out since 2004. And very rarely do they change the size of them.  Or the sculpt.

[CarnegieCollector]

I have a few that are decent. I just foud one at a dollar store near me that is a nicely done ankylosaur of some kind. I previously bought 2 sauropods that were also nice. The brand is called Jaru. $1 each.

i love jaru dinosaurs! I have most of them. But where i buy them they are $4 each...

[stoneage]

I have a few that are decent. I just foud one at a dollar store near me that is a nicely done ankylosaur of some kind. I previously bought 2 sauropods that were also nice. The brand is called Jaru. $1 each.

i love jaru dinosaurs! I have most of them. But where i buy them they are $4 each...

Does somebody have a picture of the the Jaru figures?

[Takama]

http://www.amazon.com/Ja-Ru-Dinosaurs-Large-Pack-12/dp/B008A1W56S/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1464751510&sr=8-7&keywords=Jaru+Dinosaurs

[Silvanusaurus]

An interesting question would be, if we disregard the country of manufacture as the defining feature of these creatures (which I believe we must, considering so many well known brands are made in China, and I'm sure there are 'Chinasaurs' made elsewhere), then what specifically does define something as a 'Chinasaur'? Does the term necessarily imply a lack of quality, in design or in production? Does it suggest a lack of an official brand? Does having a brand name elevate a Chinasaur to something else? If there is a substantial increase in overall quality, has the Chinasaur evolved into another entity altogether? Where is the line drawn between a 'Chinasaur' and a legitimate Dinosaur toy?

[acro-man]

Damn... i even searched the term "dunusaur" in baidu (the similar google in china)!
very interesting wording indeed.

before this thread, i repeatedly saw people talking about 'chinasaur' without knowing the meaning of it.
most of the times i thought they refer to dinosaurs discovered in China lol
now i have learned it thanks to this topic!

old time chinasaurs we all love.
back in the 1990s, chinasaurs were perhaps the best choice for children - cheap and relevantly detailed.
we now have more brands to choose, more money to spend, and outgrown the age of being fascinated by colors more than scientific accuracy.
that's why chinasaurs are less favored here.

[terrorchicken]

http://www.amazon.com/Ja-Ru-Dinosaurs-Large-Pack-12/dp/B008A1W56S/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1464751510&sr=8-7&keywords=Jaru+Dinosaurs

I dont have any of those. They seem larger then the Jarus I have.

[Halichoeres]

An interesting question would be, if we disregard the country of manufacture as the defining feature of these creatures (which I believe we must, considering so many well known brands are made in China, and I'm sure there are 'Chinasaurs' made elsewhere), then what specifically does define something as a 'Chinasaur'? Does the term necessarily imply a lack of quality, in design or in production? Does it suggest a lack of an official brand? Does having a brand name elevate a Chinasaur to something else? If there is a substantial increase in overall quality, has the Chinasaur evolved into another entity altogether? Where is the line drawn between a 'Chinasaur' and a legitimate Dinosaur toy?

I think to most people it does usually imply lack of quality and lack of an identifiable brand, because I've seen people say in threads about cheap brands like Imperial and JaRu, "Oh, I thought that was just a chinasaur." That suggests that having a brand somehow changes people's estimation of the figures. I use equivalent terms for anything I can't positively identify, including knockoffs of an established brand from the past or present.

Incidentally, and directed more generally, while recognizing that "dime-o-saur" makes a culture-specific allusion, I still like it for its assonance, which was no doubt part of the reason "chinasaur" took off in the first place.

[CarnegieCollector]

Damn... i even searched the term "dunusaur" in baidu (the similar google in china)!
very interesting wording indeed.

before this thread, i repeatedly saw people talking about 'chinasaur' without knowing the meaning of it.
most of the times i thought they refer to dinosaurs discovered in China lol
now i have learned it thanks to this topic!

old time chinasaurs we all love.
back in the 1990s, chinasaurs were perhaps the best choice for children - cheap and relevantly detailed.
we now have more brands to choose, more money to spend, and outgrown the age of being fascinated by colors more than scientific accuracy.
that's why chinasaurs are less favored here.

lol! I just picked "dunusoor" because it seemed to fit the expression they typically have on their face, and because of a stupid meme titled "dunusoor" i found on reddit. I have many hand-me down chinasaurs from the 80s and 90s. Iv tried selling them before, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. They're cheap. They're inaccurate (most of the time). And they're sloppily painted. But none the less, they're very special little guys.

[CarnegieCollector]

By far, my favorite "dunusoor" is the ja-ru spinosaurus. It is accurate to a certain degree, it is made of great plastic, it stands fine, and is well painted. The only thing rarer than an accurate chinasaurian spinosaurus, is a real-live spinosaurus!

[CarnegieCollector]

An interesting question would be, if we disregard the country of manufacture as the defining feature of these creatures (which I believe we must, considering so many well known brands are made in China, and I'm sure there are 'Chinasaurs' made elsewhere), then what specifically does define something as a 'Chinasaur'? Does the term necessarily imply a lack of quality, in design or in production? Does it suggest a lack of an official brand? Does having a brand name elevate a Chinasaur to something else? If there is a substantial increase in overall quality, has the Chinasaur evolved into another entity altogether? Where is the line drawn between a 'Chinasaur' and a legitimate Dinosaur toy?

for me, a chinasaur (dunusoor as i call them) have always been defined as a hollow, cheap plastic, none to accurate, poorly painted dinosaur toy.

[tyrantqueen]

This is my favourite Chinasaur



because it seems to be based on a piece of artwork



Imperial tend to make the funniest Chinasaurs.

[Jetoar]

This is my favourite Chinasaur



because it seems to be based on a piece of artwork



Imperial tend to make the funniest Chinasaurs.

I have the same figure and it is my first tyrannnosaur toy  .

[Silvanusaurus]

I do find them much more interesting, and more worth adding to a collection, when they are designed after a specific piece of artwork. They make for good pop culture 'artefacts' in that sense. I find I'm always drawn to the old Imperials and Dor Mei dinosaurs, though I rarely spend money on them as there always seems to be something else more worth buying.

I can't explain it rationally, but I always find myself wanting to get hold of this thing; it's so defiantly, obnoxiously ugly... it almost looks like a chinasaur designed by H. R. Giger:



One of these days I'll finally go overboard and buy it.

[CarnegieCollector]

I do find them much more interesting, and more worth adding to a collection, when they are designed after a specific piece of artwork. They make for good pop culture 'artefacts' in that sense. I find I'm always drawn to the old Imperials and Dor Mei dinosaurs, though I rarely spend money on them as there always seems to be something else more worth buying.

I can't explain it rationally, but I always find myself wanting to get hold of this thing; it's so defiantly, obnoxiously ugly... it almost looks like a chinasaur designed by H. R. Giger:



One of these days I'll finally go overboard and buy it.

its both awesome and horrid at at the same time...

[tyrantqueen]

I love the two headed ones.

[Megalosaurus]

I love the two headed ones.
[...]

I have that one.
And I'd love to have this one:

[CarnegieCollector]

I love the two headed ones.

omg! I collect chinasaurs of all kinds but iv NEVER seen 2 headed ones!