The very first illustration of Hypsilophodon that I ever laid eyes on depicted it as a very lizard-like animal perched high on a tree branch, an erroneous notion that arose back in 1912 and persisted until 1971 when it was finally debunked—although that didn’t stop children’s dinosaur books from continuing to portray Hypsilophodon as arboreal until well into the 1980s.
Type: Action Figure
Review: Velociraptor (The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Hammond Collection by Mattel)
4 (3 votes)
Although I no longer hold The Lost World: Jurassic Park in high regard, I do have nostalgia for it. I was 13 when the movie was released and I don’t think I was ever more hyped for a film, aside from the first Jurassic Park, perhaps.
Review: Craterosaurus (Jurassic World: Danger Pack by Mattel)
4 (3 votes)
Discovered in the Woburn Sands Formation in England and formally described in 1874, Craterosaurus was a relatively small stegosaur that lived during the Early Cretaceous some 113-112 million years ago.
Mattel released the first and so far only Craterosaurus toy in 2024 as part of their Danger Pack series.
Review: Parasaurolophus (ANIA by Takara Tomy)
3.7 (3 votes)
In my last Takara Tomy review, I covered the ANIA Styracosaurus, the 17th figure in the AL line and a decent, but admittedly somewhat drab-looking rendition of the horned dinosaur. As if in full awareness of the latter fact, Takara Tomy’s 18th figurine of the AL line features a striking contrast in the elegant and brightly colored Parasaurolophus, the first ornithopod dinosaur featured in the series.
Review: Edmontonia (Jurassic World: Rebirth, Frenzy Pack by Mattel)
4 (3 votes)
A new Jurassic World movie is on the horizon and regardless of how you feel about the Jurassic franchise it means we’ll be getting a new lineup of toys to accompany it. And what a lineup it is! The Tyrannosaurus, Spinosaurus, and Mosasaurus have all been given a fresh makeover.
Review: Therizinosaurus (Jurassic World Hammond Collection, by Mattel)
4.7 (3 votes)
Only two years after it showed up in Jurassic World Dominion, the fan favorite Therizinosaurus finally joined Mattel’s Hammond Collection line of highly articulated action figures last year. I’ll be straight to the point in saying that this is easily one of my top favorites in the line, and I think one of the best in terms of articulation, and screen likeness.
Review: Iguanodon and Skorpiovenator (Jurassic World: Roarin’ Battle Pack by Mattel)
4 (4 votes)
I initially wasn’t planning on acquiring either the Mattel Iguanodon or Skorpiovenator for my children’s dinosaur collection, but back in February 2024, Amazon Canada put the Roarin’ Battle Pack on sale for $26.94, which in this country is three dollars less than the retail price of a single toy in the Roarivores/Roar Strikers/Wild Roar size category.
Review: Tyrannosaurus rex (Hunt ‘n Chomp)(Jurassic World: Dino Trackers by Mattel)
3.8 (4 votes)
Well, with yet another Jurassic World movie coming out this summer, I figured I had better review this toy now rather than later. Yes, it’s another of the many Tyrannosaurus rex variants that Mattel has churned out since 2018.
Review: Lythronax (Beasts of the Mesozoic by Creative Beast Studios)
5 (6 votes)
What better-suited rival for the “devil-horned face” than the “gore king” tyrant?
Some animals know the dangers of their environment by instinct. Other animals have to learn by experience – provided they can survive it. For young nestling Diabloceratopses exploring life in Late Cretaceous Utah, knowing danger could mean recognizing the difference between the casual bustle of the foraging adults, and the sound of the herd suddenly tensing in fear.
Review: Styracosaurus (ANIA by Takara Tomy)
3.8 (4 votes)
Takara Tomy is a brand stretching a wide range across toy production, from miniature cars to blockbuster IP tie-ins, to wildlife and extinct life replicas. Beginning in the early 2010s, Tomy began releasing the ANIA “Animal Adventure” series, a line of palm-sized action figures featuring extant and extinct animal life.
Review: Kaprosuchus (Jurassic World Epic Evolution by Mattel)
4 (3 votes)
Imagine yourself for a moment in a swamp. Not just any particular swamp. There’s mangrove trees with many vines hanging off their branches, tall reeds and cattails, and a strange assortment of prehistoric fauna. There’s a herd of ginormous Paraceratherium feeding on the trees, Phiomia fleeing from ravenous Titanoboa, Baryonyx fishing, and Beelzebufo hopping around.
Review: Diplodocus (Jurassic World, Legacy Collection by Mattel)
4.2 (5 votes)
It has gotten to the point where I wince a little whenever Mattel announces a new giant sauropod toy. It wasn’t that long ago that the Legacy Brachiosaurus was released, and I naively thought that such an enormous toy was a one-off release.