Monsters in My Pocket was a toy franchise that started in the 80s that consisted of a series of small, rubber figures. These figures were each only a few inches tall and could each come in a variety of solid colors. What makes this toy line special is that each figure is modeled after a certain creature that exists in some sort of real culture.
Type: Figurine
Review: Parasaurolophus (Jurassic Park III by Coca Cola)
4.2 (9 votes)
Famous among dinosaur figure collectors for their excellent Dinotales figures, Kaiyodo also produced a lesser known set of dinosaur figures in 2001, following the release of Jurassic Park III. The set, sponsored by Coca Cola, consisted of 12 dinosaur figures and a secret figure (a Spinosaurus skull).
Review: Pachycephalosaurus (Dinotales Series 5 by Kaiyodo)
3.6 (8 votes)
Pachycephalosaurus is the largest and most well recognized member of the dome-headed dinosaurs. It lived at the end of the Cretaceous 66-65 million years ago and therefore would have been amongst the last non-avian dinosaurs ever to be alive. It coexisted with other well known dinosaurs like Triceratops and Tyrannosaurus.
Review: Corythosaurus (Antediluvia Collection)
4.2 (17 votes)
Corythosaurus is a relatively well known duck-billed dinosaur, or hadrosaur that lived in what is now Canada about 80-72 million years ago. Its name means “helmet reptile” because of the shape of the hollow crest that adorns its skull. The Corythosaurus that is part of the tiny and beautiful Antediluvia Collection, sculpted by artist, David Krentz, is no short of stunning just like the rest of the members of this collection.
Review: Styracosaurus (Wild Safari by Safari Ltd)
Review: Apatosaurus (UKRD)
2.8 (5 votes)
The mysterious early 1990s UKRD dinosaurs, then. Although clearly cheapo Chinasaurs, they were somehow a cut above – some people have referred to them as ‘semi-serious‘ while others have described them as ‘sub-museum‘. Good descriptions both, I think. Although clearly meant to be played with by children and with no pretentions to being a ‘museum-endorsed’ line whatsoever, they generally at least resembled the animal in question, even if in a slightly outdated fashion.
Review: Macrauchenia (Prehistoric Mammal Series by Schleich)
4.9 (12 votes)
The peculiar looking ungulate Macrauchenia (“large neck”) inhabited South America for roughly 7 million years, from the Miocene to the Late Pleistocene, only becoming extinct around 20,000 years ago. This herbivorous animal resembled a camelid superficially, when in reality it was a member of an extinct order called Litopterna.
Review: Saichania (original sculpt) (Replica-Saurus by Schleich)
2.7 (9 votes)
The Late Cretaceous ankylosaurid Saichania (which means “beautiful” in Mongolian) was a moderately sized but heavily armored dinosaur whose fossils were first discovered in southern Mongolia in 1977. Saichania was a squat animal which reached a maximum length of slightly over 20 feet, making it smaller than its more famous American cousin Ankylosaurus.
Review: Therizinosaurus (Dinotales Series 4 by Kaiyodo)
4 (10 votes)
Review and Photos by Dr Andre Mursch (“Brontodocus”). Edited by Plesiosauria.
One of the most bizarre dinosaurs ever found was Therizinosaurus cheloniformis from the Nemegt formation of Mongolia, which is approximately 70 million years old. Today it is a famous dinosaur every enthusiast has an image about how it looked like but that was not always the case.
One of the most bizarre dinosaurs ever found was Therizinosaurus cheloniformis from the Nemegt formation of Mongolia, which is approximately 70 million years old. Today it is a famous dinosaur every enthusiast has an image about how it looked like but that was not always the case.
Review: Mastodonsaurus (Bullyland)
4.7 (11 votes)
Mastodonsaurus (“breast tooth lizard”) was a Russian and European temnospondyl that belonged to a group of advanced, mostly Triassic amphibians called capitosaurids. It lived in swampy pools and fed mainly on fish, but probably did not avoid land living animals such as small early archosaurids. The giant head was a powerful tool for those feeding habits.
Review: Dimetrodon (Invicta)
4.9 (16 votes)
Ah, Dimetrodon – where would any dinosaur toy line be without this oddly anachronistic sail-backed pelycosaur? And where would I be if I didn’t drop names that I semi-understand? In similar places, one would imagine. Almost every dino toy company has churned one out, from Carnegie (ugly) to Bullyland to UKRD to Carnegie (better) to Inpro.
Review: Ankylosaurus (Inpro)
3 (7 votes)
Ankylosaurus has been an enduring presence in dinosaur toy lines over the years, in spite of the fact that other ankylosaurs (like Euoplocephalus) are known from more extensive remains. It’s probably the animal’s sheer size, and the fact that it lived alongside some famous giant theropod or other, that have made it such a pop culture fixture.