This cheap plush toy certainly won’t win any top 10 lists for quality restorations, but it’s plenty charming for what it is. Kohl’s is a USA-based retail chain that primarily sells clothing, but like any big store, they do offer a few other kinds of merchandise as well. One line of collaborative merchandise is the Kohl’s Cares line, a charity-led series which...
Review and images by Bryan Divers, edited by Suspsy Another great woolly mammoth toy from Wild Republic! This product has gone through several overhauls since its original introduction in 2007: the fabric color was darkened in 2008 and the fabric itself was changed completely in 2012 from a stiffer, white cotton-backed fabric to a more flexible fabric with matching brown...
Review and photographs by Loon, edited by Suspsy. We return to the land apart from time to review the second Dinotopia plush released by Accent International in 1993, “Lil’ Hadro.” This is certainly an odd choice by Accent, as no character named “Lil’ Hadro” appears in any of the books. Things do start to make some sense when we look at the...
Review and photos by Loon, edited by Suspsy Released in 1992, James Gurney’s book Dinotopia follows the shipwrecked scientist Arthur Denison and his son Will as they journey through the titular island, where dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals escaped extinction and coexist with humanity. This book was extremely popular during the 1990s, garnering sequels, prequels, all sorts of merchandise, a computer game,...
Although I’m somewhat of a veteran plush reviewer most of my plush reviews so far have been toys in the Paleozoic Pals line. Those reviews include two trilobites and so I’m excited to review yet another trilobite but this time from a company that has not yet been covered on the DTB, Giant Microbes. Giant Microbes is a unique company...
The Paleozoic Pals line of plush Paleozoic fauna has really taken off over the last five years, releasing two plush toys a year since they began in 2015. It was my hope that I would be able to keep up with them through these reviews but having moved away from the Museum of the Earth where they’re sold I’ve fallen...
For those interested in paleontology and evolution beyond dinosaurs the name Tiktaalik should be a familiar one. Discovered on Ellesmere Island, Canada, and formally described in 2006, Tiktaalik is significant in broadening our understanding of how sarcopterygian fishes gave rise to land dwelling vertebrates. With shoulders disconnected from the head this animal had a functional neck unlike other fishes, as...
Review and photos by Skinny Davenport, edited by Suspsy This review is of a resin model my parents bought me at the Smithsonian back in 2000, my very first ever woolly mammoth toy! I remember clutching her lovingly in the cafeteria as we chowed down on pizza in the museum restaurant. I named her “Buttercup” that wonderful day. Buttercup bears...
Review and photos by Skinny Davenport, edited by Suspsy An updated version of the appealing Wild Republic Woolly Mammoth (and my favorite stuffed animal) is finally here! I like to call this mammoth “Ellie,” due to her girlish expression and appearance (this was also the name I gave to my first one). This version has the most recent Wild Republic...
Review and photos by Charles Peckham, edited by Suspsy If you are unfamiliar with the world of Peppa Pig, I can only assume you don’t know a child who is ten or younger. It is a cartoon television program that focuses on the eponymous anthropomorphic pig and her family. Peppa’s younger brother, George, is rarely seen without his favorite toy,...
While prehistoric animals like Tyrannosaurus, Pteranodon, or woolly mammoths dominate the mainstream media and public imagination they are to be fair, kind of boring. Hear me out, I love my giant reptiles and Pleisotocene megafauna as much as the rest of you but let’s be honest, they’re all fairly straightforward. We can easily classify these more charismatic critters within the...
Review and photos by Bryan Divers, edited by Suspsy The Tyrannosaurus rex, which is easily recognizable with its large head, short neck, small arms, and bipedal stance, is my personal favourite dinosaur. This medium-sized plush toy made by Aurora World is a brightly coloured rendition, and very soft. I named her Crystal, after one of my best friends. Crystal is...
