Of all the product lines offered by stalwart manufacturer Safari Ltd, the “Toob®” line gives them the freest rein to explore unusual taxa. I’m personally fondest of the Toobs that furnish small versions of small animals that might scale well with Safari’s full-size figurines. We’ve reviewed some of their most interesting Toobs featuring “alive” animals here, here, here, here, and here.
Type: Tube
Cambrian Life Toob (Safari Ltd.)

Wonderful ‘toob’! New for 2013, this collection illustrates the explosion of new animal phyla in the Cambrian Period, from 541 to 485 million years ago. The eight toys in this set are well-sculpted, good-sized, and colorful. Safari Ltd lists the range of sizes as 1.5” (4 cm) to 3” (7.5 cm).
Carnivorous Dinos (Toob by Safari Ltd.)

Dino Skulls (Toob by Safari Ltd.)

Dinos (Toob by Safari Ltd.)

Toobs might be the unsung heroes of Safari Ltd.’s toy lines. I see them wherever Safari products are sold, even when their larger, standard-sized kin are absent. Among the numerous Toobs released have been several focused on prehistory, and they all started with the original Dinos Toob.
Dinosaurs I (Authentics Habitat Collection by Safari ltd.)

These six little dinos, sculpted by the Carnegie Collection’s own Forest Rogers, may look pretty dated today; but they manage to blend old and new aspects of science to produce a charming set as a whole.
Safari ltd. stands as one of the giants of educational, scientifically accurate dinosaur & animal toys today; but it’s easy to forget the company didn’t start out this way.
Dinosaurs II (Authentics Habitat Collection by Safari ltd.)

This fine set of little Battat precursors from Gregory Wenzel has aged impressively well, and any collector who’s found a chance to own the set should find these a delight.
Back in the 1990s, Safari ltd. was still a bold newcomer on the collectibles stage; with their success on the Carnegie Collection line, the company began exploring additional means to grow their brand.
Dinosaurs III (Authentics Habitat Collection by Safari ltd.)

The final set of Safari’s first forays into dinosaur miniatures features a charming blend of aesthetics, and also serves in retrospect as a tribute to a dawning hobby and its burgeoning artists.
In 1994, Battat was commissioned by the Boston Museum to produce what would become one of the most praised toy lines in dinosaur collecting.
Feathered Dinos Tube (Safari Ltd)

Prehistoric crocodiles (Toob by Safari Ltd)

Prehistoric Life Toob (Safari Ltd)

Prehistoric Mammal Skulls (Toob by Safari Ltd.)

Prehistoric Mammals Tube (Collecta)

Collecta has been bringing out prehistoric animal tubes over the last few years, and while some gave us some great new designs, others have just given us miniature versions of models they already have. This is a case of the latter, as they have released these small versions of their ancient mammals.
Prehistoric Marine Tube (CollectA)

CollectA has emerged as one of the most prolific producers of dinosaur figures, with a few other Mesozoic reptiles and some mammals here and there for variety. They’ve developed a reputation for giving some obscure species the plastic treatment, but in general those species have been fairly close relatives of the old standards.
Prehistoric Sea Life Toob (Safari Ltd.)

This is truely a marine reptile lover’s dream come true. For years, Nothosaurus, Metriorhynchus, Basilosaurus and the like were all hard to find and expensive (if there were any to even be found) – until now.
Last september the dinosaur collecting community was stunned by the toys safari ltd was going to release the next year; now, most safari dinosaurs so far this year have been released.