Triceratops (Jurassic World: Roar Strikers by Mattel)

Triceratops is, as we all know full well, the most familiar and famous of all the ceratopsians by far. Here on the DTB, it is the second most reviewed genus after Tyrannosaurus rex. And, of course, its appearance in the original Jurassic Park film is quite unforgettable. However, all its subsequent appearances in the film franchise have been nothing more than brief cameos, which frankly strikes me as quite the slight to the great three horned face. Although given how positively dreadful the last three films have been, especially Dominion (seriously, how lame is it that you can remove all the dinosaurs and still have the exact same plot?), perhaps it’s just as well.

Mattel for their part clearly recognizes and appreciates the enduring popularity of Triceratops, as they’ve released quite a number of toys of it since 2018. This review will focus on the first Roar Strikers version, released back in the spring of 2022. Truth be told, I only ended up with this one because it came in a multipack with the Megaraptor, which I’d been wanting to add to my sons’ collection and hadn’t been able to find anywhere on its own (did I mention lately that Canada often has bad distribution?). And as it turns out, my younger one is particularly fond of this toy, so money well spent.

I’m afraid that there’s really not a ton of interesting stuff I can say about this Triceratops, as it’s nearly identical in size and overall appearance to the previous Duel Attack and Roarivores versions. The limbs are moulded a little bit differently, with the right hind one stepping forward and the left hind one extended back. The front set of limbs can rotate and bend out to the sides slightly while the hind set can only rotate due to the gimmick. The tail also rotates. The head is the same familiar film visage, the tail is still too long, and the skin texture is unchanged.

The main colour is a dull dark green with tiny black spots. Reddish-brown markings adorn the back and the frill. The eyes are yellow and the horns, eppocipitals, and beak are sandy yellow. Claws are unpainted as usual. A repainted version released in the fall of 2022 was coloured blue-green with a military green head and orange markings on the frill. Looked a bit more exciting than this one.

The slide out scan code is located on the rump around the base of the tail. Pushing down on the toy causes the head to buck and activates a couple of sounds. One is growling and bellowing; the other sounds suspiciously like the T. rex’s roar. What, was the deep groaning sound from the sick individual in the original film not available?

Despite my own lack of enthusiasm for this toy, I reckon any young child would quite enjoy playing with it as much as mine do, especially if they didn’t already own one of the previous Triceratops. As such, I would ultimately recommend it, although I definitely think there are a number of more exciting genera available at the same price point.