Birds, Bees, Flowers and the Trees…
Earth Day seemed the perfect time to plant a feature about the wonderful wares of Safari Ltd. since their replicas represent the breadth of Mother Nature’s handiwork from petrified prehistory to current woodland and oceanic fauna. The pruning (umm…editing) of this article took a bit longer than expected, so I’m a couple of days late but still in the spirit.
Miniaturized to Actual-Sized…
It’s always a thrill to enter Safari Ltd’s booth at the annual New York Toy Fair. This year what drew attention to the company’s presentation was a life-sized replica an allosaurus skull, an outsized change up from the dino dioramas that usually greet you. Fear not also on display were the new Dino Babies series. These little guys will surely elicit a smile in return to their own happy go lucky demeanor.
Going Toobular, Your Way…
The recent addition of a fill your own Toob option is a great way to get all the figures you really want. The low to the ground kiosk makes for a fun hands-on experience for youngsters and creaky jointed but adventurous adults like myself. I would seek out stores that offer this option to get your collection started.
Fact and Fiction…
Safari Ltd isn’t all hard science. They’ve also set their sites on the fantastical world of myth and fairy tale over the last few years. New Mythical Realms figures include a winged ebony stallion called Areion, the three headed gate keeper of hell Cerebus, as well as Hercules in hunting gear.
If you’re feeling your inner Deanerys and want a few weird wyrms to mother, the super popular Dragons line continues to expand with the Golden Dragon and shiny black, red-eyed, Twilight Dragon. There’s also the Thunder Dragon with intrepid rider “Drake” perched upon his neck. The Snow Dragon gets a glow-in-the-dark treatment.
Toob’ed Mini Dragons will be available in a few days and include the Forest Dragon, Ice Dragon, Midnight Moon Dragon, Mountain Dragon, Cloud Dragon. Here’s my shot of the Mini Chinese Dragon. It reminds me of a favorite comic book creature, artist Jack Kirby’s Fin Fang Foom, first seen in Strange Tales #89 in 1961.
SkeletonPete Says…
I can’t resist putting these figures to work as models for some fun macro photographic experiments. Their sharp detail lends itself to close-up work. If you missed it, my 1933 King Kong homage, using a couple of Safari’s mini’s, is posted here.
The complete selection of Sarfari Ltd’s newest collectibles, with release dates and ordering info, can be found here.
Click Any Image to Launch The Gallery
