#also thse poses were just too good to not post

[raye-sim]

extras from their zine photoshoot

[master-of-gaburincho]

MOG's Throwback Thursday: Imaginext Dinosaurs (2004-2008)

Starting with my first Throwback Thursday post, I decided to share on the toy line I grew up on (along with many others).

This is... the Imaginext Dinosaurs line!!

When I was a wee kid, dinosaurs were my number one obsession. If anything had a dinosaur on it, you know i'd eat that shit up (and quite frankly I still do). One of many staples of a dinosaur-centered childhood during the early 2000's was getting cool dinosaur toys, and the Imaginext Dinosaurs caught my eye.

Let's observe why I love them so darn much, shall we?

The Stegosaurus was the first dinosaur in the line I ever got. Child me thought he was the greatest toy I ever possessed, especially when you pushed the button on the side that made his tail swing back n' forth and let's not forget that dopey grin. My amazement led to me getting the Allosaurus, and from that point on I started collecting these beasts up until I was 9 (I also begged my parents for a Spike the Ultra Dinosaur at that age, but that's perhaps for another post.)

So why do I still hold such appreciation for the Imaginext dinosaurs from the 2000's now?

Easy: The designs. Scientists were still determining what the hell dinosaurs looked like and acted, but because of this, toy companies went with whatever the fuck they wanted when it came to making their dinosaurs. For Imaginext, they chose the best way: adding very colorful stripes and patterns with a more rather grounded stylization of the beasts. The plus side is you can determine whether the dinosaurs were born looking like that or think of it as primal paint the cavepeople decided to splatter on their war-hungry battle beasts.

Oh yeah, did I forget to mention the dinosaurs came with cavepeople/reptoids, accessories, small critters, and saddles for the cavepeople to ride the beasts with?

Because they did. And they absolutely pimped out the dinos with whatever they could find laying around.

Also, I LOVE these shots of the toys. The grass, rocks, and trees really amp up that "primitive" feel. Plus, with the action poses, the dinosaurs and their caveman companions look like they're slugging their way to some great uphill battle.

I also found the addition of small critters neat. They usually ranged from eurypterids, archaeopteryx, lizards, and ground sloths (which were remolds of the cave people, so it ends up making them seem like the sloths were their own race of people)

Somewhere around 2008/2009, Imaginext made a line called Lost Creatures. You could kinda tell that the era of thse Imaginext Dinos was coming to a close.

What I appreciate about this line however is that it seems less about the dinosaurs and more of a "Skull Island" sort of deal (not helped by the fact there's a giant gorilla sporting a sick bone necklace in the line). I mean, you can't just throw giant animals, apes, and dinosaurs and not think of that 2005 King Kong film.

There was a ressurgence of a dinosaur line somewhere in late 2011. This line excited me a bit because not only were the dinos back, but it seems to be based on the 80's toy line Dino Riders. I'm a sucker for the retro stuff, just like how I am a sucker for prehistoric beasts getting decked in wicked tech-armor.

After 2013, imaginext dinos started to get less interesting in my eyes. Obviously I'm not the target demographic, but I would know fun dinosaur toys when I see 'em.

The older Imaginext dinosaurs had some charm to them. As aforementioned, they felt more grounded in stylization: a good blend of "cartoony" and "realistic". The newer imaginext dinos starting from 2014 are too stylized, but that's to be expected with most kid toys nowadays.

The current Imaginext Jurassic World does look nice in my opinion, especially with the feature of those pearly eyes, but they look ugly with the metal parts permanently stuck on them for the sake of gimmicks. I just want removable armor so I can have some nakey dinos

That wraps up for this Throwback Thursday. Until next time...