When I was a kid I was obsessed with this toy T.rex. It sparked an obsession of mine to collect them all & probably got me into palaeo

Here's a short thread on the fascinating history and mysteries of the most iconic line of dinosaur toys of all time for #FossilFriday
https://twitter.com/DragonsofWales/status/1197438799959281664

These toys are made by a small UK company from Leicestershire called Invicta Plastics. Founded in 1945, they made pretty much anything you can think of that was made from plastic.

Watches, calculators, games, spark plugs - you name it, they probably made it.

Another famous product that Invicta Plastics made was the 1970s classic code breaking game MASTERMIND.

I remember finding this game in my Grandparents house (missing lots of bits though) and not for the life of me being able to work out how to play it!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mastermind_(board_game)

Now, before we go any further - lets talk about dinosaur toys from the past. In the 1960s, there were loads of dinosaur toys. But they were, well, crap.

*T&Cs: Well, an exception IMO is the awesome 'Mold-A-Rama' machines prominent in America, that when you put 25¢ in, would inject molten plastic in a mold while you waited. Technically not toys, but cool. I believe that the @FieldMuseum still has operational machines!

BUT, in 1974/1975 our little plastic company changed the world (and the lives of millions of kids) forever when it produced in conjunction with the @NHM_London a line of beautiful molded and *for the time* very accurate 1:45 scaled prehistoric animals!

The first set that came out in 1974 was called 'prehistoric animals DINOSAURS' and featured a Diplodocus, Megalosaurus, Scelidosaurus and hilariously a Blue Whale. They sold like hot cakes!

I have never seen one of these boxes in the flesh.

Part of the reason they were so popular is that the quality of the molds but the insane details of the models. Designed by Arthur George Hayward who worked in the @NHM_London from 1947 in the model making/exhibition section until his retirement in 1983. He died in 1999.

The second NHM authenticated dinosaur set only actually contained two dinosaur toys- Triceratops and Stegosaurus, but two other prehistoric beasties: Glyptodon and a Mammoth. This set came out in 1975.

I've never seen an original box of these guys either

At this point, lets just take a moment to marvel at the beauty of these models. Look at the details on the Triceratops!

*big thanks to @dinotoyblog who post these photos and reviews of these toys. Give them a follow!

The Stegosaur is a bit derpy

For you long necked lovers Invicta had you covered!

I love the Mammoth - the details on the hair is ace. Plus the tusks are a different colour plastic.The only two tone prehistoric beast in the line up!

The T.Rex pose is old school and not in line with how modern palaeontologists think these animals stand, but the veins and scales are so detailed

Now it's important to realise that these toys aren't a UK phenomenon. The Invicta plastic toys were so popular, museums and toy shops around the world started selling them. It's not an exaggeration to say that these toys revolutionised how kids interacted with prehistoric animals

Here is a solo figure (I think it's a Megalosaurus) with a box in JAPANESE!

In 1985 the most famous set was relaeased. *12* models in one box!

New ones included a giant Brachiosaur, Iquanadon, Pteranodon and a Plesiosaurus.

Now, this one I have managed to get my hands on!

As a kid the toys were amazing. But the artwork was the best bit. LOOK AT THIS THING!

This beautiful example is on @GemmaBenevento office wall and makes me feel like a kid every time I see it!

In total 23 models were released. Some of them coincided with big event at the @NHM_London like the unveiling of the giant British dinosaur carnivore Baryonyx (1989)!

(prob one of my faves)

But, as with all things - forces of capitalism took notice. In 1988, the sands shifted when a rival dinosaur toy line emerged and slowly forced our beloved @NHM_London toys toward extinction. But why did these toys eclipse my beloved Invicta toys?

What made the Safari different?

These prehistoric beasts were PAINTED.

A quantum leap in dinosaur toy design!

IMO the models are cheesy and have pretty crappy poses (I see you Spinosaurus) but having painted figures changed the game and Invicta was flagging.

You can see that the powers at Invicta reacted with some panic because later that year they re-released lots of the models that were secondarily painted. Remember Baryonyx? Here it is painted....

Problem is this makes toys that actually weren't that cheap more expensive and sealed the demise the Invicta toys.
They still kept releasing sets though - the last was in 1991 with a paint your own set using white models.

These are super super rare to see these days.

The last two Invicta models that came out were released in 1993 - a Dimetrodon and Lambeosaurus.
These two are some of the rarest and are worth £££ on eBay!

Officially Invicta stopped producing @NHM_London toys in 2005. Sadly, Invicta went bankrupt and closed forever in 2013.

I went to the factory during my PhD and asked some workers what happened to stocks and the molds. No one seems to know. A mystery.

But I still love them

There are other mysteries. I can't find any info on how these models came about and about how the @NHM_London choose which animals to model. Maybe someone there or the archives might know something? (maybe @NHMdinolab could point me in the right direction?)

Big thanks to @dinotoyblog and https://www.dinosaur-toys-collectors-guide.com/invicta-dinosaurs.html for info and pics.

Most of the other images are google image searches.

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO MY TED TALK