Modelling prehistory: from the Crystal Palace Park to ‘Jurassic Park’

Abstract

Dinosaurs and related ‘prehistoric’ fossil vertebrates have captured the imagination of children and adults from almost their first discovery in the early nineteenth century, and it is not surprising that physical representations of them would be made. From these early beginnings, there must be thousands of different prehistoric models out there in the ‘Dinosaur Toy universe’. Even before the advent of the movie ‘Jurassic Park’, every toy shop had a display area devoted to them, and specialist toy manufacturers were bringing out very scientifically accurate models. But I want to concentrate on my favourites from the pre‐‘Jurassic Park’ era and particularly those available in the USA and Britain. Some may look a bit like tail‐dragging swamp dwellers, but I like them and so do many other collectors. As well as those the avid dinosaur collector might come across at model fairs and online I will also mention some that are more likely to be seen in museum displays.