On a recent trip to a local antique store I came across this Kenner Triceratops for $4, and it absolutely had to come home with me. Stuff like this is the reason I go antiquing in the first place. Released in 1997, this Trike was part of The Lost World: Jurassic Park Series 1. Technically, this toy has already been reviewed because this same Trike was repainted and re-released four times after its initial release. The one we’re looking at today, however, is the original one, and worth featuring on the blog for that very reason.
Originally, this Triceratops came with capture gear in the form of head restraints. Pulling back on the right hindlimb thrusts the head upward, breaking it free from the restraints. At 8” (20.32 cm) in length, this is a rather small Triceratops. Much smaller than the original Kenner toy. Apparently, this was supposed to represent a juvenile and there were plans to release a larger Triceratops that never came to fruition. It’s a shame since the Triceratops we briefly see in The Lost World is the best looking Trike in the entire franchise. Maybe Mattel will make one in its likeness, some day.
This toy is sparse on details, with the skin mostly detailed with faint wrinkles and creases. A row of scutes run down the midline of the back with osteoderms alongside it. The head has a sunken, wrinkled look to it which make this young Triceratops appear more aged than it probably should. The toy has a stocky, robust build, and I like the deeply built lower jaw.
This Trike has a military camouflage paintjob, with an army green base color and hunter green splotches running down the back. The belly is a pale tea green color. The beak and horns, including those along the frill, are cream colored. The eyes are yellow with black, horizontal, goat-like pupils, which is neat. Inside the mouth there’s a sculpted, pink tongue. The JP logo is stamped on the right thigh, with the Site B designation and the number 44. Although released under the Kenner name the toy is branded Hasbro on its tail.
The Kenner Lost World Triceratops is nothing fancy, especially compared to what Mattel is doing, but it still has the same vintage charm as the rest of the toy line. I was 14 when The Lost World came out and long deemed too old for toys by my parental units (I showed them, huh?). As a result, my nostalgia for this line is tied solely to longingly staring at these beautifully packaged toys on shelves and in catalogs, mourning my childhood gone by. It’s nice to finally be able to bring some of them home all these years later and you can too, this Trike is easy to find on eBay for a reasonable price of $20 or so, depending on condition.
All articles on the Dinosaur Toy Blog are written without the use of ‘AI’
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