Sophie M.
@sophiesaurus98.bsky.social
Writer for Love in the Time of Chasmosaurs - Creator of the speculative evolution project "A New Age of Reptiles" - Natural History and Palaeontology Pop Culture - 27 - (she/her) -
Is there a piece of dinosaur artwork that perfectly encapsulates the feel of the Mesozoic to you? This Greg Paul Giraffatitan piece was a formative work for me that perfectly communicates the awe and wonder of nature as once was. There’s a beauty and magic to it that words simply can’t convey.
November 12, 2025 at 9:16 PM
Is there a piece of dinosaur artwork that perfectly encapsulates the feel of the Mesozoic to you? This Greg Paul Giraffatitan piece was a formative work for me that perfectly communicates the awe and wonder of nature as once was. There’s a beauty and magic to it that words simply can’t convey.
No dinosaurs underwent a conceptual transformation as significant as the one undergone by troodontids. We went from creepy monsters, often presented as nightmarish parallels of and terrors to our own ancestors, to a rich and diverse assemblage of toothy quasi-birds. Palaeontology is truly awesome.
November 8, 2025 at 10:11 PM
No dinosaurs underwent a conceptual transformation as significant as the one undergone by troodontids. We went from creepy monsters, often presented as nightmarish parallels of and terrors to our own ancestors, to a rich and diverse assemblage of toothy quasi-birds. Palaeontology is truly awesome.
It's a pretty good bootleg, in all fairness! Kid Galaxy has a bunch of dinosaur figures and most of them are JP3 bootlegs. I'm a big fan of their Styracosaurus, which looks to be based on Roby Braun's model which you're surely very familiar with from your work with Dorling Kindersley!
November 7, 2025 at 1:33 PM
It's a pretty good bootleg, in all fairness! Kid Galaxy has a bunch of dinosaur figures and most of them are JP3 bootlegs. I'm a big fan of their Styracosaurus, which looks to be based on Roby Braun's model which you're surely very familiar with from your work with Dorling Kindersley!
Rudolph Zallinger is a giant of palaeoart, but we rarely discuss his wife Jean’s work. She, too, was an accomplished illustrator of non-fiction books and dabbled in dinosaurs, some from the 1950s and once more in the mid 1980s, with her style developing quite dramatically in the time between!
November 5, 2025 at 9:07 PM
Rudolph Zallinger is a giant of palaeoart, but we rarely discuss his wife Jean’s work. She, too, was an accomplished illustrator of non-fiction books and dabbled in dinosaurs, some from the 1950s and once more in the mid 1980s, with her style developing quite dramatically in the time between!
Did anyone else have these “puzzle card models” as a kid? I remember getting them for Christmas when I was pretty young and I loved them. They were an interesting variation on the usual plastic or rubber toy! Sadly, they’ve all since been lost and I haven’t had an opportunity to replace them.
October 31, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Did anyone else have these “puzzle card models” as a kid? I remember getting them for Christmas when I was pretty young and I loved them. They were an interesting variation on the usual plastic or rubber toy! Sadly, they’ve all since been lost and I haven’t had an opportunity to replace them.
Nanotyrannus, apparently! It’s all come full circle.
(Art by Wayne Barlowe)
(Art by Wayne Barlowe)
October 30, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Nanotyrannus, apparently! It’s all come full circle.
(Art by Wayne Barlowe)
(Art by Wayne Barlowe)
Thought I’d share this unreferenced Psittacosaurus drawing I did earlier today, pretty pleased with how it turned out! I’m seeing some obvious proportional errors but that’s easy to excuse as this being some currently unknown, closely related animal, of which there were surely dozens!
October 30, 2025 at 3:18 AM
Thought I’d share this unreferenced Psittacosaurus drawing I did earlier today, pretty pleased with how it turned out! I’m seeing some obvious proportional errors but that’s easy to excuse as this being some currently unknown, closely related animal, of which there were surely dozens!
I’m once again thinking of strange contrasts in the palaeoart of my childhood. These paintings, by Brian Franczak and Ely Kish, depict Albertosaurus and Daspletosaurus and have broadly similar compositions, but their approaches to restoring the dinosaurs are about as different as you could get.
October 29, 2025 at 8:56 PM
I’m once again thinking of strange contrasts in the palaeoart of my childhood. These paintings, by Brian Franczak and Ely Kish, depict Albertosaurus and Daspletosaurus and have broadly similar compositions, but their approaches to restoring the dinosaurs are about as different as you could get.
Check out this absolutely lovely piece of art I stumbled upon earlier this week, sadly uncredited. If anyone can identify the artist, I'd be very grateful! I love the classic storybook dragon approach to dinosaurs, and that Dimetrodon is weirdly progressive for what looks to be a fairly old piece.
October 28, 2025 at 9:10 PM
Check out this absolutely lovely piece of art I stumbled upon earlier this week, sadly uncredited. If anyone can identify the artist, I'd be very grateful! I love the classic storybook dragon approach to dinosaurs, and that Dimetrodon is weirdly progressive for what looks to be a fairly old piece.
The dwarf Stegodon from Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age might be the most real-looking CGI animal I’ve ever seen. It’s stunning! Everything they’ve shown so far looks incredible, but I keep going back to this specific image. It’s SO good.
October 27, 2025 at 8:48 PM
The dwarf Stegodon from Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age might be the most real-looking CGI animal I’ve ever seen. It’s stunning! Everything they’ve shown so far looks incredible, but I keep going back to this specific image. It’s SO good.
Sometimes you need to have a parade of dinosaur toys to make you feel better. These are UKRD figures from the mid 1980s. Several of these sculpts are based on contemporary dinosaur artwork, especially the work of John Sibbick.
Photos courtesy of my partner, she’s a better photographer than me!
Photos courtesy of my partner, she’s a better photographer than me!
October 27, 2025 at 7:15 PM
Sometimes you need to have a parade of dinosaur toys to make you feel better. These are UKRD figures from the mid 1980s. Several of these sculpts are based on contemporary dinosaur artwork, especially the work of John Sibbick.
Photos courtesy of my partner, she’s a better photographer than me!
Photos courtesy of my partner, she’s a better photographer than me!
It’s bizarre to think that these were the two versions of Spinosaurus that I knew best as a small child. They’re on the opposite of ends of the Spinosaurus reconstruction spectrum for the early 2000s, about as different as you can get. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but I was only 3!
October 25, 2025 at 7:07 PM
It’s bizarre to think that these were the two versions of Spinosaurus that I knew best as a small child. They’re on the opposite of ends of the Spinosaurus reconstruction spectrum for the early 2000s, about as different as you can get. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but I was only 3!
Check out these Brontosaurus by William Scheele, painted for a 1988 series of collectible cards. They’re so chunky and cute, almost like toys! They’re surprisingly muscular for the time, too. The arms on the one in the foreground are downright scary!
October 23, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Check out these Brontosaurus by William Scheele, painted for a 1988 series of collectible cards. They’re so chunky and cute, almost like toys! They’re surprisingly muscular for the time, too. The arms on the one in the foreground are downright scary!
The bulk of Snowball's work debuted in Alan Charig's 1979 book "A New Look at the Dinosaurs" which offers an of-the-time overview of dinosaur science from a traditionalist perspective that isn't too fond of the newly burgeoning Dinosaur Renaissance. It's an interesting read and a great time capsule.
October 22, 2025 at 8:30 PM
The bulk of Snowball's work debuted in Alan Charig's 1979 book "A New Look at the Dinosaurs" which offers an of-the-time overview of dinosaur science from a traditionalist perspective that isn't too fond of the newly burgeoning Dinosaur Renaissance. It's an interesting read and a great time capsule.
Peter Snowball's dinosaur artwork is an often overlooked but important part of the history of 20th century dinosaur art. He wasn't breaking boundaries in terms of progressive imagery, but there's a solidness and simplicity to his dinosaurs that make them convincing. They're delightfully nostalgic!
October 22, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Peter Snowball's dinosaur artwork is an often overlooked but important part of the history of 20th century dinosaur art. He wasn't breaking boundaries in terms of progressive imagery, but there's a solidness and simplicity to his dinosaurs that make them convincing. They're delightfully nostalgic!
There are too many good T.rex toys to count, but few could rival the huge and incredibly fun Lost World Bull T.rex. Equipped with a hollow interior and slit on the belly, it was designed to swallow other toys whole! Still my favourite JP T.rex toy, though the TLW Thrasher is a close second! (8/9)
October 19, 2025 at 11:44 PM
There are too many good T.rex toys to count, but few could rival the huge and incredibly fun Lost World Bull T.rex. Equipped with a hollow interior and slit on the belly, it was designed to swallow other toys whole! Still my favourite JP T.rex toy, though the TLW Thrasher is a close second! (8/9)
Thanks to Jurassic Park, I saw Parasaurolophus as THE hadrosaur. That meant they were a must-have and I accumulated a variety of figures in various scales. The Carnegie Collection supplied me with the nicest option. The bright yellow head is a striking and fun patterning choice, really cool! (7/9)
October 19, 2025 at 11:44 PM
Thanks to Jurassic Park, I saw Parasaurolophus as THE hadrosaur. That meant they were a must-have and I accumulated a variety of figures in various scales. The Carnegie Collection supplied me with the nicest option. The bright yellow head is a striking and fun patterning choice, really cool! (7/9)
I had a respectable little Velociraptor pack made of around seven of these Safari Toob figures. These were nearly in-scale with the Carnegie figures which was exciting to my often pedantic child self, and I loved the soft and semi-flexible rubber used for all the Safari Toob minis. (6/9)
October 19, 2025 at 11:44 PM
I had a respectable little Velociraptor pack made of around seven of these Safari Toob figures. These were nearly in-scale with the Carnegie figures which was exciting to my often pedantic child self, and I loved the soft and semi-flexible rubber used for all the Safari Toob minis. (6/9)
The second Carnegie Triceratops sculpt was easily the "realest" Triceratops toy of the early 2000s, as far as I was concerned. The powerful build and gaping jaws were great for fighting other dinosaurs, and the cool lava-rock colouration was inarguably cool. A perfect early 2000s Triceratops! (5/9)
October 19, 2025 at 11:44 PM
The second Carnegie Triceratops sculpt was easily the "realest" Triceratops toy of the early 2000s, as far as I was concerned. The powerful build and gaping jaws were great for fighting other dinosaurs, and the cool lava-rock colouration was inarguably cool. A perfect early 2000s Triceratops! (5/9)
One more Morrison dinosaur! This Imperial Ceratosaurus was the best representation of the horned theropod that I could find as a kid. It was another playtime staple, even if it was nearly twice the size of my Carnegie Allosaurus in an inversion of what When Dinosaurs Roamed America taught me. (4/9)
October 19, 2025 at 11:44 PM
One more Morrison dinosaur! This Imperial Ceratosaurus was the best representation of the horned theropod that I could find as a kid. It was another playtime staple, even if it was nearly twice the size of my Carnegie Allosaurus in an inversion of what When Dinosaurs Roamed America taught me. (4/9)
Keeping with the Morrison Formation theme, a herd of these Toy Major Stegosaurus were a fixture of Jurassic-themed playtime. They were $1 at Walmart so I accumulated lots of them during the years they were available. These are much nicer than similarly priced equivalents today and I miss them! (3/9)
October 19, 2025 at 11:44 PM
Keeping with the Morrison Formation theme, a herd of these Toy Major Stegosaurus were a fixture of Jurassic-themed playtime. They were $1 at Walmart so I accumulated lots of them during the years they were available. These are much nicer than similarly priced equivalents today and I miss them! (3/9)
I didn't own this exact Larami Brachiosaurus, which is itself a knockoff of the 1984 Invicta model, but a similar and even bigger one served as my de facto giant sauropod toy. The Carnegie Allosaurus above was a regular threat, pouncing on its flanks ala WWD time in hunts of varying success. (2/9)
October 19, 2025 at 11:44 PM
I didn't own this exact Larami Brachiosaurus, which is itself a knockoff of the 1984 Invicta model, but a similar and even bigger one served as my de facto giant sauropod toy. The Carnegie Allosaurus above was a regular threat, pouncing on its flanks ala WWD time in hunts of varying success. (2/9)
Some beloved dinosaur toys of my childhood: a thread.
The third generation Carnegie Collection Allosaurus was slim and scary in the perfect way to capture the attention of a kid raised on Dinosaur Renaissance media, so naturally it was my favourite Allosaurus toy! (1/9)
The third generation Carnegie Collection Allosaurus was slim and scary in the perfect way to capture the attention of a kid raised on Dinosaur Renaissance media, so naturally it was my favourite Allosaurus toy! (1/9)
October 19, 2025 at 11:44 PM
Some beloved dinosaur toys of my childhood: a thread.
The third generation Carnegie Collection Allosaurus was slim and scary in the perfect way to capture the attention of a kid raised on Dinosaur Renaissance media, so naturally it was my favourite Allosaurus toy! (1/9)
The third generation Carnegie Collection Allosaurus was slim and scary in the perfect way to capture the attention of a kid raised on Dinosaur Renaissance media, so naturally it was my favourite Allosaurus toy! (1/9)
Is anyone else nostalgic for the palaeoartwork of wildlife artist Richard Orr? He painted lots of prehistoric subjects in the 80s and 90s, and his work continued to be printed into the 2000s. He had an approach to dinosaurs that was dated even at the time, but the results are pretty spectacular.
October 16, 2025 at 10:50 PM
Is anyone else nostalgic for the palaeoartwork of wildlife artist Richard Orr? He painted lots of prehistoric subjects in the 80s and 90s, and his work continued to be printed into the 2000s. He had an approach to dinosaurs that was dated even at the time, but the results are pretty spectacular.
Rudolph Zallinger's Kronosaurus, done for the beloved 1960s Brooke Bond Dinosaurs tea card series, never fails to make me laugh. Why's he flopping around in the shallows? Can he get back into the water? It's surely meant to look intimidating and scary, but I just feel bad for the poor thing!
October 15, 2025 at 7:21 PM
Rudolph Zallinger's Kronosaurus, done for the beloved 1960s Brooke Bond Dinosaurs tea card series, never fails to make me laugh. Why's he flopping around in the shallows? Can he get back into the water? It's surely meant to look intimidating and scary, but I just feel bad for the poor thing!