At Safari Ltd, we’re known for our detailed and accurate wildlife figures (“Safari” is right there in our name, after all), but we’re also a one stop shop for all things prehistoric. Our award winning figures of dinosaurs and other ancient animals are created with just as much passion and enthusiasm as our modern animal toys. They’re great for collectors who want accurate and detailed figures, but that’s not all – they’re also just plain great toys for kids to play with!
In this blog we’ll answer the question: What are the best dinosaur toys for kids (ages 3+)? Between our Great Dinos, TOOBS, Good Luck Minis, and Prehistoric World collections, Safari Ltd has a huge variety of dinosaur toys that will help kids learn all about the paleo-world while they play.
Before we dive, in, let's take a quick poll to have so you can vote on which toys you think are the best. Vote now!
12 and 11: Great Dinos Tyrannosaurus Rex and Triceratops – Big Toys for Small Hands (3+)
While it’s not as popular as our Wild Safari Prehistoric collection, the Great Dinos line has its own unique charm. The toys in the Great Dinos collection are larger, hollow figures that can stand up to rigorous play. Their bigger size makes them great for little hands, and they’re less likely to be lost or misplaced than some of our smaller dino toys, and they’re less heavy which makes them easier for young ones to handle.
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| Great Dinos Triceratops | Great Dinos Tyrannosaurus Rex |
While we currently offer seven different Great Dinos toys, we chose to feature the Tyrannosaurus Rex and the Triceratops because they’re perfect for staging epic battles, as these two dinosaurs lived alongside each other during the Late Cretaceous Period, and likely faced off in real life! While they’re a bit simpler in the sculpt and paint department than our other dino offerings, they’re still packed with detail, and their lower price point makes them a no-brainer if you’re looking for some rough and tough dinos to keep the kids entertained.
10. Dino Baby Eggs Set – Learning with an Extra Helping of Cute
The Dino Baby Eggs Set is a great choice for those who like their dinos on the cuter side. This set includes four mini baby dino figures – A Tyrannosaurus Rex, a Brachiosaurus, a Stegosaurus and a Triceratops.
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| Dino Babies Egg Set |
But that’s not all – in addition to these four super cute dino babies, it also includes four dino eggs to store them in! Kids can hatch their own dinosaur babies and learn about egg-laying animals while playing with these cute little critters.
9. Dinosaur Skulls TOOB – Great for the Budding Paleontologist
Most dinosaur figures showcase what we believe the creatures to have looked like while alive, even though these prehistoric creatures all went extinct millions of years ago. This involves a decent amount of guesswork, as there are some aspects of how dinosaurs looked that we’ll probably never know.
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| Dinosaur Skulls TOOB |
What we do know, for sure, is what their bones looked like. The Dinosaur Skulls TOOB showcases 11 mini dino skulls to teach kids what lies underneath all those scales and feathers. These skulls make great accessories for dioramas, and they can also be a great sensory bin tool. Bury them in sand and have your little scientist dig them up!
Additionally, Safari Ltd makes figures of nearly every dinosaur featured in the Dino Skulls TOOB – Tyrannosaurus Rex, Triceratops, Diplodocus, Carnotaurus, Brachiosaurus, Parasaurolophus, Velociraptor, Dracorex, Dilophosaurus…this lets you create a great activity game where kids can match the dinosaur figure with the appropriate skull! Or you can take them to your local Natural History museum and see how many real dino skulls kids can match up with their TOOB pieces.
8. Feathered Dinos TOOB – Showing that Not All Dinos were Scaly
While not every dinosaur mini-figure in this Feathered Dinos TOOB is feathered, it does include a number of bird-like dinos, and many of the 12 dinosaurs are rarely seen in toy form. Dinosaur toys for children are often depicted as scaly, slow, tail-dragging beasts, and this set of mini-figures shows them in a more modern light, as agile creatures that were sometimes covered in feathers, not scales!
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| Feathered Dinos TOOB |
While some of the dinos in this set are popular favorites – like Velociraptor, Apatosaurus, and T-Rex – it also introduces kids to some lesser known dinosaurs, including Dilong, Microraptor, Caudipteryx, Beipiaosaurus and Sinorntithosaurus. It’s a great way to get a lot of unique dinosaurs all in one set!
7 and 6: Stegosaurus and Allosaurus – the Perfect Jurassic Showdown
Sometimes you just want to go with the tried and true, and these two dinosaurs are some of the most well-known monsters known to have roamed the earth during the Jurassic Period. Scaled to be displayed together, our Allosaurus and Stegosaurus toys are posed to face off in a showdown for the ages.
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| Prehistoric World Allosaurus | Prehistoric World Stegosaurus |
Part of our Wild Safari Prehistoric World collection, these figures are highly detailed and scientifically accurate. While they’re still meant to stand up to the same rigorous play as all of our toys, the level of detail means they’re also perfect for older kids who might be more keen to display them on a shelf rather than mash them around in a sandbox.
5: Good Luck Minis Dino Fun Pack – Tiny Dinosaurs with Huge Play Value (Ages 5+)
For those who like their dinos on the tiny side, the Good Luck Minis Dino Fun Pack offers a nice variety of dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures in a small package. It includes a Stegosaurus, Brachiosaurus, Tyrannosaurus, Apatosaurus, Spinosaurus, and Triceratops, plus two non-dinosaurs – a Pterosaur and a Dimetrodon.
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| Good Luck Minis Dinos Fun Pack | Figures included in the Dino Fun Pack |
Due to their small size, these fun little minis are suitable for kids five years or older, and they’re perfect for any number of activities and DIY projects. They also make great party favors, and can be very useful for school projects and other educational activities, like counting exercises.
4: Spinosaurus – Showing How Science Can Change
Scientists are always finding new dinosaur remains, so our idea of what dinosaurs looked like is in constant flux. One way this is evident is in the recent discoveries that have drastically changed the way we view Spinosaurus, a large meat-eating dinosaur.
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| Our Newest Safari Ltd Spinosaurus |
Previously thought of as a bidepal dinosaur similar to T-Rex that walked on its hind legs, new evidence suggests it may have walked on all fours and spent much of its time in the water. Our newest Spinosaurus figure reflects these developments, and shows how our thinking of these ancient animals is always changing.
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| Prehistoric World Spinosaurus |
On top of that, it’s also a big toy of an awesome dinosaur with lots of teeth, so there’s plenty to love about this fearsome dinosaur toy.
3: Triceratops – Respect the Classics (Ages 3+)
While Safari Ltd offers a wide range of dinosaur figures from the popular to the obscure, sometimes you just want a great figure of a classic dinosaur that everyone can warm up to.
Our Triceratops figure is just that, an amazingly accurate version of this popular plant-eater that’s durable enough to go charging across the sandbox or playmat, but detailed enough to stand out on the display shelf.
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| Prehistoric World Triceratops |
Based on the most recent findings that include skin impressions, this Triceratops is just an all around awesome toy for any dino-fan!
2 and 1: Feathered Velociraptor and Feathered Tyrannosaurus Rex – New Spins on Popular Favorites
Yes, the classics can be fun, but sometimes it’s nice to see them with a bit of a modern spin. Our top two spots go to two very popular dinosaurs – Velociraptor and Tyrannosaurus Rex – both covered in feathers, rather than the scales that are often shown in children’s books, cartoons and movies.
As we mentioned back when discussing the Feathered Dinos TOOB, many of the dinosaurs we often think of as scaly and reptilian were actually covered in feathers and much more bird-like than we imagined. With Velociraptor and Tyrannosaurus, relatives of these dinos have been found with evidence of feathers, so our Safari figures reflect the idea that they may have had feathers as well.
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| Feathered Velociraptor | Feathered Tyrannosaurus Rex |
Both of these figures have a way of turning conventional thinking on its head, while maintaining the Safari level of detail everyone expects. They can help satisfy a child’s desire for “popular” dinosaur figures while also teaching them that the real life versions of these animals may have been vastly different from what they see in the movies. While Jurassic Park might be their jump-off point, these feathered friends can help kids pivot their love of dinosaurs into something more scientific.