Safari Ltd’s New 2019 Collection: Mythical Realms & Dragons Preview
Safari Ltd continues to reveal its 2019 offerings, and while there’s more in store, we thought we’d take a look at what’s been revealed so far. We’ve already delved into some of our 2019 Prehistoric World figures, so this time we thought we’d take a peek into our upcoming Mythical Realms and Dragons collection.
Bigfoot
Many of our Mythical Realms figures have their roots in Greek Mythology, or some other ancient legend or lore. For 2019, we wanted to begin exploring some more modern myths and legends. In North America, there are few legendary creatures that are as popular as Bigfoot.
Tales of wild, hairy man-like creatures in the Pacific Northwest region date back to the 1800s. J.W. Burns, a government teacher on a Native American reservation in British Columbia, coined the term “sasquatch” to describe such a creature. This word is believed to be a mispronunciation of “sásq'ets” which comes from the First Nation Halkomelem language.
The creature would come to be known as “Bigfoot” based on large, human-like footprints up to 24 inches long found in forests of the Pacific Northwest. But the mysterious animal really exploded in popularity with the release of video footage that has come to be known as the “Patterson Tape”.
In 1967, Roger Patterson and Robert Gimlin filmed what appears to be a hairy, upright, ape-like creature walking in the Bluff Creek area of California. This film footage continues to captivate viewers to this day, though many skeptics contend that it’s a hoax. What’s the real story? No one is quite sure.
Safari Ltd’s Bigfoot figure is posed in a loping walk, similar in pose to the figure seen in that iconic film. It features the creature’s distinctive large humanoid feet, and the serene expression on its face indicates a being of intelligence and emotional depth. We may never know whether or not Bigfoot is real, but our upcoming Safari Ltd 2019 collection ensures that at the very least, you’ll be able to take home a Bigfoot of your own.
Merhorse
Don’t think because we’ve made a Bigfoot figure that it means we’ve given up on making awesome figures of Greek mythological monsters. While our Bigfoot opens the door for cryptozoological critters, there’s still plenty of ancient legendary beasts to bring to our fans in figure form. Case in point: our 2019 Merhorse.
The Merhorse is also known as the “Hippocampus”, which is Greek for “Horse sea monster”. It’s a creature with the front half of a horse, and the rear half of a fish. Fun fact: Hippocampus is also the scientific genus name for real life animal: the seahorse! It’s also a name for a part of the human brain that converts short term memory into long term memory, named after its resemblance to the aquatic animal.
Our Safari Ltd Hippocampus is purely mythical. Merhorses are seen in the mythology of many ancient cultures, including Greek, Phoenician and Etruscan. They are perhaps most famous for pulling the chariot of Poseidon, the Greek God of the sea.
This figure is dynamically posed and expertly sculpted to bring out the detail in both the fish and horse aspects of its form, with a silvery mane, shimmering scales, flowing fins and tensed equine musculature. This Mythical Realms Merhorse will fit wonderfully in any fantasy creature display.
Lava Dragon
Of course, no discussion of our fantasy creatures is complete without mentioning our Dragons collection. The 2019 Safari Ltd collection has some new and unique entries in the realm of fire breathing beasts, including the fearsome Lava Dragon.
Painted in bright yellows, oranges and reds, this dragon looks hot to the touch. With its curved horns, hooked talons and gaping mouth full of pointed teeth, you can tell this dragon is a force to be reckoned with. This imposing figure is sculpted with its wings spread, claws outstretched, and neck curving forward, as If preparing to let forth a jet of flames from its wide open mouth.
This is definitely not a dragon that any knight would want to mess with. But it will definitely stand out in any collection of dragon figures, with its armored neck held high above the rest. It’ll also work great as a formidable adversary for tabletop gaming!
Earth Dragon
Now, not every dragon is fearsome, and at Safari Ltd we like to showcase the kindler, gentler dragons in addition to the monstrous kind. Many dragons are very ancient, wise, spiritual creatures, and our Earth Dragon fits right into that category.
The Earth Dragon is an elemental spirit that embodies the qualities of the world, from the night sky to the swirling sea and on to the twisted tree trunks that take root deep in the earth. The creature itself reflects these elements on its body, with leafy horns and fins, wings with a swirling cloud texture broken up by stars, spikes along its back that resemble cresting ocean waves, and gnarled legs that recall the roots of trees and the soil of the earth.
It’s clear from its serene expression that the Earth Dragon is a benevolent creature, unlike the ferocious Lava Dragon. The Earth Dragon is a protector of the world and a reminder that we all must do our part to help the planet.
This is just a taste of the Safari Ltd 2019 fantasy figure line-up. Stay tuned for more!