Everything Dinosaur has won the Excellence in Customer Service Award at the South Cheshire Chamber of Commerce Business Awards. This year, a record number of entries were received by South Cheshire Chamber of Commerce and all the finalists had fantastic records in customer service, but our dedication and passion for customer service impressed the judges and we are truly delighted to receive this accolade.
Everything Dinosaur has won the Excellence in Customer Service Award at the annual South Cheshire Chamber of Commerce Business Awards.
Customer Service Award
Everything Dinosaur has been a Chamber of Commerce member for ten years, it is wonderful to receive recognition, in what are, extremely challenging times for British businesses.
Commenting on the award, Mike, who together with Sue (Tyrannosaurus Sue), founded the dinosaur model and toy mail order company back in 2005, praised the other nominees in the category and thanked KPI Recruiting Ltd who sponsored the award.
Mike and Sue of Everything Dinosaur proudly show their certificate and trophy after winning the Excellence in Customer Service Award at the South Cheshire Chamber of Commerce Business Awards. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Award-winning Customer Service
Mike added:
“We have been extremely grateful for the support and assistance the Chamber has given us over the years. They have played a vital role in our success, especially when it comes to developing international sales. Thanks to the help we have received and our wonderful customers, here’s one dinosaur company that is far from extinct!”
Sue with the trophy and the certificate from the South Cheshire Chamber of Commerce. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
The UK-based dinosaur and prehistoric animal model mail order company has customers in over one hundred countries and Everything Dinosaur plans to offer even more prehistoric animal replicas and figures next year.
Everything Dinosaur in conjunction with our friends at CollectA announce the third batch of new CollectA models for 2023. Two new prehistoric animal figures, both marine reptiles, have been announced namely:
CollectA Deluxe 1:40 scale Mosasaurus with an articulated jaw – due to be available early 2023.
Shastasaurus (Age of Dinosaurs Popular) – due to be available early 2023.
New CollectA Models
New CollectA models for 2023. The 1:40 CollectA Deluxe Mosasaurus (top), and the Age of Dinosaurs Popular ichthyosaur replica Shastasaurus (bottom).
CollectA Deluxe Mosasaurus 1:40 Scale
A new 1:40 scale figure of a Mosasaurus, a giant, predatory marine reptile from the Cretaceous that was more closely related to modern snakes and lizards than it was to archosaurs such as the Dinosauria. The model incorporates the latest scientific thinking and includes an asymmetrical caudal fin, with a nick in the top portion as if this Late Cretaceous marine reptile has been bitten by another mosasaur. Inside the beautifully painted, articulated jaw, pterygoid teeth have been incorporated into the roof of the mouth.
The CollectA Deluxe 1:40 scale Mosasaurus will be available from Everything Dinosaur, early next year (2023). This figure is the second Mosasaurus model to be introduced by CollectA, as a not to scale Mosasaurus replica was added to the Age of Dinosaurs Popular range back in 2014.
CollectA Deluxe Mosasaurus model.
Articulated Lower Jaw
The new for 2023 marine reptile figure has a smooth, streamlined body, the skin texture has been carefully crafted and the front flippers give the impression of a powerful animal.
The new for 2023 CollectA Deluxe Mosasaurus marine reptile model has an articulated jaw.
CollectA plan to introduce another marine reptile model next year (2023). It is a replica of the primitive ichthyosaur Shastasaurus, a large reptile, possibly gigantic that lived more than one hundred million years before the Mosasauridae evolved.
CollectA Age of Dinosaurs Shastasaurus marine reptile model.
Shastasaurus was a big, whale-sized marine reptile from the Triassic. The replica has been given a striking black and white colour scheme reminiscent of the Killer Whale (Orca). These markings would have helped this giant hunter hide from its prey, the colour pattern making Shastasaurus less conspicuous from both above and below. The model has barnacles on its flippers and body, just like the barnacles associated with many large, extant cetaceans that swim in our oceans today. The asymmetrical tail fluke has also got a nick in it towards its apex.
The CollectA Age of Dinosaurs Popular Shastasaurus is due to be in stock at Everything Dinosaur in early 2023.
CollectA Deluxe 1:40 scale Mosasaurus with articulated jaw – length 39 cm, height 5.3 cm, width across the front flippers 15 cm (estimate).
CollectA Age of Dinosaurs Popular Shastasaurus – length 25 cm, height of tail fluke 3 cm, width across the front flippers 9 cm (estimate).
This pair of exciting marine reptile figures will be in stock at Everything Dinosaur in 2023.
To view Everything Dinosaur’s blog post about the first batch of new CollectA prehistoric animals for 2023 to be announced: New CollectA Models (Part 1).
To read our blog post about the second batch of new CollectA prehistoric animal figures for 2023: New CollectA Models (Part 2).
Everything Dinosaur in collaboration with CollectA announces the second batch of new CollectA models 2023. Three new prehistoric animal figures have been announced namely:
Ruyangosaurus (1:100 scale Deluxe model) – due to be available early 2023.
Brighstoneus (Age of Dinosaurs Popular) – due to be available in early 2023.
Anomalocaris (CollectA Other Prehistoric Animals) – due to be available in early 2023.
New CollectA Models
New CollectA prehistoric animal models. Anomalocaris (top left), the CollectA Deluxe 1:100 scale Ruyangosaurus (right) and the ornithopod Brighstoneus (bottom left). All three new CollectA models should be available from Everything Dinosaur in early 2023.
CollectA Deluxe Ruyangosaurus (1:100 Scale)
The first CollectA Deluxe scale model to be announced for 2023 is this stunning replica of the enormous Chinese titanosaur Ruyangosaurus. Named and described in 2009 (Ruyangosaurus giganteus), this huge sauropod is estimated to have been around thirty metres long and to have weighed in excess of fifty tonnes. It is one of the largest dinosaurs known from Asia.
The new for early 2023 CollectA Deluxe Ruyangosaurus dinosaur model.
The CollectA Deluxe Ruyangosaurus has been given a grey, almost elephant-like colouration in recognition of the sheer size of this leviathan. The neck is thick, but the cervical vertebrae (neck bones) of these huge dinosaurs were quite delicate and there were numerous air sacs to help lighten the neck.
The skin texture is very detailed, and this herbivorous giant has been given rows of dermal armour (osteoderms), which are most prominent over its vulnerable hips. The CollectA Deluxe Ruyangosaurus will make an interesting partner to the mostly geologically older genus Mamenchisaurus, a model of which (CollectA Deluxe 1:100 Mamenchisaurus) was introduced by CollectA in 2021.
CollectA Age of Dinosaurs Brighstoneus
Hot on heels of the Ceratosuchops model announced last week, comes Brighstoneus an iguanodontid from the Isle of Wight that was, coincidently, formally named and described just a few weeks after Ceratosuchops in late 2021.
The reassessment of fossil bones found in 1978 close to the village of Brighstone on the south-western coast of the Isle of Wight, which had been thought to represent the genus Iguanodon, led to the naming of Brighstoneus (B. simmondsi).
The CollectA Age of Dinosaurs Popular Brighstoneus dinosaur model. This ornithopod figure should be available from Everything Dinosaur in early 2023.
Examination of the naris bone indicated that this dinosaur had a bulbous snout, and this feature has been incorporated into the new CollectA figure. The patterning on the model would have helped to camouflage this eight-metre-long herbivore and the white flash around the eye suggests that visual communication was very important to this animal that probably lived in herds.
This recently described dinosaur suggests that there are probably several different iguanodontids still awaiting discovery in the Wealden Group strata. It is great to see this model representing another member of the Wealden Group dinosaur biota added to the CollectA range.
CollectA Anomalocaris
The third in this trio of new CollectA models to be announced this week is a replica of the apex Cambrian predator Anomalocaris. This superb model of Anomalocaris canadensis from the famous Burgess Shale deposits of British Columbia joins a growing number of CollectA invertebrate models that represent iconic animals from the fossil record.
The CollectA Anomalocaris model. A fantastic replica of an early apex predator. The CollectA Anomalocaris (Other Prehistoric Animal Models).
Anomalocaris is distantly related to extant crustaceans such as lobsters and shrimps. It is considered to be at the top of the earliest marine food chains because of its large body size, formidable grasping claws armed with sharp spikes and a ferocious-looking circular mouth positioned under the head. Once thought to measure more than a metre in length, most Burgess Shale specimens indicate a typical body length of thirty centimetres, still much bigger than virtually all of the other animals known from these Canadian Cambrian-aged deposits.
Model Measurements
CollectA Deluxe Ruyangosaurus (1:100 scale) – length 40 cm, height of head 29.5 cm.
CollectA Age of Dinosaurs Popular Brighstoneus – length 14.8 cm, height of head 4.8 cm.
CollectA Anomalocaris (Other Prehistoric Animals) – length 13 cm, height 3 cm.
This trio of fantastic CollectA figures are scheduled to be in stock at Everything Dinosaur in the early part of 2023.
To view Everything Dinosaur’s blog post about the first batch of new CollectA prehistoric animals for 2023 to be announced: New CollectA Models for 2023 (Part 1).
We will post up more details about new for 2023 CollectA models next Friday and a brief video about these three CollectA figures will shortly be posted up on Everything Dinosaur’s YouTube channel.
The Age of Dinosaurs Popular Brighstoneus and the stunning Anomalocaris model will be placed in the CollectA Prehistoric Life section of Everything Dinosaur’s website: CollectA Prehistoric Life Replicas.
A highlight of the autumn is “All Hallows’ Eve” – Halloween. An opportunity to post up pics of some Halloween dinosaurs. It is time for some spooky stories, murderous monsters and scary skeletons, all harmless fun but 66 million years ago real monsters roamed planet Earth and one of the most frightening dinosaurs of them all was Spinosaurus, a giant carnivorous dinosaur that is thought to be the biggest meat-eating land animal that ever lived.
Our thanks to Caldey who sent in a picture of a spooky Spinosaurus holding a Halloween pumpkin.
A spooky Halloween Spinosaurus holding a Halloween pumpkin. Picture credit: Caldey.
Picture credit: Caldey
Terrifying Theropod
The “lion of the Jurassic” Allosaurus has joined in the Halloween fun and games, with Caldey sending into Everything Dinosaur a second picture of a Halloween pumpkin held in the jaws of a ferocious dinosaur.
An alarming Allosaurus. Allosaurus holds a Halloween pumpkin. Picture credit: Caldey.
Picture credit: Caldey
Halloween Dinosaurs
As we approach the “witching hour” we want to wish all our customers and readers a happy Halloween! “All Hallows’ Eve” is traditionally linked with demons and monsters and the fossil record is jam-packed full of very scary looking invertebrates and vertebrate specimens that would have been very much at home in the cast of a horror movie.
A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur thanked Caldey for sending in the cleverly composed Halloween dinosaur photographs and commented:
“We enjoyed looking at the dinosaur pictures and we appreciate the spooky lighting effect that Caldey has used to depict her Halloween dinosaurs.”
Sometimes dinosaurs can be spotted in the most unusual places. For example, an eagle-eyed Everything Dinosaur team member spotted a fuelled by dinosaurs sticker on a car parked next to our “dino van” at our warehouse the other day.
Fuelled by recycled dinosaurs. A decal spotted on a car which was parked next to Everything Dinosaur’s “dino van”. Not sure if the statement made is technically correct but we appreciated the sentiment. We note the Americanised spelling of “fueled”. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
A Mistaken Assumption
The idea that petrol and other oil derived fuels are made up of the constituents of dead dinosaurs is a common assumption. Unfortunately, whilst it might please a petrol head to think that their super-charged, sports car is powered by long extinct animals like Triceratops and T. rex, this is not true. Fossil fuels such as petrol and natural gas are derived from the remains of (mostly) plant matter such as plankton (algae) laid down in a marine environment.
Most people understand that coal is derived from plant material, in the case of the UK, our plentiful and ubiquitous supplies of coal that fuelled the industrial revolution and industry until very recently largely consists of the remains of Carboniferous swamps and forests.
By the Carboniferous, the insects were already highly diversified. These swamps formed the extensive coal measures associated with the UK. Picture credit: Richard Bizley.
Fuelled by Dinosaurs
We are sorry car fans, for all you petrol heads out there, your vehicle is not powered by dinosaurs but by the ancient remains of some of the simplest, yet most important organisms on Earth – marine plankton.
Still, it’s a thought. Perhaps some clever car maker or another part of the oil or automotive industry will latch onto this misnomer and use it in their advertising. After all, not so long ago, a well-known brand of petrol advertised its fuel by stating put “a tiger in your tank”!
Everything Dinosaur’s team members receive lots of email enquiries every day including requests to source special models for customers. A mother of a reptile-obsessed dinosaur fan emailed us to ask could we source and supply some snake replicas. We made some enquiries and we were able to sort this out, bringing in some Squamata with our next shipment of Safari Ltd prehistoric animal models.
Getting in special orders for customers. An Everything Dinosaur customer wanted some Safari Ltd snake models, we were able to arrange to bring them in our next Safari Ltd shipment. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur
Snakes on a Shipment
You might have heard about the film “Snakes on a Plane”, starring Samuel L. Jackson. This film was released in 2006 to mixed reviews. In this instance, team members had to ensure there were “snakes on a shipment”, to satisfy the demands of a snake-loving dinosaur fan.
A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:
“If customers are looking to source some unusual models, or perhaps a replica that has been recently retired, we are happy to use our extensive contacts in the industry to see if we can obtain the figure for them.”
Everything Dinosaur does supply some prehistoric snake models, for example the popular Rebor Titanoboa Museum Class Maquettes “Brian Diccus” and “Monty Resurgent”. These limited-production figures were introduced in 2020, a museu-quality replica of a Titanoboa swallowing its crocodilian prey.
The Rebor Titanoboa Museum Class Maquette Brian Diccus.
When it came to handling the very realistic snake figures from Safari Ltd, team members tried not to be too squeamish, but whatever the model might be, we will try our best to source it and supply it, even if it is a green Anaconda!
To ask about how Everything Dinosaur can help you find a rare, retired or otherwise difficult to find model or figure: Contact Everything Dinosaur.
Whilst on a trip to Liverpool team members at Everything Dinosaur took the opportunity to briefly visit the fabulous Liverpool World Museum and meet up with some old friends. On the fourth floor in the dinosaur gallery there are some cases that display dinosaur replicas, typical examples of the fauna associated with a geological period, although our visit was short, we were able to take a photograph of the Jurassic dinosaur models that were on display.
An exhibit at Liverpool World Museum showcasing typical Jurassic dinosaurs. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Jurassic Dinosaur Models
The display case shows a Stegosaurus (left), a sauropod (centre) and a replica of a theropod dinosaur (right). Everything Dinosaur does not know when the models were commissioned or installed but the exhibit could have been first set up in the 1970s. This display case has been a part of the Museum’s Earth Gallery for as long as we can remember.
The models, although carefully crafted, provide what is now a very outdated view of typical members of the Dinosauria. There is a certain nostalgia for exhibits such as this. Whilst it is acknowledged that this is not a modern depiction, over the years, we have grown rather fond of this trio of dinosaurs and others like them that adorn the display cabinets.
When visiting the fourth floor of the Liverpool World Museum to view the collection of fossils and the casts of dinosaurs on display, it is always a highlight of our visit to take a moment or two to reacquaint ourselves with some old friends.
Everything Dinosaur co-owner Sue in front of the cameras. Sue was asked by the BBC for an interview recently and although reluctant at first, she was persuaded to appear in front of the cameras. The interview was part of a package being developed for the BBC news channel. The interviewer praised Sue and commented that she was easy to interview and that her contribution to the piece was greatly appreciated.
Sue from Everything Dinosaur being filmed and interviewed in our warehouse. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Nerve wracking in Front of the Cameras
Being interviewed and filmed can be quite nerve wracking. Sue admits that she is gradually gaining more confidence in front of the cameras, but it is still quite a stressful experience. She is much happier dealing with customer queries over the telephone, working on the accounts or packing orders, but sometimes media companies make requests, and we do our best to accommodate them.
Over the years, Everything Dinosaur has been involved in a number of media events and related activities, even working with film production companies. When media outlets are looking to feature a small business, one that sells dinosaurs and prehistoric animal models and toys, tends to stand out on the page.
However, the allure of the bright lights has not taken Sue away from her day-to-day duties. She is not off to Hollywood anytime soon. I don’t think we will have need to book a hotel room near Elstree Studios in the near future.
Sue in Front of the Cameras
Sue herself states:
“Although I am reluctant to be interviewed, I do get asked and I try my best. Often, I am told by the person supervising the filming or conducting the interview that they want to hear about women working in commerce. I suppose as our business is a little unusual, after all, we sell dinosaurs and prehistoric animals, media companies tend to migrate towards those business that are a little different and Everything Dinosaur is certainly different.”
Everything Dinosaur logo with ® trademark. Team members are interviewed by the media. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Dinosaur Toys and Games
The UK-based mail order business has built up a worldwide customer base with dinosaur toys, models and games being despatched to over 100 countries. Purchases are made on the company’s award-winning website.
To see the range of prehistoric animal themed toys, models and games available from Everything Dinosaur: Visit Everything Dinosaur.
Earlier this week, team members at Everything Dinosaur attended an event at the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery and whilst we were there, we took the opportunity to take some pictures of “Deadly Doris” the nickname given to the life-size Pliosaurus replica which is suspended from the Museum’s ceiling.
The life-size replica of the pliosaur (P. carpenteri) suspended from the ceiling at the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery. Pliosaurus carpenteri was formally named and described in 2013 (Benson et al). Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Everything Dinosaur attended a special evening opening of the Museum to celebrate the life and works of Anthony Beeson, who sadly passed away earlier this year. Fans of dinosaur models will know of Anthony through his work with CollectA helping to design the prehistoric animal figures in the award-winning “Prehistoric World” model range.
However, Anthony was a true polymath with a huge range of interests and a very wide circle of friends. He was an expert on Greek and Roman art and architecture, a skilled painter, an archivist of the Association for Roman Archaeology, an author and the former art librarian at Bristol City Libraries.
He often talked about the fossils and other exhibits on display at the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery and although the museum was officially closed, we were able to take some photographs of the life-size replica of the “Westbury pliosaur” that is suspended from the ceiling in the Museum’s main atrium.
We were given the opportunity to say a few words to the audience who had gathered to show their appreciation for Anthony, as the pliosaur replica nicknamed “Deadly Doris” looked on.
A close-up view of the pliosaur that is suspended above the ground floor at the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery (Bristol, England). The life-size replica was nicknamed “Deadly Doris”. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
The partial remains of an eight-metre-long pliosaur were discovered in Lower Kimmeridge clay sediments at Westbury (Wiltshire) in 1994. The fossils representing a single animal, included a skull and jaws that were nearly two metres in length. The pliosaur was formally named and described in 2013 (Benson et al) as Pliosaurus carpenteri. The fossils are on display at the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery and artist Tony Hitchcock was commissioned to produce a life-size replica as part of the marine reptile exhibit.
As we gave our speech about Anthony and his contribution to the CollectA range, “Deadly Doris” looked down on proceedings. We are sure Anthony would have approved and been delighted with a pliosaur in attendance.
A dragonfly has been spotted by Everything Dinosaur team members on a small patch of grass next to a drainage ditch outside the company’s warehouse. This is the first time that a dragonfly has been seen in the vicinity of the Everything Dinosaur warehouse. There is a small area of grass next to a drainage ditch and we suspect the dragonfly, possibly a male Common darter (Sympetrum striolatum) emerged from the ditch during the recent hot weather. Our litter picking and tidying up of this small body of water outside our warehouse is paying dividends.
Can you spot the dragonfly? Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
A Haven for Wildlife
The ditch is a haven for wildlife, and we have spotted several different species of water snails including the Great Pond Snail (Lymnaea stagnalis) and the Great Ramshorn (Planorbarius corneus). There are also small fish – we suspect Stickleback (Gasterosteidae family). There may also be frogs and newts, although we have not observed any amphibians to date, although we were visited by a young Mallard duck a few weeks ago.
Photographing the dragonfly was tricky, we could not get that close to our subject, but we tried our best.
A close-up view of the dragonfly. We think this might be an immature male Common darter (Sympetrum striolatum). Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented that it was always exciting to see a dragonfly. Due to loss of habitat and pollution, these magnificent insects are under threat in many parts of the UK. The earliest dragonfly fossils are known from the Carboniferous. Some of these Carboniferous forms (Meganisoptera order) were huge with wingspans in excess of sixty centimetres. Extant dragonflies (Odonata) are distantly related to these ancient, winged insects, the Odonata lineage may have evolved in the Late Permian.
A close-up view of the dragonfly spotted outside the Everything Dinosaur warehouse.
Spotting Dragonflies
The office pond has also produced dragonflies, although no Common darters. As the mature nymphs emerge from the pond, they climb up plant stems and prepare to shed their external skeletons and emerge as winged adults (Ecdysis).
Team members have already spotted several exuviae (shed exoskeletons) around the pond.
A dragonfly that has just emerged from Everything Dinosaur’s office pond. This picture shows a Southern Hawker (Aeshna cyanea) – we think. The photograph was taken in 2020. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.
Let’s hope we see a few more dragonflies before the end of summer.
