Vol. 53 Revealed! The Mammoth & Smilodon Treasure Exhibition
Last time, I skipped introducing the Woolly Mammoth and Smilodon figures, saying that there were "a million of them and it would be too much trouble." But then I deeply regretted it, thinking that the basic spirit of the Secret Museum was to never begrudge the effort for such things. So this time, I've decided to tackle the Mammoth and Smilodon figures, along with various related goods. I apologize that, as with last time, dinosaurs barely appear, but Mammoths and Smilodons are regular members of most dinosaur figure series, so please bear with me. (Favorite separates Burgess Shale creatures and the like properly.)
First up is the Woolly Mammoth (hereafter, Mammoth). To be honest, while I like saber-toothed tigers, I'm not particularly fond of mammoths, and I even intended to go to the Mammoth exhibition in Odaiba last year but realized it was over. I only bought figures to complete my dinosaur series, so I've missed many, and I underestimated how many there would be, thinking there couldn't be a million, but when I lined them up, there was an exasperating number. Even so, crucial ones like Schleich, Collecta, and Favorite are still missing. I can't even begin to grasp the smaller ones.
For those, please refer to the always reliable "Dinosaur Toy Museum".
The forms of mammoth figures are all quite similar, and lining them up lacks a certain appeal, but this is unavoidable given that they were vividly depicted in cave paintings and frozen mammoths have been discovered, revealing even the color of their fur.
However, this time, rummaging through my forgotten mammoth collection, I found some real treasures and unexpectedly excellent items, which was a good result.
Last time, the mammoths that appeared as part of the dinosaur series were from "STARLUX," "MARX," the British Museum of Natural History, "NABISCO," "SHREDDIES," and "Kaiyodo." This time, I will introduce as many other mammoths as possible.
(Image 1) First and foremost, I must introduce this. It's the Woolly Mammoth from Aurora's Prehistoric Scenes series, a masterpiece plastic model from the 70s. This is its reappearance since the special feature on the Prehistoric Scenes series in Secret Museum Vol. 57. This time, I finally completed it by painting the base, which had been unpainted. Since I probably built the main body around 1980, it has truly taken 40 years to complete, and like the mastodon last time, I felt a deep sense of emotion. The mammoth itself is as it was then, except for painting the unpainted claws. The amateurish workmanship is noticeable, but it's a memento of my youth...
(Image 2) Life models.
In the upper row, from the left, are "BULLYLAND" and "PAPO." In the front row are the familiar "Ania" parent and child, and a ceramic one from an Italian manufacturer called "CASTAGNA."
In the lower row, the back features the "TYCO" Ice Age series. Sandwiched between some unknown brands is one from the "Dinosaur Age" series, released by a Japanese manufacturer called "Hearty Robin" around the end of the Showa era. The front row includes an unknown wind-up toy, "BULLYLAND" and "SCHLEICH" from the 90s, and a British-made "INPRO" from the 70s.
(Image 3) Skeletal models.
From the left, there's the "4D VISION" series of half-skeletons, which was once sold by Favorite. It's very well made. Next to it is one imported and sold by Matsuno Kogyo, which seems to also be sold as an excavation kit by other manufacturers. Then there's the "Ice Age" series from the "GEOWORLD" excavation kit, the same as the Glyptodon from last time (unfortunately, it doesn't look much like a mammoth...). The one on the far right is imported and sold by Aile, and the drawback is that the tusks are too close together, leaving no room for the nose. The small ones in the front are old confectionery toys: "Meiji Dinosaur Country Chocolate" (Secret Museum Vol. 44), "Sapporo Boy Fun Cup" (Secret Museum Vol. 45), and an unknown rubber toy from what appears to be a Gashapon machine.
Looking at it this way, it's a shame that there aren't any authentic skeletal models, like Favorite's dinosaur skeleton models. Even for the mammoth, the superstar of the Cenozoic era, this is the situation, so you can imagine the state of other extinct mammalian skeletal models. However, I found something like this in my closet.
(Image 4) This excavation kit is about 20 years old. Nowadays, fossil excavation kits are commonplace, even found in 100-yen shops, but this is from the early days. Of the three types I collected, I only dug up the one on the bottom, a Tyrannosaurus that clearly looks like an Allosaurus. But because of its obvious charm, I stopped halfway and made it into a fossil in situ. This time, I re-excavated the mammoth and, incidentally, the Styracosaurus. Unlike modern children's kits, these have a strong fossil feel, are intricately made, and the mammoth even has its molars reproduced. It's a bit disappointing that the tusks aren't angled more outwards, or that the Styracosaurus's frill is too big, but overall, it's a kit that makes you happy to dig.
(Image 5) There is probably no prehistoric animal more suited for a plush toy than a mammoth. There are countless plush mammoths around, but my house, which is supposedly "no plush toys," only has two. The one on the left is a novelty item from the Cup Noodle commercial "Hungry?", which appeared last time, and I recently acquired it on Yahoo! Auctions. The one on the right was reluctantly bought during the "Special Exhibition Mammoth YUKA" held at Pacifico Yokohama in 2013, when the young mammoth YUKA first came to Japan, because there were no other souvenirs. It's irrelevant, but I remember it being amusing that they referred to the woolly mammoth as "kemamoth" (hairy mammoth) at the time... Shouldn't it be "kenaga mammoth" (long-haired mammoth)? Although, we do say "hair rhino" for rhinoceros.
And in the foreground, on the left, is a ceramic piece of unknown origin. On the right is from McDonald's Happy Meal. It's a character from the movie "Ice Age." There was also a small glass mammoth.
(Image 6) The last mammoth is a treasured item from the 70s? And then there are cult movie goods that will astound you.
The skeleton is from Masudaya's Hone Hone Series (70s). It walks with a wind-up mechanism. On the right is from Marushin's "Great Dinosaur Series" (also estimated to be from the 70s).
Neither of these is often seen.
Below is the biomammoth from the movie "Peking Man Who are you?" I don't even remember buying it, but it somehow ended up in a corner of my room. I hadn't seen this movie, so I looked it up online and discovered it was actually an outrageous cult movie. Try searching "Peking Man who are you reviews" on Google. You'll die laughing. When it's criticized so mercilessly, it makes you want to watch it, but for some reason, used DVDs are not circulating, and I think I'll hold off on spending 3000 yen on Amazon for a while...
I will introduce a few other movies featuring mammoths and saber-toothed tigers later.
Now for the Smilodon. Smilodon figures have a long history, having been sold as souvenirs at the Chicago World's Fair in 1933. I acquired the Brontosaurus sold at the same time (Secret Museum Vol. 55), but I don't have the Smilodon, as you might expect. You can see it here:
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/1933-chicago-world-fair-saber-tooth-1910025892
Although it is labeled as a saber-toothed tiger, given its short tail and robustness, it is clearly a Smilodon. The so-called saber-toothed tiger (often also called saber-toothed cat) is a general term for felines with long canine teeth, and Smilodon is just one genus among them, but it is the overwhelming king in the world of figures. As for other species, as introduced last time, they are sadly few. (Recently, a Eusmilus (false saber-toothed cat) from the Jurassic Hunters brand was added to the collection.)
(Image 7) My top Smilodon is, of course, Aurora. Aurora's prehistoric animal sculpts are still wonderful to see, and especially for mammals whose reconstructions haven't changed much since then, they are in no way inferior to current figures.
Next to it is the "TYCO" Ice Age series. This series apparently includes the mammoth mentioned earlier and a Megatherium, which I don't own. I missed the opportunity and never took it out of its blister pack. The Smithsonian Institution's name suggests it was sold at a museum.
(Image 8) Life models
From the left in the upper row are "COLLECTA," "PAPO," and "SAFARI 2004/1988/1997." Including the one with a mane from "BULLYLAND" that appeared last time, each is unique. Unlike mammoths, only their skeletons are known, which may allow for more freedom in their depiction.
In the lower row is the muscular saber-toothed tiger from the Ray Harryhausen figure series released by "X-PLUS", appearing in the movie "Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger" (I arbitrarily classify it as a Smilodon because of its short tail). There's also the Takara Tomy "Ania" with its sleek proportions. What's particularly nice is that, despite being an Ania, it has no unnecessary movable parts (only the jaw opens and closes). And in contrast to the ferocious-looking "Great Dinosaur Age" by Papinet, there's the refined "Favorite." The smaller ones include an "INPRO," which also released mammoths, and an unknown American-made eraser (Secret Museum Vol. 53).
(Image 9) Skeletal models
There are surprisingly few skeletal models, and these are all I have at home. The one on the left is from Epoch's Gashapon "Skeletal Museum", which I painted as it looked quite good. On the right are "GEOWORLD" and Doyusha's "Dinosaur Museum" (currently, some dinosaurs are being re-released as "Dinosaur Museum AR"). And then there are old Gashapon erasers? from the same series as the one shown in photo 10 of Secret Museum Vol. 53.
As for skulls, there are the Chocolasaurus, Safari "Prehistoric Mammal Skull" tube, and Favorite's "Skull Eraser Series", all introduced last time. The erasers are merely in name; they are extremely detailed skull models, and what's more, their list price is the eraser price of 660 yen! (What?!) They're incredibly good value. If you paint them, they look like this (Image 10). They stand their ground even when placed next to replicas.
* You can see the Smilodon at the Dinosaur Toy Museum here.
That's it for the figures, but here's some in-depth discussion about mammoths and saber-toothed tigers.
【Serrations】
For some reason, it's rarely mentioned, but at least some saber-toothed tigers have serrations on their canine teeth, just like carnivorous dinosaurs. Take a look here.
(Image 11) A raw fossil of a Chinese Amphimachairodus (Amphimachairodus. Palanderi) that I found at a mineral show in Ikebukuro at the end of last year (I wanted it, but I was already full with dinosaurs and had to regretfully pass). Aren't those magnificent serrations? The serrations of carnivorous dinosaurs are always likened to steak knives in introductory books, and core enthusiasts' eyes light up when faced with fossil teeth, but saber-toothed tiger serrations are not even mentioned in paleontology books. What on earth is going on?
I searched online for images of serrations on other saber-toothed tigers, but I couldn't find many. I managed to find three:
https://twitter.com/GET_AWAY_TRIKE/status/1134411439656001536
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/fossil-sabertooth-cat-xenosmilus-136055646
Smilodon seems to have them only on the back of its teeth. Homotherium's teeth are short but have impressive serrations.
Like carnivorous dinosaurs, serrations were for tearing flesh, and they must have plunged their thin, long tusks into their prey. Lions and tigers are said to suffocate their prey by biting into their throats with their thick tusks, compressing the trachea.
【Movies】
Here are a few memorable movies featuring mammoths and smilodons.
●"One Million B.C." (1940)
This is the origin of the well-known "One Million Years B.C." The dinosaurs are somewhat disappointing, with the traditional lizards with dorsal fins and a costumed allosaurus (the same scene as in "One Million Years B.C."), but the mammoths, made up from elephants, are quite endearing (Image 12).
●"Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger" (1977)
The muscular villainous Smilodon, also featured as a figure, defeats a cyclops giant and is then vanquished by Sinbad. This is the only model-animated saber-toothed tiger.
●"Quest for Fire" (1981)
Speaking of mammoths made up with elephant makeup, this is the movie. I remember being surprised at the time. The runaway scene was magnificent. The saber-toothed tiger was a lion fitted with prosthetic teeth, and it acted without complaint. How on earth did they do the makeup for the elephants and lions? I would love to see a making-of video if one exists.
●"Saber-Toothed Tiger Park" (2005)
This is one of those indiscriminately worthless movies, but the Smilodon's design is decent. As the Japanese title suggests, it's a theme park movie, but there's no trace of saber-toothed tiger merchandise in the souvenir shop that appears briefly. What was sold were Polynesian-style folk art and tiger plush toys, which, for me, is the most infuriating part of this movie. Don't cut corners there!
However, these kinds of trashy movies often get a lot of buzz online.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vDtJ9EjtsQ
https://ameblo.jp/8haku5inukyuu/entry-10756843542.html
●"10,000 B.C." (2008)
I recall this as a film where director Emmerich, true to his style, bit off more than he could chew, but the CGI mammoths and Smilodons were remarkably well-made. Unfortunately, no figures seem to have been released. Why, when even "Peking Man" was made into a figure???
● "Mammoth VS Saber-Toothed Tiger: The Ice Age War" (2010)
This is a documentary-style drama produced in Korea, depicting the growth of a baby mammoth. The CGI is decent, but the lack of weightiness might be unavoidable for a film of this class. The saber-toothed tiger has a long tail, so is it a different genus from Smilodon? Or did they just not think about it?
*The director of this work also directed "The Great Dinosaur Era: Tarbosaurus vs. Tyrannosaurus" for children in 2012, but it was also a bit "meh."
There's no trailer footage, but there's a scathing review here.
● "Alpha" (2018)
This is a rather understated film depicting the first contact between humans and canines (dire wolves?). Mammoths (and woolly rhinos) only appear for a moment in the distant background of the opening. Saber-toothed tigers appear in a cave, but it's dark and only their silhouettes are visible. The trailer shows a bit more, but it might be a doctored lion. Perhaps because of that, its tail is normally long, so it doesn't look like a Smilodon... it's a movie that leaves a lingering sense of ambiguity. I couldn't even read "帰還りし" to begin with. It's apparently "kaerishi."
As for the animated film series "Ice Age" that I introduced in the mammoth figurine section, I haven't actually watched all of them because they are anthropomorphic animations. There are probably many other Ice Age movies, but I don't have as much attachment to them as I do to Mesozoic ones, and I'm not really looking for them. For example, when I hear that Pteranodon appears in "Fly Me to the Saitama" or dinosaurs in "Aquaman" for a moment, I immediately go to the theater to check, but I didn't even know that "Alpha" had been released. Now that I've featured extinct mammals in the last and this issue, I think I'll try to find some more footage.
【Books】
Finally, I've arranged some books from my collection with mammoths and smilodons on the cover. I won't explain them, but I hope you enjoy looking at them. The last one is "Dinosaur Kingdom (12) Mammoth vs. Smilodon" (Kadokawa Manga Science Series), which was just released this February. (Image 13)
Notice
Several of my pterosaurs are participating in the "62nd Special Exhibition: Heroes Who Challenged the Sky," which was supposed to be held from March 20th (currently closed due to coronavirus). (Image 14)
The photos are of items I recently acquired on Yahoo Auctions. They are replicas of the Rhamphorhynchus from the Natural History Museum in Berlin, but they are made of cardboard and were produced in old West Germany. I got a good deal. It seems to be from the same manufacturer as the fossil relief letter set you saw in Secret Museum Vol. 13. Along with several other replicas, they are heading to Gunma. "Dactyl-kun," who also appeared in the same issue of the Secret Museum, is also on an extended trip. When the coronavirus subsides, please come and visit.
For more details, please see the Gunma Museum of Natural History website.
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