In the middle of last month, following the theme of Zuul from last time, I had a simple idea to focus on Ankylosaurus figures (I've already introduced Nodosauridae figures, which are another spiky lineage, in New Dinosaur Treasure House Vol. 54). In my mind, Ankylosaurus is one of the classic representative dinosaurs (and there's a poster of Zallinger's "Age of Reptiles" mural from the Peabody Museum on the wall in front of me), so I thought there would be plenty of material. I flipped through the exhibition catalog of the "Dinosaur Picture Book" exhibit and was surprised to find that out of 150 works, Ankylosaurus only appeared in Charles R. Knight's 1931 work, "The Cretaceous - Alberta." Although it's in the foreground of the painting, the main characters are several types of Hadrosauridae, and Ankylosaurus plays a supporting role. Other armored dinosaurs appear in Takashi Oda's "Cretaceous Scenery - North America" (2008), but here it's among a herd of Edmontosaurus, small in the distance, and I can't confirm it's Edmontonia since its tail isn't visible.
*Actually, the catalog also includes another Ankylosaurus peacefully grazing in the background of an illustration from a Showa-era children's book that I provided, where a Tyrannosaurus and a Brontosaurus are locked in a fierce battle...

Is it just a supporting character? Was my impression of it as a popular dinosaur just my own misconception? Indeed, looking back, I can't recall any memorable illustrations of Ankylosaurus by itself. The only time I remember seeing it in video, besides "Jurassic World," is a scene from "Godzilla Raids Again" where scientists flip through a dinosaur encyclopedia to identify a newly appeared monster, and after a witness points to a dinosaur, they declare, "Ankylosaurus, also known as Anguirus." The creature that fought Godzilla was undoubtedly the dinosaur Ankylosaurus. By the way, the dominant theory is that Godzilla is a synapsid. The reconstruction in the encyclopedia had proportions that wouldn't be out of place if it were real, unlike the costume. I watched the video to confirm this scene and made an unexpected discovery.
I've strayed significantly from the topic, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized I didn't know much about Ankylosaurus. Thinking this was a serious matter, I decided to research Ankylosaurus and its relatives before arranging the figures. First, I searched Wikipedia for Ankylosauridae figures.

Ankylosaurus (Wikipedia)

Euoplocephalus (Wikipedia)

Scolosaurus (Wikipedia)

Saichania (Wikipedia)

The amount of information is sparse.
The conclusion I finally reached is this:

1. The reconstruction of Ankylosaurus largely relies on Euoplocephalus.
2. Most of what was considered Euoplocephalus was actually Scolosaurus.

It's all very confusing. I'm also curious about the spikes on the sides of the body that were always present on old Ankylosaurus models but have somehow disappeared. So, I asked ASA, who is known as a leading enthusiast of armored dinosaurs among dinosaur lovers, for help. ASA is not just a hardliner in osteology but also deeply knowledgeable about figures, so it was very helpful.
Classification of Ankylosaurus Figures

Image 1

Zallinger-type Ankylosaurus

Image 2

Classic Figures

Like most famous dinosaur figures, the first one appears to be the Marx model from the 1950s, on the far left. The two above it are relatively new, Schleich (80s) and Bullyland (90s), living fossils, so to speak. The two to the right of Marx are Linde (50s) and Inpro (70s). And the larger green one, the one on the wooden base, and the blue mini-model are from Sinclair Oil (Dinosaur Treasure House Vol. 35), from the 60s-70s perhaps? The red Ankylosaurus above is from Playskool (80s).

Image 3

Plastic Models (Please refer to Dinosaur Treasure House Vol. 56-62)

From left: Pyro (68), Bandai (72), Aurora (74), Airfix (78), and Kaiyodo resin kit (80s).

Image 4

Domestic Soft Vinyl and Others (Please refer to Dinosaur Treasure House Vol. 37 / Vol. 36)

From left:
〇Marushin "Great Age of Dinosaurs" 70s
〇Clover "1/50 Dinosaur Series" early 80s
〇Tsukuda "1/30 Dinosaur Series" late 80s
〇Tomy "Dinosaur Academy" 1992
*Manufactured by U.K.R.D. in China, imported and sold by Tomy. The Tomy tag identifies it as "Ankylosauridae."
〇Likely Kaiyodo's deformed series (formal name unknown). Probably 90s.

Image 5

Metal and Ceramic Ankylosaurus

From left:
〇Metal dinosaur series that used to be commonly sold at places like the National Museum of Nature and Science. Likely the same manufacturer as the Archaeopteryx featured in New Dinosaur Treasure House Vol. 3.
〇Grenadier metal kit (1982)
〇Unidentified, heavy ceramic piece. Probably bought at Tokyu Hands or similar in the early 90s.
〇WADE, a British pottery manufacturer, from 1993, as introduced in New Dinosaur Treasure House Vol. 19.

Image 6

Showa-era Cheap Ankylosaurus Toys

There's not much to explain, but if you look closely at the yellowish one on the far right, it has spikes at the end of its tail, making it a hybrid dinosaur with Scolosaurus.

After the 70s, for reasons unknown, the side spikes of the Zallinger Ankylosaurus, which weren't originally there, were gradually removed and replaced by modern Ankylosaurus figures. However, in 2015, they suddenly reappeared in Jurassic World.

Image 7

Zallinger Ankylosaurus from Jurassic World

From left: JW, Fallen Kingdom, the Hammond Collection introduced last time, and Ankylosaurus and baby Bumpy from Ania's Camp Cretaceous. There are other JW Ankylosaurus figures, but I couldn't buy them all.
*The Ankylosaurus in the movie fought evenly against Indominus, satisfying Ankylosaurus fans.

Now, modern Ankylosaurus is closely related to Scolosaurus and Euoplocephalus. Around 2000, figures were released that removed the spikes from the Zallinger type, reproducing Barnum Brown's reconstruction. Let's call them transitional types. I've named them the Zallinger Revised series.

Image 8

Zallinger Revised Series Ankylosaurus

From left: Walking With Dinosaurs (1998), Kaiyodo 1/20 soft vinyl kit (sculpted by Araki, 2000s?), Favorite Desktop Series (2000s).
*ASA answered my question about why Zallinger-type Ankylosaurus figures went extinct (verbatim):

In the 70s, at the same time Euoplocephalus absorbed Scolosaurus and rose to the position of the most easily reconstructed armored dinosaur, a large-scale classification reorganization of armored dinosaurs as a whole took place. A clear distinction between Ankylosauridae and Nodosauridae was finally proposed, clarifying the overall picture of the armored dinosaur group. I personally believe that the gradual understanding that the reconstruction of "Ankylosaurus with Nodosauridae (Edmontonia) flank spikes" was incorrect, led to the simultaneous rise of Euoplocephalus and the decline of spiky Ankylosaurus in the figure world.


That concludes the Zallinger type. Before introducing modern Ankylosaurus, I must touch upon the Scolosaurus and Euoplocephalus figures, which greatly influenced Ankylosaurus reconstruction.

The image of Scolosaurus in Briand's famous work "Gorgosaurus vs. Scolosaurus" (unfortunately not at the "Dinosaur Picture Book" exhibition) is striking. It frequently appeared in Showa-era encyclopedias and magazines as an armored dinosaur with a different appearance from Ankylosaurus, and I believe it had a certain level of recognition. I thought there would be more figures, but these are all I could find.

Image 9

Scolosaurus Figure

The top left is from Starlux, a French manufacturer that has appeared repeatedly in the Treasure House. This is from the 70s. Below is one from Kaiyodo's early collection-size series, sculpted by Araki. It's in the Briand style (80s, Treasure House Vol. 62).Treasure House Vol. 63). It has the elegant appearance of a dinosaur after the Renaissance. The two next to it are from a manufacturer called Japan Great, which I mentioned in Treasure House Vol. 38. I repurchased the one on the right because I, in my youth, painted the first one I got. The small eraser-like Scolosaurus in the front is of unknown origin, but the one in the back is a product of Daikyo, a representative manufacturer of bizarre Showa-era dinosaurs.

Scolosaurus's reconstruction was re-evaluated in the 70s and it was merged with Euoplocephalus, which will be introduced next. The spikes at the tip of its tail, its trademark, were actually located in the middle of the tail, but their presence was unknown during Briand's time.
Euoplocephalus is the most studied species among Ankylosauridae. In fact, the reconstruction of Ankylosaurus, for which mostly only the head has been found, is based on Euoplocephalus. It is, so to speak, the unsung hero that has supported Ankylosaurus from behind the scenes. Euoplocephalus (hereafter, Euoplo) was described in 1910. Although it's only two years after Ankylosaurus, as far as I know, its first figure was made in the 70s, meaning it walked in the shadows for over 60 years. Why did this happen? My speculation is that it's due to its plain appearance without spikes and its long, hard-to-remember name.

Image 10

Euoplocephalus Figure

The first Euoplocephalus figure is thought to be the one on the upper right, released by Starlux in the 70s. It's called Euoplocephalus, but it's clearly a spike-less Ankylosaurus, a Zallinger Revised model. And the two to its left, an unknown manufacturer's green Euoplocephalus and a carefully crafted Euoplocephalus from the Boston Museum of Science (90s), have a Scolosaurus flavor. As mentioned earlier, Scolosaurus was incorporated into Euoplocephalus in the 70s, so this is not a mistake. Euoplocephalus figures include those that directly inherited the characteristics of Scolosaurus. Further to the left is a rare item from the 1993 "Then And Now Collection" series, a set of a living creature and its skeleton, regardless of how much it resembles Euoplocephalus. The skeletal model by the manufacturer COG on the far left boldly omits osteoderms entirely. Osteoderms are not articulated, so they might not be considered part of the skeleton, but it's a bit sad how little it resembles an armored dinosaur...Treasure House Vol. 64), and an ANTS 1/10 skull series (1998). ASA gave this one his seal of approval, saying it's well done. The one on the far right is a Euoplocephalus that used to be sold at the Unesco Village Dinosaur Museum. It resembles Scolosaurus.

And as noted on the Wikipedia page for Scolosaurus, about 10 years ago, Scolosaurus happily made a comeback, and the nameplate for Euoplocephalus at the National Museum of Nature and Science's permanent exhibition was quietly changed to Scolosaurus. However, no figures bearing the name of the newly revived Scolosaurus have been released yet.

*Also check out: Euoplocephalus at the "Dinosaur Toy Museum"

Image 11

And the extant? Ankylosaurus Figures

Following ASA's advice, I classified them into three types. The position and size of the osteoderms on the back are said to be the key.

Top image: Academic Ankylosaurus
Middle image: Euoplocephalus=Scolosaurus-type AnkylosaurusTreasure House Vol. 21). The manufacturer is unknown. Below it is a TYCO Dino-Riders series item and a mysterious armored dinosaur doll I don't remember at all. Is it a character from something?

Bottom image: Rule-breaking Ankylosaurus*Also check out: Ankylosaurus at the "Dinosaur Toy Museum"

A word from ASA, filled with love for armored dinosaurs, regarding Ankylosaurus figures (verbatim):

It's understandable that the body isn't clearly defined, but the head of Ankylosaurus has distinct unique features. So, there are tons of Ankylosaurus models with heads that don't capture those features at all and look different from any other related species (laughs).


Finally, Saichania Figures

Saichania, a Mongolian Ankylosauridae, is an armored dinosaur whose complete skeleton is often seen. It's permanently displayed at the Kanna Dinosaur Center, and I frequently encounter it at special exhibitions.

Image 12

Top row of images: The two in the back left are Schleich (2008) (1997). The older one oddly resembles Scolosaurus. Next to them are Happinet's Great Dinosaur Age (2007) and Sega Toys' Dinosaur King "Dinosaur King Retsuden" (2007).
Middle row of images: Takao Ito's ceramic Saichania, a potter, also featured in New Dinosaur Treasure House Vol. 31. The texture of the pottery is perfect for an armored dinosaur. The "Hakubutsu Fes" will be held on July 22nd and 23rd this year. I wonder if Mr. Ito will bring Zuul this year.
Bottom row of images: Saichania also has items like these available. Replicas of the type specimen?
*Also check out: Saichania at the "Dinosaur Toy Museum"


As you can see, the reconstruction of Ankylosauridae has always been hazy due to the lack of complete specimens. Thanks to this, we were able to enjoy a variety of figures...

Then Zuul appeared. It was the first time that both the head and side spikes were found together, and what's more, the osteoderms on its back were still intact from when it was alive. It's a fossil so precious that I can't worship it enough. The exhibition at the National Museum of Nature and Science will only last for a few more days. I plan to visit it at least two more times. And for the Ankylosaurus section, I'll end with Zuul.

Recently, my reserved Zuul plushie arrived. Despite being a plushie, the skin texture and other details are quite armored-dinosaur-like!

Image 13

Zuul Plushie

Image 14

Well, the "Dinosaur Picture Book" exhibition has finally begun. I was invited to the preview on the 30th of last month. Image 14 shows the scene from that day. The exhibition style is different from Kobe. Right after entering, colossal "Dinosaur Picture Books" are set up on both sides of the aisle, welcoming visitors. They are properly designed like books, with illustrations even on the back cover, showing great attention to detail. My collection display is also as you can see.

I bought a T-shirt designed with illustrations from a 19th-century book that I missed buying in Kobe. And what made me happiest was receiving an Iggie badge, privately made by Mr. Hiroki Okamoto, the mastermind behind this exhibition. It's a super limited item, a treasure.

Until June 18th, you can hop between the "Spiky" exhibition (Dinosaur Expo 2023) and the "Dinosaur Picture Book" exhibition in Ueno. Both are highly worthwhile, so be prepared to spend a whole day.