Animal and bird jewelry - hand-painted cockatoo

Bird jewelry - Cockatoo

Here is another piece of our exquisitely made realistic animal jewelry - this time, a beautiful cockatoo. I've left the original picture large, so just click on the image above for a better look at the craftsmanship and detail. The original cockatoo is cast in pewter and hand painted. The feathers and other details are in raised metal (bas relief), and pained. Some of the shading and detail effect comes from the casting and some from the paint. You can see more of this beautiful animal jewelry art in our online gift shop. Choose from hundreds of birds, animals, fish, and other life forms such as squid and octopus. Use as a lapel pin, hat pin, scarf pin, or larger tie tac. Many of our designs also come in smaller traditionally-sized tie tacs and with metal finishes. When you go to the web site, scroll down past the images for a partial list of what's available. You can also call us at (503) 325-3179 or send e-mail.

Plastic shark mouth

We have a lot of plastic sharks in our online gift shop, but this one may be destined to be a favorite if we get him in. It's not in our line yet. A customer needed a shark with certain specifications, so we put out a search and came up with this one. One of the specs had to do with the mouth, hence the photo. Right now we have two other hollow plastic great white sharks that are also not online yet, but will be soon. One is six inches long, one is 9 inches long. They look a lot like this 5-inch shark, but the 6 and 9 inch sharks have squeakers in the mouth. When we put the sharks online they will have the traditional side view, or maybe both. I couldn't let the opportunity slip by to post this . . . just because. If you're looking for plastic sharks, Sue has just done the research. Give her a call at (503) 325-3179 or send e-mail.

Animal jewelry: Leaping rainbow trout pin or tie tac

The painted pewter fish jewelry we have on hand is stunning, as you can see from this trout. We have a lot more species of fish. Just ask if you're looking for any one in particular. Our number is (503) 325-3179 (in Astoria, Oregon). Jan came by today and volunteered to help organize the collection of pins, so hopefully that's one step closer to getting them all online. She sorted the rest of the mammals and the wonderfully colorful birds. I can't wait to show them! You can click to see a bigger image of the trout if you like. I can't believe these are painted by hand.

Animal jewelry - ostrich . . . really???

Yes, our painted animal jewelry even comes in this style - a charming running ostrich! Each hand-painted animal pin or tie tack is $29.00. We have some metal finishes as well for $10.00 each. I heard from the artist yesterday that the price of pewter (in which all of these animals are originally cast) went shooting up from $3.00+ for x amount to $10.00+ for x amount. It makes it hard to keep producing these exquisite products! The only good news here is that we have so many pieces of this particular style of animal jewelry in stock right now that our prices don't need to rise with the price of metal.

Snow leopards on TV and in your home

If you like these beautiful cats, we have a couple of suggestions. They're going to be on The Discovery Channel on Sunday, March 9th (click the link to see times and read about these animals and their unusual eyes). You could also take home a 3-D plastic snow leopard puzzle (as seen above) from Tapir and Friends Online Gift Shop.

Hottest selling animal toys in February

What were our best-sellers in February? We had a three-way tie between our crocodile children's drinking cup (which also comes in turquoise, light green, and purple), our plastic red-eyed tree frog, and one of our plastic African elephants. The croc and the elephant have been with us for a number of years and are old favorites. The tree frog is one of our newest items. It's always fun to see what people like and which items continue to attract attention!

3D animal puzzles!

Hi, Everyone. This nice humpback whale puzzle has just sold out. We can't get any more, and we're sorry about that, it was a real favorite. The good news is that we still have a very limited number of dolphins and orcas from the same series. You can see and order them here.

We have approximately 40 3D puzzle animal types! They're fun for kids and for adults, although the kids are often more adept than us old folks at putting them together. One youngster who had every puzzle we sell also had a special talent. He mixed all of the pieces together from every animal and was able to put them back together at some astounding rate. I'm not sure I would try it! However, you can create your own game, as this young man did, or just enjoy the results of the finished puzzle!

If you're looking for something new, we have four new sea life 3D puzzles that are not even online yet. To order any of these, please call us at (503) 325-3179 (West Coast Time in the US). As of this post, the prices are:

Clown Crab: $8.00

Chambered Nautilus: $8.00

Green Sea Turtle: $8.00

Octopus saiamensis: $6.00

These fun puzzles are also known as 4D . . . three dimensions plus details. Once you've put them together, they make a nice addition to any toy or plastic animal collection! CLICK ON THE PICTURE FOR A BIGGER IMAGE.

Animal jewelry depicting cats

Hand-painted cat jewelry ~ $29.00

Although our online store generally focuses on wild animal themes, our line of hand-painted cast pewter animal jewelry (pins and tie tacks) contains a large number of domestic dogs and a variety of cats, including mother cats with kittens. The calico mother cat with her two kittens shown above is just an example. The same pin comes in black and white. I'll post photos of some of the SEVENTY-TWO dog breeds soon. You can check out Tapir and Friends to order or to see the list of dogs, cats, and other animal pins available. Yes, we even have painted Asian tapir jewelry! Call us toll-free at 1-888-325-3179 (in Astoria, Oregon).

Stuffed tarantula (plush spider)

This stuffed spider isn't a new item in our gift shop, but it's a new photo. This is such a nice stuffed spider, but it was hard to differentiate the body from the background in the photo we used from the catalog, so I took another picture. We usually use our own photos, but in this case for some reason we didn't, until now. Now even in the menu photo the legs will show clearly against the background. You have to see the larger picture, though, to see the wonderfuly sparkling eyes! Come see the spider here and order! This stuffed spider is super soft and cuddly!

Attractive and weird stuffed animal . . . the krill!

This stuffed krill is one of the more unusual stuffed animals in our online animal gift shop! Check out The Discovery Channel Web Site to see what real Antarctic krill are about. There have been some remarkable recent findings. Here's a teaser from the site: "The discovery radically changes the scientific understanding of the major food source for marine animals including fish, squid, penguins, seals and whales, said the study, published in the journal Current Biology."

Amazon.com: Me the Flea by Alexandra Hubicsak

Take a look! We have the perfect stuffed flea to go with this book. Check it out. You can order the flea through the link above and order the book here: Amazon.com: Me the Flea: Alexandra Hubicsak: Books. Nice combination!

Loads of new beanie babies in our online store

We've been collecting pre-loved beanies for you again, and we finally got a chance to list them on our web site. Please come take a look at our beanie baby page. We've got the traditional Ty Beanie Babies at US $4.00 each, Teenie Beanie Babies at $4.00 each, Beanie Buddies at $5.00 each, Ty Attic Treasures at $4.00 each and one Pluffies at $5.00. When you get to the page, scroll down to the long list and . . . have fun! We are not collectors in that we don't price them by value. We price all the same in each category (Teenies, Beanie Buddies, etc.). Often our patrons are young children who just want a cute stuffed animal for a reasonable price, and these certainly are cute! Other times collectors will find us to fill in their collections of harder-to-find animals. Everyone is welcome! There was one sad case where a lawnmower had ended the life of Nutsy the Squirrel, and we were thrilled when we could help two very sad boys replace Nutsy. When Nutsy arrived at his new home, he found that he already had a house with a Nutsy-sized bed, furniture, toys and playmates. The happy conclusion to the story made our day!

Fast shipping!

Thanks! We actually already received the package - your company is awesome!

~ Brigid in California

Toy animals for sanity and a good cause

Hi, You have some neat stuff and I have told friends about your merchandise. Also I like supporting your good cause. Keep the faith and fine intentions in this cockamamie world.

Very sincerely, ~ Kathryn in snowy NH

Hansa stuffed mammoth - reduced price on overstocks

We are featuring this totally delightful stuffed mammoth at a special reduced price until our overstock is sold out. As of this post date, we have approximately five of these beauties available at $52.00. They typically sell from between about $60.00 and $65.00 depending on the retailer. You've seen several sizes online. This is the 16-inch-long, 12-inch tall version. If, after our overstock is cleared, we re-stock this beautiful Hansa stuffed mammoth, our prices will return to the typical price. This is a golden opportunity to acquire one of these charming hand-made stuffed animals! To order see our Hansa stuffed mammoth page or call (503) 325-3179 in Astoria, Oregon.

Plastic crab discontinued

We're sorry to see this one go! This plastic crab has been with us for quite a few years until it was finally discontinued by the manufacturer. The last one in stock sold this week. The crab's item number was F205, which means it was the 205th item added to our inventory. Since we're now in the 1600s, that indicates a long and fruitful history. The good news is, we have lots of other crabs to choose from. And interestingly, as I just checked the inventory list to see what our latest number was, I discovered that F1680 (the most recent) is also a crab. It's been ordered, but it hasn't arrived yet. It will be different from and much bigger than our old friend F205. It's orange with linear markings on it, and I'll let you know when it gets here! Crabs continue to be among our most popular replicas. For a post on how we feel about losing our favorite animals, see this post!

It must have been a very hungry beagle

Sheryl,

Thanks for keeping me informed. PLEASE, PLEASE, DO NOT delete the sabertooth tiger from the order! By all means, yes, proceed as planned. I have a devastated two-year-old and a beagle that is in a lot of hot water for chewing on the sabertooth tiger we ordered from you last December! (I will let the dog know it will only be a couple of extra days and he'll be back in good graces with the boss again). I appreciate you letting us know!

Again, thank you. ~ Barb in Illinois

Flocked Plastic Bear

I wanted to feature this little guy because, frankly, he gets overlooked. Maybe, being a flocked toy, he's neither fish nor fowl (in this case, neither [exactly] a plastic toy nor a stuffed animal). I think he's adorable, with his quizzical look and querying yellow-green eyes. His nose is somewhat detailed with small nostrils and a bearish look. His fur, of course, is brown and fuzzy. This bear is hollow, so it's light weight. It stands nicely on all four feet. If you want one, you can order online. If you want a couple of dozen, give us a call at (503) 325-3179 in Astoria, Oregon. Click on the bear for a larger view!

Stunning, colorful gecko jewelry - choose one of ours or create your own!

This beautifully gecko pin is one of the most colorful in our collection of hand-painted animal jewelry. I took the photo the other night and have not had a chance to put it online in the store yet. You can order by calling (503) 325-3179 (Astoria, Oregon, USA: West Coast Time). Each hand-painted pin is US $29.00. They also come in various metallic finishes such as the gold plated gecko shown below. The metallic-finish animals are $10.00 each.

For more types of these gorgeous pieces of animal jewelry, see our online gift shop! You can also order the gecko online from this link. When you get to the animal jewelry page, just scroll down and type its description in the order box. We take most credit cards and PayPal. Want to see one more uniquely painted gecko pin? Here you go! Or design your own colors. Simple color descriptions cost no more than the pre-painted jewelry. Super-cusom work from a photo is also possible but may cost a few dollars more. E-mail us for info!

Beautiful plastic jaguars: discontinued, last chance to buy!

Spotted jaguar: 1 left, US $14.00

Buy online

Black jaguar: 5 left, US $14.00
Buy online

Our two beautiful plastic snarling jaguars have been discontinued by the manufacturer. They are made of strong, durable PVC and are so nicely shaped and detailed that we consider them among our "museum-quality" animals, and we hate to see them disappear. They make wonderful props for school reports and projects, children's educational toys, additions to your animal collection, or gifts for a cat fancier. Both varieties have been selling fast. The quantities in stock are as of the date and time of this post, though I'll try to update as needed. Buy through the links above or call (503) 325-3179 (Oregon, USA, West Coast Time Zone).