New plastic jellyfish

Three new colorful plastic jellyfish are online in Tapir and Friends gift shop. Come take a look, and maybe take a couple of them home. They bounce on elasticized gold thread, you can hang them for parties or unusual home decor, use them to enhance school projects, and much more. They float right-side-up in your pool or tub looking almost like real jellyfish, and if they are turned sideways or upside down, they right themselves because the're heavier on the bottom. There's a sealed air sac under the bell, so this jellyfish doesn't depend on air staying in the float to keep it upright. The plastic is flexible, translucent, and quite attractive. We have four colors to choose from in the 3 1/2-inch size range shown here: the yellow-and-orange jellyfish pictured on the blog, a green one, a blue one (all three at the link above), and the light pink Pelagia jellyfish. The pink Pelagia glows faint green in the dark, the yellow-and-orange-one shown here glows bright green in the dark, and the other two don't glow, they just look nice in the light.

Return of the plastic goldfish

Back by popular demand (seriously!). Come see our plastic fantail goldfish. Its bright nearly-dayglo color will delight you. Its translucent beauty will astound you! Or, if this is overstating the case, we think you will at least find our toy fish fun and practical for parties, bathtubs, and most any use you have for one of these critters. Read more and order online at Tapir and Friends Wildlife World. The photo does not do it justice, folks. It is shiny and you can see through its fins.

Stunning hand-painted animal jewelry made in the USA

This climbing tree frog is just one of the hundreds of pieces of lifelike animal jewelry now in stock. A huge new shipment of gorgeously-detailed hand-painted pieces arrived in December, and we're still working to get them online. If you don't see the animal you want, PLEASE ASK! Check out the painted animal jewelry page of Tapir and Friends for a sample of what's available. We're working to get the photos online. If it's listed with no photo, drop us an e-mail and we'll take a picture for you. If you don't see the animal listed, please ask. There are so many new ones, we're still putting the list together. If you like the jewelry, but don't see the color you want, LET US KNOW. Custom painting (depending on the level of detail) may not cost more than the standard item ($29.00 each for painted pieces). Most animals are also available in gold plate, silver plate, bronze plate, copper plate, and the natural pewter in which they are cast. The metal finishes are $10.00 each. Although we have hundreds of pieces, many are limited edition. In some cases we have 10 or 20 on hand, in other cases, we have only one. Once they are gone, that's it! Additional styles are being developed by the artist every day, but if you fall in love with one, it's best not to wait!

66 plastic hawks

What was our top-selling item on January 25, 2008? It was this plastic hawk replica, which is brand new in Tapir and Friends online gift shop. A customer needed 66 hawks, and we found one that worked for them. They were so great, we ordered some for the shop as well.

What does this have to do with tapirs? A lot, actually. We raise money through the sale of animal-replica toys, gifts, jewelry, etc., so that 100% of your donations to tapir conservation can go directly where it belongs - to the people working on tapir projects. Imagine selling enough tapirs to make that happen? Probably not in this decade. Anyway, the other animals are fun to have around and it's also fun to know that they make other people happy.

Where to Find Us

We'll be using our TAPIRS: Tapir Preservation Fund (TPF) Blog to post quickly and more immediately about tapirs.

Our main tapir web site, as always, is The Tapir Gallery.

Our Tapirs Google Group is another good place to visit. The Google group allows you to get posts by e-mail if you want them. There are some wonderful photos and posts there already.

I'm also making a New Year's Resolution to keep Sheryl Todd's Personal Blog updated with cool photos of beautiful Oregon, USA, and other places this year. Let's see what happens!

If you join the Tapirs Google Group or send me e-mail to be added to our mailing list, I'll keep you updated on additions to all of the blogs and lists.

Happy 2008!

Sheryl