Halloween Vampire Tiger?

Nope! It's not a Halloween Vampire Tiger, it's just the new plastic tiger in our online store. Come see our tiger in its less-scary guise!

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

New Great White Shark in our Online Aquarium!

Yes, new at the zoo (aquarium) . . . actually, our online animal store . . . is this menacing-looking realistic great white shark. I saw a nature film the other day in which one of these guys leapt out of the ocean and landed back in the water all in super slo-mo. It was AMAZING, and I have to tell you, the shark looked an awful lot like this one. Come see our new great white along with our other sharks at Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

The Llama and the Pelican

See our painted animal jewelry

No, it's not a story about an interesting animal relationship, although these two did keep me company in the middle of the night when I woke up by accident. I decided to spend a little time putting two more of our exquisite painted pins on the web site rather than staring at the ceiling until I fell back to sleep. I'll let you make up the amusing story of the llama and the pelican while I get back to bed and catch some zzzzs!

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Wolf Jewelry - Painted Timberwolf Pin

I'm still working on the painted lapel pins and hat pins, getting more and more of them posted in Tapir and Friends Animal Store online. Last night I fell asleep really early, and when I woke up at 2:00 a.m. I thought I'd post another one!

This beautiful timberwolf pin is a real treasure. You can see the goregous hand-painted detail. As with all of our painted animal pins, the paint goes over the cast pewter base, giving the pin a strongly 3-dimensional aspect. You can see this also by the hightlights reflected while scanning. Check out our wolf pin here!

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Lifelike Hand-painted Tiger Pin Now Online!

This gorgeous hand-painted stalking tiger pin is now online in our store and ready to ship! Take a look at the tiger, then see many more of our beautiful handmade, hand-painted animal pins. Made in the USA by very talented wildlife artists!

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Adorable Painted Piglet Pin New at Tapir and Friends

See our cute new realistic painted piglet pin!

Our Pig Pin

Our hand-painted and hand-cast pink pig pin is made in the USA with much attention to detail and charm. This pig jewelry has good 3D quality, with the face and snout sticking out toward you and the body having a nice piggy curve. On the back are two stick pins to attach to your clothing or hat with two pinch clasps. Orient this pig any way you like, and it won't twist or move around. If you love pigs, you really have to see this! You can also check out our other hand-painted animal pins and our other pig toys and gifts.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Painted Animal Jewelry (Pins)

For the last couple of days, I've spent my online work time reorganizing the beautiful painted animal pins we have in our online store. We have so many on consignment from the artist, and only a fraction of them are available to look at on the site! My plan is to get a lot more up over the next few weeks, and I needed to reconstruct some pages so they would be easier to find. You can now find all of the butterfly pins in two places: on the Painted Animal Jewelry page and also on the Insect page. So far, I've updated the postings for butterflyies, moths, spiders, alligators, crocodiles, fish, and a quite a few more. If you wonder whether we have some animal that isn't posted yet, give me a call! (503) 338-8646, or send e-mail.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Yellow Mongoose Heist

It was not even a dark and stormy night when a yellow mongoose went missing. . . .

Mark wrote us the following saga:

Hi -

Well, it appears we have a case of mongoose theft. I checked into the post office this afternoon. Their records show the package was delivered to my mailbox last week. They suggested I contact the police as there have been a number of thefts from rural mailboxes lately.

I only wish I was there to see the look on the thief's face when he opened the box...

OK; so I'll be needing another mongoose. Since this is in no way you fault, I'll pay. Consider the other payment a donation.

In fact, send me two of the dang things. Might as well up the ante.

So, can you please issue me a paypal invoice for two snappy yellow mongooses?

But please send them to my PO Box instead of the street address.

Onward.

We liked Mark's letter so much, we sent him two free mongoose replacements for the use of his letter. Although we're very sorry the original mongoose was stolen and the delivery delayed, it's almost worth it to hear the story! We love to hear from you  :)  We hear tell these two mongooses are on their way to Hawaii to learn to play the ukulele.

Read more stories here.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Plastic Scorpion for Halloween

Just in time for Halloween, we have a new plastic scorpion in our store!

Our Plastic Toy Scorpion Replica

This engaging, realistic-looking, plastic brown scorpion replica is really cool.. This scorpion replica is 3 7/8 long from pincers to tail. It is made of flexible rubber-like plastic and is smooth to the touch. It is in a striking pose and will be a great hit for a science project or when placed in a desert animal diorama. Check out our other scorpion toys and gifts. The scorpion looks black here because of the high contrast of the photo, but it's really a very dark brown.

About Scorpions

Scorpions are found in warm regions. They are arachnids, and therefore more closely related to spiders than to insects. They are found not only in the desert, but also in forests. They spend much of the day under logs and leaf litter, and feed mostly at night on spiders and insects. Most scorpions are only painful to humans and are not especially dangerous, although a few can deliver a fatal sting. Children and elderly people are more at risk from their venom than strong, healthy adults. The approximately 2,000 species of scorpion vary widely in size, from about 1/2 inch to 7 inches long. Our plastic scorpion is most likely an artistic version of the Arizona desert scorpion (Hadrurus arizonensis pallidus), characterized by a dirty light brown/yellow color and a black to brown streak on its back. People have collected scorpions and made a commercial product out of them in the form of paperweights and keychains by placing them inside moulded plastic. Because of this, they have become over-collected and are now "a CITES-listed animal, meaning scorpions could be threatened with extinction if exportation and other threats, such as development, are not regulated." [Wikipedia]

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Munch munch for lunch

In the Fall it seems like the deer seem to be more brazen and appear more often along the roadways and in suburban areas.  Perhaps they have to eat more in preparation for Winter.  The green shrubs in the higher elevations have died  and the streams are dry forcing these ungulates to join mankind in town to celebrate Halloween.

Tapir and Friends Animal Store has a wide selection of plastic and stuffed hoofed animals.Our plastic elk,  plastic reindeer and plastic caribou are nicely detailed and make interesting examples in science projects or as decorations. Also see our novel gift items such as white-tail deer eyeglass holders (peeper keepers) and our deer jewelry.

by Lee

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

call of the wild woodpecker

Hi there down below. I know you've been following me and watching my every move. Well if you really want to know what I am about it is really simple.  All I really care about is drumming and eating  insects.

Tapir and Friends Animal Store has a large selection of stuffed bird toys and plastic birds. One special item is our specially-crafted plastic ivory-billed woodpecker. We don't have any talking birds  but we carry a wonderful selection of stuffed plush birds from the Audubon Bird Series that sing authentic calls.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Carved Wood Jaguar

This beautiful, silky-smooth carved wood jaguar from Colombia is new in our store.

Our Carved Wood Jaguar

Does this wooden jaguar show a posture of defense or attack? Its teeth barred, and the artist has portrayed it with its mouth open. The piece is handmade in Colombia, South America, of beautiful, natural palo de sangre wood. The shriny red of the wood is natural, and there is no finish or stain added. The surface shine and smoothness are created by rubbing the finished product in a way that burnishes it to a beautiful, silky lustre. Each jaguar is an individually-designed and carved work of art. No two are exactly the same, which is the reason our order button only allows you to order one. You will receive the exact jaguar you see on our web site. You can learn more about palo de sangre wood products from Colombia via this link, or check out our other jaguar toys and gifts. You can also look at all of our Latin American arts and crafts on this page. This jaguar was shipped to us by a Colombian conservationist to help raise funds for tapir conservation in Colombia.

About Jaguars

Jaguars are the third largest among the big cat family after the tiger and lion, and are extremely able fighters. The muscle mass of the jaguar is second only to that of the tiger among great cats. Jaguars are beautiful animals with colorful, spotted coats inhabiting a huge range from the southernmost parts of the United States and including most of South America. Larger and heavier than a mountain lion (or puma), the jaguar is the largest big cat in the Americas. Historically, jaguars lived as far north as Arizona, and there is still said to be small breeding population in that state, although most were extirpated here by the early 1900s. The jaguar prefers rainforest habitat, but will enter open countryside as well. They can usually be found near water, and, like the tiger, they will readily swim. The jaguar has incredibly strong jaws, biting its prey through the skull. It will eat mammals, but also reptiles, even biting into the shell of a turtle. Even with such a large range, the jaguar is severely threatened in many areas, and is regionally extinct in El Salvador and Uruguay.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Picasso Triggerfish Pin - New in Our Store!

This beautiful and unusual Picasso triggerfish pin is one of the new pieces of jewelry in our online store. Since it needed a nice new home, I've just spent some time reorganizing the fish menu page and arranging the fish more into species types or habitat groups. No, "menu" in this case does not mean food, it's just a way to find all of our plastic fish, stuffed fish, fish jewelry, and whatever fishy products we have in the store! I'll be revamping the painted jewelry section soon and adding more to it. Here's the painted animal jewelry we have online as of today.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Wood Turtle, Plush Hummingbird

I've been reorganizing the Latin Americn Arts and Crafts page of our store today. It's very small right now, because I've temporarily taken down most of our wooden animals and other things. They'll be back online soon in a new format that's easier to use, and easier to see what we have in stock. They will all be formatted like the ordering system for this turtle. Just click the button! Sometimes it takes a long time to come up with the simplest solutions, and that's one reason that working with a flexible medium like the web is so interesting!

It's always a challenge to organize them online when the items are unique - actually unique, where each one is different. This is the case with our hand-carved palo de sangre or bloodwood animals from Colombia. Each one has to be posted separately so you don't order a turtle that looks like this and get one in the mail that looks different! I tried to do it with Picasa albums and code numbers, but it was only partially successful. I'm back to the tried and true method of showing our inventory where you see the item and just click the "Add to Cart" button. It takes a little longer on my part, but it's worth it! This page will grow, hopefully soon. I still have some animals in stock, and I have a great resource in Colombia.

Our Audubon bird didn't take as much planning to put online, but it always takes a certain amount of effort and thought to put up new items. In the case of a stuffed animal, we put it on our category page (in this case, Birds), on our stuffed (plush) animal page, and the hummingbird also has a page of its very own (which we call the "item page;" very exciting name, yes?). They are all linked together so that navigation is easy, and I've also added a search box to many of the pages. The goal is to get search boxes on every page. Because the coding covers 15 years, it's a bit risky to do them by global search and replace, so bear with me till I get the searches in! It really makes it easy to find things!

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

monkeying around

First of all they are a challenge to find, and then an even bigger challenge to photograph. Yet, I was lucky enough to capture a picture of this howler monkey high up in the canopy in a rainforest in Northern Brazil. They actually travel quietly and usually in small groups and don't howl all day long.

Tapir and Friends supports the preservation of lowland tapirs in these forests but loves all of the animals which are so threatened by the incursion of man. Tapir and Friends Animal Store has a wide selection of primate toys, especially new world monkeys and has a realistic plastic howler monkey for sale for all of you  who are interested in these remarkable animals.

by lee

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

How we live?

This village, in the Altiplano region of Northern Bolivia,  can only be accessed by boat and  therefore has no other motorized transportation. Life exists here without many of the basic comforts that we take for granted. These homes in the background have neither running water nor electricity. It is a long boat ride across Lake Titicaca for basic supplies including health care. The inhabitants live by fishing or raising sheep and growing some simple crops.

Tapir and Friends Animal Store is a nonprofit which sells plastic and stuffed animals to help support conservation efforts in many poor South American countries. Some of its funding goes to educate rural people about tapirs. There are no tapirs here, but the above village is typical of the way so many people live in South America. 

Tapir and Friends Animal Store has a wide selection of hoofed animals especially farm animals including plastic sheep for sale. They are useful as toys, science projects and holiday decorations.

by lee

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Check Out Our eBay Auctions!

Although some of our items are not directly animal-themed, such as the tagua nut (vegetable ivory) jewelry above, they are all here for the same reason: the proceeds help us help the tapirs and their habitat in the wild.

You can check out all of our current auctions here. They change rapidly, so by the time you read this post, these items may be gone and others may be in their places.

The dolphin comes without the specs, by the way. You will need to supply your own! He isn't picky. You can give him just about any kind of gasses to hold on his nose. This dolphin may be the last of its type we're ever going to see. This is a discontinued item, and when we took the dolphin out of our online store, we didn't realize we still had one left!

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

exotic birds of Africa

Looking over the meadow, a  crested gray crane, the national symbol of Uganda and centerpiece of the Ugandan flag wonders what strange creatures are looking at him. There are many exotic birds interspersed among the wildlife in the Serengeti Wildlife Refuge in Central Tanzania. It is rewarding to note that, at least on this amazing plain, these animals are safe from the incursion of man except for camera-toting tourists.

Tapir and Friends Animal Store has a wide selection of plastic bird replicas including many exotic birds miniatures like ostriches for sale. Also there are a number of unusual bird gift items including bird jewelry and flamingo eyeglass holders (peeper keepers).  We don't have a Ugandan crane replica, so please just enjoy this picture.

by Lee

                                                         This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Remember to clean behind the ears!

The picture of this baby elephant belongs to our friend Dawn Emerson, who snapped it in October 2008 at an elephant barn in Amber near Jaipur in Rajastahan. When older, this elephant will carry tourists up the steep windy road to the Amber fort. There is much discussion about the mistreatment of elephants worldwide and especially in India, and certainly no one enjoys seeing the chains around this little guy's feet. One thing is definite though, the expression on this keeper's face is one of true devotion.

Tapir and Friends Animal Store has a wide selection of elephant gift items and plastic elephants for sale. Perhaps you will enjoy having a pet smaller and more mangeable than the baby above. By the way you might like our elephant drinking cups, not suitable for elephants, but clearly wonderful for your young ones.

by Lee (photo may not be used w/o permission)

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Making Tracks

Of course you don't see any animal in this picture, but in the dirt below are fresh tiger tracks. Perhaps you'd like to follow them and see where they go.  In the Rathambore Tiger Preserve in Rajastahan chances are they lead to something large,yellow and hungry.

Tapir and Friends Animal Store has a large selection of  realistic plastic cats including some delightful plastic tigers. Our plastic tiger replicas are quite detailed but, not to worry, they don't have sharp teeth and make nice companions.

by Lee

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Do you care to dance?

Among the events at the Pushkar Camel Fair  in Rajastahan October 2008 is the dancing horse competition.This beautiful participant plays to the crowd and struts its best moves in hopes of taking home some prize money for its owner.  It is surprising how gracefully the horses dance.

Tapir and Friends Animal Store has a wide selection of plastic hoofed animals, including some plastic horses and some horse eyeglassholders (peeper keepers) for sale. Visit our store and take home a horse although ours don't dance.

By Lee

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Walk a Mile for a Camel

It was a memorable several days attending the Pushkar Camel Fair two years ago in Rajastahan. I saw thousands of camels and met incredible people who were hawking livestyock including horses, sheep, goats and of course camels. I found camels to be smart and devoted animals and even had the opportunity to ride one for several hours.

Tapir and Friends Animal Store has a wide selection of  plastic and stuffed hoofed animals, especially some highly detailed plastic camels. and a camel finger puppet. These plastic camel replicas make good examples for science projects and are fun to own as keepsakes.

by Lee

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

bird watching

If anyone knows the name of this bird, let me know. I saw it at the Rathambore National Tiger Refuge  in Rajastahan several years ago while looking for tigers. It looks like a cross between a magpie and a robin.Tapir and friends Animal Store has a large selection of plastic birds including many exotic birds for sale. This includes plastic seabirds as well. 

by Lee

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Stuffed Platypus Back in Stock

Our ever-popular and cute stuffed platypus is back in stock and ready to be your pal!

We love this plush stuffed platypus! Look at its amazing toes. They're well-defined, yet soft. All four feet are wide and webbed. The feet are made of plush fabric and the claws won't scratch. The 18-inch length includes the tail. Our platypus is solid, substantial, and fun to hold. As you would imagine, his brown fur is soft and cuddly. To find more animals in this line, or see a list of our entire inventory of stuffed animals, beanies and puppets, check out our Stuffed Animal Page.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Down on the farm

I'm not sure why I liked the juxtaposition of this brass jug and the white goat. It is possible that the container is to be filled with milk, but in any case, like in so many poorer countries, livestock have the run of the neighborhood and can be found hanging about just about anywhere. 

Tapir and Friends Animal Store has a wide selection of plastic hoofed animals and plastic farm animals, especially plastic holstein cows. Unfortunately our plastic nanny goat is presently out of stock.  If you enjoyed seeing farm animals when you were young, perhaps your children may enjoy having some realistic farm animal replicas as play toys.  

by Lee

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Ridin' high?

Many tourists to India are able to indulge their fantasy by seizing the opportunity to ride on an elephant. Below the Amber Fort, in Rajasthan, near Jaipur, this elephant awaits its next rider from Iowa. Our pachyderm seems friendly enough and patient. With some hay and a bit of sugar, I'm sure he's prepared to be ridden by a nervous gringo living out his "bucket list".

Tapir and Friends Animal Store has a fine collection of plastic elephants for sale, both plastic African elephants and Asian elephants. Our realistic plastic elephants are too small to ride but certainly make good examples in dioramas for school projects or as keepsakes for adults and children. The store carries plastic elephant drinking cups and elephant jewelry as well.

by Lee

                                                 This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.