Look at me, Whee!

Ah, to be young again! How nice it must be to ride on mom's back. See all our wonderful plastic primate replicas. We have many old world and new world monkey miniatures at Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Gazelle Harem!

Maybe you'd like watch over this herd of Thompson's gazelles. One male supervises this entire herd. What a life! We have wonderful plastic gazelle replicas available at Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Snort Snort

A herd of water buffaloes graze peacefully in the high March grass on the Serengetti. We have many plastic hoofed animals and can find you a perfect plastic water buffalo replica at Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Masai Giraffes

There are many Masai giraffes in the wildlife refuges in Tanzania, but I never got bored watching them. Tapir and Friends Animal Store has many different plastic giraffe replicas and some giraffe puppets.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

lion in wait?

If you were in 90 degree heat with high humidity and lots of flies you'd probably look for cool mud to "lie-in." There are many plastic lion replicas and some stuffed lions too at Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Cheating Cheetahs?

Having a high vantage point over the savannah isn't fair is it?

This cheetah family lives in Tanzania. Tapir and Friends Animal Store have wonderful plastic cheetahs and stuffed cheetah replicas.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

New Gnu

This post replaces an earlier post where the photo of this wildebeest was blurred. This hoofed animal lives along the Ngorogoro Crater in Tanzania. There are many wonderful plastic and stuffed hoofed animals available at Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Plastic zebras?

Who gets tired of seeing zebras? Are they black with white stripes or vice versa? We have large quantities of plastic zebra replicas at Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

What's Gnu?

A wildebeest looks over at us from an open space at the Ngorogoro Crater in Tanzania. This is a resident and does not migrate. There are many plastic hoofed animal replicas at Tapir and Friends Wildlife Animal Store.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Cute and cuddly warthog?

On a recent trip to Tanzania to the Serengeti Wildlife Preserve, my friend Lee snapped this picture of a male warthog. We have a beautiful plastic warthog replica available in our Tapir and Friends Wildlife Animal Store.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

NEW - Plastic Box Fish at Tapir and Friends

F1945 B155 - Plastic Boxfish, 4 inches long

Order here

This cute plastic box fish is new at Tapir and Friends Online Animal Store.

Our Plastic Boxfish

This engaging, realistic-looking plastic boxfish miniature is made of hollow flexible plastic with bendable fins. IT FLOATS! This replica has detailed scales and is painted turquoise blue and yellow. Our toy box fish has distinct black eyes and a red mouth and is 4 inches long from tail to the tips of its frontal protrusions.This blue and yellow boxfish makes for a nice pet, fits into a shoebox diorama, or serves as a great collectible. Our plastic blue and yellow boxfish is for decoration or play only. Even though it floats, it should NOT be put in your aquarium with living fish. Check out our other fish toys and gifts.

About Boxfish

Boxfishes are of the family Ostraciidae and are closely related to pufferfish, cowfish and trunkfish. They are a common tropical fish and are found in reefs throughout tropical waters mainly in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Ocean. They come in a variety of different colors, and are notable for the hexagonal or "honeycomb" patterns in their skin and box-like bony skeletons. They swim in a rowing manner. Boxfish have large armour-like scales fused together to form a triangular box-shape. These brightly colored reef fish swim very slowly and some species excude a poisonous substance from their skin which discourages predators.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

What A Cake!

Wow! Our thanks to Kathy for sending this photo of the WONDERFUL cake she made for Jamie, who likes fish! Kathy purchased some of the critters you see here from our online animal-themed gift shop. As you can see, we specialize in realistic animals. In this case, they needed to be plastic, but we also carry stuffed animals. Kathy gathered the materials for this amazing cake from various sources, and we are glad to be one of them. We recognize, among other things, a yellow-green moray eel, a sea turtle, a spotted eagle ray, and several fish. You can check them out on our fish page, and our aquatic animals page.

I love the blue fish on the top. It's not one of ours, so maybe we have to do some investigating to see if we can get them :)

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Pelican Flies to Switzerland, Finds Happy Home

First, apologies for cutting off the top of G's head. It seems to have happened when the photo was received by e-mail. Our stuffed pelican travelled all the way from Oregon to Switzerland, and here is how we found out about its welcome. E wrote:

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Yes, we received the pelican. We received it some weeks ago... but I write to you now, because finally I am allowed to see him! I waited for the holidays to offer the pelican as a gift to my boyfriend (except for hippos - it's his favourite animal!) and we LOVE it. It's like a real one, it has the same wise eyes! We are soooooooo happy! I add a photo."

E and G

P.S. At the same time, in this period.. not only pelicans - other animals and birds - needs us in the gulf of Mexico: so sad :(

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It's always wonderful to hear from our customers and new friends who have received and enjoyed our animal replicas. Along with E and G, we are hoping for the rapid containment of the oil leak, and hoping there will be a focus on clean energy so this kind of thing will never happen again. Conservation efforts around the world that help save forests, oceans, and wild areas do their part to support the total environment. We can all be a part of that.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Plastic Shark + Grenadine = Summer Drink Fun!

Check out our very popular plastic great white shark! Restaurants and bars love to use "old yellow-eyes" in their shark drinks. We have excellent wholesale pricing for larger orders. Give us a call if you need wholesale prices and/or if you see the "Out of Stock" notice on our site.

(888) 325-3179

Have safe fun this summer with plastic sharks instead of real ones, and if you "tie one on," please designate a driver, walk, or take a cab! Enjoy!

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

A Bushel of Honey Bees, Wholesale Pricing Available

Our plastic toy honey bee is one of the items we have in quantity today. If you're looking for plastic bees or something for bee decor or an ourdoor party at wholesale prices, today may "bee" your lucky day. We have a limited quantity, but enough for a few bulk sales at discount pricing. Let us know how many of these moderately-realistic buzzy friends might make your day (Item Number F1741 at 2 3/4 inches long) and we'll try to make your day. Phone (888) 325-3179 in the U.S., (503) 338-8646 from anywhere else, or e-mail tapirandfriends@yahoo.com. Summer fun while they last!

If you only need a few, here's their regular order page.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Tropical Fish Carved Wood Eyeglass Holder!

Our tropical fish eyeglass holder is just one of the many bright and beautiful animals that will help you keep your glasses where you can find them! Check out our great selection of animal-themed Peeper Keepers on the animal Peeper Keeper page of our online store.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Zebra and Tree Frog Peeper Keepers Back in Stock

Several of our most popular animal eyeglass holders (Peeper Keepers) are back in stock and ready to ship. These include the tree frog and zebra shown here. Also back in stock is the dog (beagle or basset, it could be either) and a few more. Check out our page of carved wood animal eyeglass holders. Some of the species are diappearing, as the manufacturer has moved on to other projects. We're sad about this and so are our customers, so we'll try to keep you supplied as long as we can!

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Blue Crab Plastic Toy or Decoration is Back in Stock

Our very popular plastic Maryland Blue Crab squeaky toy is back in stock. They do make nice squishy squeaky toys for playroom or bath, but we probably sell more for summer cookout decorations than for any other reason.

After a short hiatus, they are back in stock and ready to ship! Check out our plastic blue crab replicas here.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Hansa Stuffed Marmot or Groundhog Back in Stock!

We missed this delightful stuffed plush marmot while he was away, but now he is back, and we're thrilled about it! He seems happy, too, but he whispered in my ear that he'd rather go home with YOU!

You can order our playfully realistic stuffed marmot by Hansa right here and help contribute to tapir conservation at the same time. You might also want to check out our other plush wildlife by Hansa.

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.

Hansa Stuffed Birds Back in Stock!

You've been waiting for these, and so have we! Our beloved and much-cherished dodo bird, kiwi, and vulture are back in stock and ready to go home with you!

Above is the dodo bird. Sadly, the real dodos are extinct, but they can be remembered and loved with this adorable plush replica. It's amazingly soft and feathery, and you can see it on this page.

This delightful stuffed kiwi bird is also among our most popular items. The kiwis are back in stock and ready to travel! Kiwis don't fly, so we put them in a box and make sure they reach your doorstep!

I've posted photos of our very popular stuffed vulture from two different angles. It has a charming and lovable face, and the feathers on the back are simply beautiful in their design and pattern. You can see the stuffed vulture's very own page here. Our plush stuffed vulture is quite a softie!

You can see all of our Hansa stuffed animals including these birds on the Hansa section of our Stuffed Animal Page. Order now - the Hansa products sell quickly!

This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.