The Plateosaurus : A "Starter" Sauropod

The Plateosaurus (its name means "flat lizard") was one of the earliest Sauropods, largest Dinosaurs of its time and among the first Dinosaur species recognized by those latter-day "Rulers of the Earth", us. It ranged from twenty (20) to thirty (30) feet in length and from one-half (.5 t) to four and one-half (4.5 t) tons.

The Yale Peabody Museum "Age of Reptiles" Mural (1943-47) by Rudolf Zallinger (Plateosaurus detail right) was the template for the first of the Dinosaur toys Plateosaur figures by Marx, in 1955. (below)

These were a very exciting product at the time, presenting the first "rubber" Dinosaur toys that were realistic, relatively unbreakable and very, very playable. They were part of a fourteen (14) figure series that set the standard in Dinosaur toys for the next thirty-five years. Giants that stood two and a half inches (2.5") tall.

For the next nine (9) years these were chased to & fro by their respective and available Dinosaur toys predators (below, "to" left & "fro" right).

MPC entered their own Plateosaurus figure in 1964, a member of their own series of twenty-five (25) Dinosaur toys. It too was clearly based on the Zallinger mural and was, in my opinion, a very well done figure although not cast as well the Marx. They were just about the same size as the Marx figure and these two remained the alpha and the omega of Plateosaur Dinosaur toys until 1994.

The MPC Plateosaurus had its own problems to contend with...

(MPC Plateosaurs being harassed by MPC Predators-Above)

(Below- Plateosaurs hanging around the ole waterhole. The watercooler of its time.)

Despite the fact that we (humans, that is) have known about the Plateosaurus for 175 years, and it is one of the first of the Dinosaurs that were recognized and named, there has been a long standing controversy over the Plateosaur's posture. Did it stand on all fours like other Sauropods (The Plateosaur is a Prosauropod) or upright on its hind legs?

We do know that the Plateosaurus is a progenitor to the great Sauropods that emerged in the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods. We know that it was an herbivore (liked herb-teas and ate only vegetables) and most likely was a herd animal. It lived in the late Triassic Period (216 to 199 million years ago) and was clearly quite a successful animal.

According to Wikipedia (this link opens a new window) this had been resolved by 1980 and that, in fact, the Plateosaurus was bipedal, just like the Marx, MPC and the much larger and more colorful 1994 Carnegie Collection figure. (Above)

This new Plateosaur figure stood nearly twice as tall as the Marx and MPC figures and, being a herd animal, was capable of meeting the older Dinosaur toys predators on near even footing. (Below)

(Above: 1959 Marx T-Rex is daunted by a pair of Carnegie Plateosaurs.)

Apparently Schleich (a German manufacturer) hadn't gotten the memo (Above) because in 1999 they came out with their great looking (though monochromatic) Plateosaurus down on all fours. Unfortunately I don't have a herd of these and my one gets beat-up on a lot. (Below)

Size-wise it scales very well with the Carnegie figure and will gladly "herd-up" to avoid schoolyard "incidents", bites and bruises. (Below)

Of course there are some "bullies" that it is just better to avoid....(Below)

(Safari Ltd. 2009 Postosuchus [left] eats the Plateosaurs dust.)

List of all Dinosaurs, Plateosaurus wise....

(Click on highlighted Dinosaur name to access its page.)

Bullyland has their own quadrupedal Plateosaur but I don't have one (or more) as yet....

Carnegie Plateosaur (1994/96)

Marx Plateosaur (1955)

MPC Plateosaur (1964)

Schleich Plateosaur (1999)

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