The Marx Trachodon is Among the First True Dinosaur Toys

The Marx Trachodon is archetypal prey in the pantheon of iconic Dinosaur toys that began production in 1955. A member of the original Medium Mold group, Pl-750, it proved itself to be adequately defenseless and became a member of the 1959 Revised Mold group as well. They are two of the four Hadrosaurus Dinosaur toys that Marx produced for their iconic line of Dinosaur toys between 1955 and 1980. The other two are the "Hadrosaurus" (1955) and the Parasaurolophus (1962).
Prior to Marx's entry into the foodchain the only Trachodon was from SRG, and really was not a Dinosaur toy at all.

There are several differences between the 1955 (green) and 1959 (gray) versions. The '55 stands at an angle, leaning to the left, and is a little taller, while the '59 is quite upright. The feet on the later version are smaller and the forepaws and webbing of the '55 are more detailed.
Sizewise they are very similar with the 1955 model (left) being slightly larger at three-quarters ounce (3/4 oz, 21 gms) and the '59 (right) at five-eighths ounce (5/8 oz, 19 gms). The early model is six and one half inches long (16.5 cm), the later six inches (15 cm). The original Dinosaur was approximately forty feet long and weighed ~2.5 tons. This makes for a scaled size of 1/74 and 1/80, respectively.

The Marx Trachodon is posed, in both versions, in a very active pose, clearly moving forward, with right forepaw reaching out. This, in fact, proved to be such a popular Dinosaur toys design that it was copied, in various sizes and by various companies. Including MPC and many others. (MPC front on left. Knockoffs above)
In no case do any of the "copies" come close to the quality of the original, nor can they even be mistaken for a Marx figure. Of some added personal interest: despite having played with

these for fifty some years I just recently discovered that the 1955 Marx Trachodon can be leant forward and balanced on his right foreleg and two feet, providing an additional quadropedal pose to the basic upright bipedal one. Talk about a slow learner....

The Trachodon was a very successful herd animal, its herds numbering in the thousands and being of great, personal interest to the major predators of the day, the Albertosaurus, the fearsome Marx Pot-Belly T-Rex(left) and to other Tyrannosaurs in general. They were the T-Rex's lunch truck.

So whether they are actively being chased down or 'merely' being perused

as potential menu items. The Marx Trachodon set a high standard for the Dinosaur toys that followed in its tiny little footsteps.

For whatever reason the Marx Trachodon, while certainly a collectible in own right, is one of the more available of the Marx figures. While the early, flat plastic figures are a bit rarer, these can often be found on ebay and should still be making appearances at garage and estate sales and at flea markets near you. Five dollars is a fair price but I'd try to bargain the seller down to four unless it's one of those early guys. The complete variety of Marx figures and the many colors (in addition to the basic gray, green and brown) that they came in can be found elsewhere on the site.
In terms of health risk the early, flat plastic figures, may have had a lead based pigment in their colors so children and others should avoid chewing on them. The later waxy plastic "Heritage" figures are edible, but it is not advised due to their collectible status and basic Dinosaur toys plastic tastelessness. They do have a nice texture, however.

And what do the Trachodon and Constantinople have in common? The answer is that both have experienced name changes. Constantinople is Istanbul and the Trachodon has become the Anatotitan.

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