“ANIMALIA”, the lost French collection...

“Animalia"...

For many years (maybe more than eight) I have been looking for clues about this collection published in France (no one has been able to help me, not even the "French guru" Christophe, which left me without hope).

One day, the only figure that was a "must" on my wish list appeared by chance, the white pelican. Belonging to all this strange collection, only one figure appears, and it is just the one I had been looking for so many years...
I think that because of this kind of coincidences and constancy in the "hunt" (and the emotions in consequence, obviously) we continue in the search as collectors.
Obviously there is also a lot of "that child we were" in this passion and desire to find something (but that would be to analyze in depth at another time).

In addition, the fact of finding the piece in the original blister or packaging intact, brings us back even more to that childhood feeling of "wanting to have the figure but not yet being ours", like when it is still in the shop windows or on the shelves of the stores... That's why finding this pelican intact is even more emotional for me. I have no intention of opening it, by the way...

Well, here I want to present the French collection "Animalia". I am only aware of the existence of one serie (Nº1, dedicated to "Animals of the sea"), but who knows? I would like to think that there would be more series. One with the African fauna, one with the animals of Asia and Oceania, one with the species inhabiting the forests of Europe, one with the tenants of the farm and the home... OMG!

This collection was advertised by TV2 FRANCE in 1992 with the support of Allain Bougrain Dubourg (which I deduce must be the typical character that all countries have that presents programs of animals and nature).

The pelican in question is made of rubber (not very hard) and its size would be similar to the first Schleich pelican. In addition, all the animals come with a very small suction cup on one side and an explanatory card with the characteristics of the species.

*As an “objection” I have to point out that the details are not hyper-realistic and that the question of the little suction cup is not ideal.

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Amazing that you found this pelican, it looks like a really interesting series!
I wonder if there are many more series, and good luck finding the rest from this one!

Bonnie wrote:

Amazing that you found this pelican, it looks like a really interesting series!
I wonder if there are many more series, and good luck finding the rest from this one!

Thank you Bonnie! The truth is that two weeks later I found three more figures of this series (doesn't it happen to you that after a long time looking for something, when you find it, something else appears after a short time???), but they are not species that I collect, so I'll let them pass to another buyer.

Stripedhyena wrote:

Bonnie wrote:

Amazing that you found this pelican, it looks like a really interesting series!
I wonder if there are many more series, and good luck finding the rest from this one!

Thank you Bonnie! The truth is that two weeks later I found three more figures of this series (doesn't it happen to you that after a long time looking for something, when you find it, something else appears after a short time???), but they are not species that I collect, so I'll let them pass to another buyer.

Oh that's interesting! Yes that happens to me too, it's really strange but wonderful! There'll be something really rare I've spent ages looking for, and then suddenly I'll see it for the first time in months- and quite often it will be followed by a a few more!

This is a wonderful story, you have searched about it for a long time and the first figure you have found is exactly the one you wanted most and in its original packaging. It is fantastic really.
Maybe the information you can find in this blister can help you to find more information about these models.
It reads it is from Jemini, I have to share what I've found in their website.
in 1978 it is the creation of Ajena and they presented Kiki, le petit singe ... the little monkey. If you want to know the true history of Kiki, you can find it here:
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I can't find more information, maybe you could try to contact Jemini, this set is not so old, maybe they can provide you some additional information.

What an exciting find, eight years!! Congratulations! The hunt really is part of the joy of collecting. I think the mystery of weird little sets like this is one of my favorite parts of collecting animal figures. The best and also most frustrating are the ones with so little to go on. Everything else I have collected has always been something well documented, but the hunt of course was still present and still fun. The tension between "wanting" and "having" is exciting (and getting is also exciting, and the excitement changes to long term enjoyment, hopefully). The internet has changed the ease of the hunt in many ways to be sure, but has made the hunt possible for things I would not have normally been able to look for. It really is amazing that you found this little mystery, and the one you wanted most. It's very charming!

Stripedhyena wrote:

Bonnie wrote:

Amazing that you found this pelican, it looks like a really interesting series!
I wonder if there are many more series, and good luck finding the rest from this one!

Thank you Bonnie! The truth is that two weeks later I found three more figures of this series (doesn't it happen to you that after a long time looking for something, when you find it, something else appears after a short time???), but they are not species that I collect, so I'll let them pass to another buyer.

Exactly that experience, yes! I wonder what strange turn of entropy causes that to happen in such a memorable way.

Roger wrote:

This is a wonderful story, you have searched about it for a long time and the first figure you have found is exactly the one you wanted most and in its original packaging. It is fantastic really.
Maybe the information you can find in this blister can help you to find more information about these models.
It reads it is from Jemini, I have to share what I've found in their website.
in 1978 it is the creation of Ajena and they presented Kiki, le petit singe  ... the little monkey. If you want to know the true history of Kiki, you can find it here:
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
I can't find more information, maybe you could try to contact Jemini, this set is not so old, maybe they can provide you some additional information.

I will try writing to Jemini, Roger. Maybe they can tell me if there are more series besides this first one... From time to time I write to some brand asking for some edition of which there is not much information but the people who work in this kind of companies that have evolved in the typology of their product usually only know what is current (that happened to me with W.A.I for example) or not answer (as it happened with the current Gulliver commercials.... Brazil is such an exaggeratedly inaccessible market in every way)!

I know the monkey kiki from my childhood... it seems that the name of our famous French colleague now makes sense! Yes?

Jill wrote:

What an exciting find, eight years!! Congratulations! The hunt really is part of the joy of collecting. I think the mystery of weird little sets like this is one of my favorite parts of collecting animal figures. The best and also most frustrating are the ones with so little to go on. Everything else I have collected has always been something well documented, but the hunt of course was still present and still fun. The tension between "wanting" and "having" is exciting (and getting is also exciting, and the excitement changes to long term enjoyment, hopefully). The internet has changed the ease of the hunt in many ways to be sure, but has made the hunt possible for things I would not have normally been able to look for. It really is amazing that you found this little mystery, and the one you wanted most. It's very charming!

Stripedhyena wrote:

Bonnie wrote:

Amazing that you found this pelican, it looks like a really interesting series!
I wonder if there are many more series, and good luck finding the rest from this one!

Thank you Bonnie! The truth is that two weeks later I found three more figures of this series (doesn't it happen to you that after a long time looking for something, when you find it, something else appears after a short time???), but they are not species that I collect, so I'll let them pass to another buyer.

Exactly that experience, yes! I wonder what strange turn of entropy causes that to happen in such a memorable way.

You are right! In fact I think maybe it's more exciting the search itself than anything else!

Really really interesting. The fishes are especially interesting for my zoo

Stripedhyena wrote:

Roger wrote:

This is a wonderful story, you have searched about it for a long time and the first figure you have found is exactly the one you wanted most and in its original packaging. It is fantastic really.
Maybe the information you can find in this blister can help you to find more information about these models.
It reads it is from Jemini, I have to share what I've found in their website.
in 1978 it is the creation of Ajena and they presented Kiki, le petit singe  ... the little monkey. If you want to know the true history of Kiki, you can find it here:
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
I can't find more information, maybe you could try to contact Jemini, this set is not so old, maybe they can provide you some additional information.

I will try writing to Jemini, Roger. Maybe they can tell me if there are more series besides this first one... From time to time I write to some brand asking for some edition of which there is not much information but the people who work in this kind of companies that have evolved in the typology of their product usually only know what is current (that happened to me with W.A.I for example) or not answer (as it happened with the current Gulliver commercials.... Brazil is such an exaggeratedly inaccessible market in every way)!

I know the monkey kiki from my childhood... it seems that the name of our famous French colleague now makes sense! Yes?

Kiki was not part of my childhood.
Normally, when we contact a company about something that takes their time and it does not represent any profit to them, the chances we are successful are really low. However, I think it's worth  a try.
About Gulliver, the best place to find their figures is ]mercadolivre.com ... I think you wrote on forum before, is it the monochromatic models you're looking for?
I've found also this video with an impressive overview of Gulliver toys. This Brazilian guy studied it carefully and he couldn't do it just from memory. Apparently he has a good few sources and he is a collector. Check it here. - I don't know if you understand Brazilian Portuguese, his diction is not the best but I can translate the introductory part if you wish.

Igor Santana Youtube channel
Gulliver Zoo Collection
Part 1
Part 2

Thanks for the links, Roger!
The Gulliver figures I'm looking for are the painted ones (both the older ones and the later ones, which are actually mostly Teixidò and Pech molds)... even now they publish Schleich and Safari versions under the name of CollectA, very curious...
Regarding mercadolivre (also the web for Mexico or Argentina)... it is impossible to make purchases from Europe.

Stripedhyena wrote:

Thanks for the links, Roger!
The Gulliver figures I'm looking for are the painted ones (both the older ones and the later ones, which are actually mostly Teixidò and Pech molds)... even now they publish Schleich and Safari versions under the name of CollectA, very curious...
Regarding mercadolivre (also the web for Mexico or Argentina)... it is impossible to make purchases from Europe.

The painted ones seem to be much harder to find, I think you mean these of this blog entry
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
You can find there a few e-mail addresses of collectors but the blog entry is 10 years old and it is a shot in the dark.
Gulliver is conceptually a Spanish project so it is not surprising to see the connection with Spanish vintage models.

Roger wrote:

Stripedhyena wrote:

Thanks for the links, Roger!
The Gulliver figures I'm looking for are the painted ones (both the older ones and the later ones, which are actually mostly Teixidò and Pech molds)... even now they publish Schleich and Safari versions under the name of CollectA, very curious...
Regarding mercadolivre (also the web for Mexico or Argentina)... it is impossible to make purchases from Europe.

The painted ones seem to be much harder to find, I think you mean these of this blog entry
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
You can find there a few e-mail addresses of collectors but the blog entry is 10 years old and it is a shot in the dark.
Gulliver is conceptually a Spanish project so it is not surprising to see the connection with Spanish vintage models.

Yes, I was referring to these models. The thing is that until not long ago they had a set with the zoo animals and another one with the farm animals on their website...

Stripedhyena wrote:

Roger wrote:

Stripedhyena wrote:

Thanks for the links, Roger!
The Gulliver figures I'm looking for are the painted ones (both the older ones and the later ones, which are actually mostly Teixidò and Pech molds)... even now they publish Schleich and Safari versions under the name of CollectA, very curious...
Regarding mercadolivre (also the web for Mexico or Argentina)... it is impossible to make purchases from Europe.

The painted ones seem to be much harder to find, I think you mean these of this blog entry
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
You can find there a few e-mail addresses of collectors but the blog entry is 10 years old and it is a shot in the dark.
Gulliver is conceptually a Spanish project so it is not surprising to see the connection with Spanish vintage models.

Yes, I was referring to these models. The thing is that until not long ago they had a set with the zoo animals and another one with the farm animals on their website...

I know the monochromatic models were reissued several times but I didn't know the painted ones were available until recently. It is a pity they did not reply to you, especially if the product was still available. Our Brasilian member Ikessauro has an online shop, maybe you can contact him, I believe he can easily get the information. However, he only visits the forum sporadically.

Roger wrote:

Stripedhyena wrote:

Thanks for the links, Roger!
The Gulliver figures I'm looking for are the painted ones (both the older ones and the later ones, which are actually mostly Teixidò and Pech molds)... even now they publish Schleich and Safari versions under the name of CollectA, very curious...
Regarding mercadolivre (also the web for Mexico or Argentina)... it is impossible to make purchases from Europe.

The painted ones seem to be much harder to find, I think you mean these of this blog entry
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
You can find there a few e-mail addresses of collectors but the blog entry is 10 years old and it is a shot in the dark.
Gulliver is conceptually a Spanish project so it is not surprising to see the connection with Spanish vintage models.

interesting figures, especially the antelopes

Here are a handful of figures from the French "Animalia" collection. The figures had a small suction cup on one side that has been removed and are signed Jemini (see pelican).
All these figures (except the pelican and the puffin) are available for trade or sale.

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Interesting stuff but a little bit toyish

Interesting to see a seahorse among those.

Did you put them on TAW?