New 2017 - Tiptoi North America Models: Polar Bear Cub & Snow Hare

So back in 2016 Tiptoi released a North American range of 8 animals as first brought to our attention by Bojan in this post:

https://sts-forum.forumieren.de/t16502-tiptoi-2016-america

HOWEVER

I was just browsing their site and noticed something odd - two new animals which I had not seen before.  Now I may be crazy or perhaps you all already know but I dont remember seeing a Polar bear cub or a snow hare anywhere!  I visited Berlin twice last year where I usually buy the animals from and I have never seen these two in the shops and so assume they are two new models which have been released without any announcement. Anyone know anything about this?

Polar Bear cub (00427)

https://www.tiptoi.com/de/tiptoi-buecher-spiele-und-spielzeug/spielfiguren/amerika/tiptoi-eisbaerjunges-00427/index.html




Snowhare (00428)

https://www.tiptoi.com/de/tiptoi-buecher-spiele-und-spielzeug/spielfiguren/amerika/tiptoi-schneeschuhhase-00428/index.html

I have never seen them before either !!! Great !!! Thankyou Numaan. I will add them to TAI

SUSANNE wrote:

I have never seen them before either !!! Great !!! Thankyou Numaan. I will add them to TAI

Thanks Susanne

I sent an email direct to tierman too.

Also note that on the information page item 00419 is the eagle and the macaw should be 00414

cheers

three sloths and three snow hares, 2017 has a race, who will win, the hare or the sloth?
Thanks for information Numaan!

Roger wrote:

three sloths and three snow hares, 2017 has a race, who will win, the hare or the sloth?
Thanks for information Numaan!

Ha yes1

What I dont understand is how completely different brands suddenly produce the same group of animals in the same or following years.....

Remember when we had lots of Sable Antelope's? And then bald eagles, and then snow hares and many other examples I cannot think of.....

Numaan wrote:

Roger wrote:

three sloths and three snow hares, 2017 has a race, who will win, the hare or the sloth?
Thanks for information Numaan!

Ha yes1

What I dont understand is how completely different brands suddenly produce the same group of animals in the same or following years.....

Remember when we had lots of Sable Antelope's? And then bald eagles, and then snow hares and many other examples I cannot think of.....

Yes, I do remember several examples and I always found it very intringuing.
Naturally with common animals it happened several times but those you mentioned are good examples, especially the sable boom.
Though, the first time I remember seeing it was in 2010 when 3 major brands released Malayan tapirs (Safari Ltd., Schleich and Papo). These 3 sloths at the same year just some years after Mojö's makes me think also about the wolverine, it was very rare in toy shape until Schleich released it in 2011, Mojö replied in 2012 and Safari in 2013. There is also the Schleich snowy owl in 2012 and a boom 2 years later with Eikoh, Battat and Mojö Fun and, the follwing year, it was Papo and Kaiyodo. Some animals get fashionable suddenly, often for media related reasons but I believe forum activity is having also some influence as it was obvious with the sables and now the sloths.

The Sloth could be because of Zootopia ?

Well, Bullyland often came ahead : Snowy owl, wolverine etc.

Also the culy horse . Bullyland had one for a very short period ( 2008 - 9 ), then Schleich (2015-17), and now Safari and CollectA this year

As I understand it from discussions with various reps from Safari and CollectA at trade shows, they give the most weight to producing figures that are requested specifically by Zoos, museums, and aquariums.  Often, representatives from major zoos, aquariums, and museums meet with representatives from whatever brands they carry in their gift shops - so, for example, if the gift shops at San Diego Zoo stock Schleich, Safari, and CollectA, then a representative from the San Diego zoo will meet with reps from Schleich, Safari, and CollectA at least once per year.  And during each one of those meetings, that San Diego Zoo rep will be asked whether there is anything they would like to see added to the collections, at which time that rep will tell them.  The company makes a note about the species request and starts looking into interest outside that institution.  So, for instance, waaay back in 2013, the Oklahoma Zoo suggested Safari make a Bonnethead Shark, since they had them on exhibit.  The Rainbow Lorikeet was also requested by at least one zoo in 2013.  Safari introduced them in 2016.

There are other things that figure in - such as one company seeing something their competition has made and feeling they could do it as well; sometimes popular culture plays a part, such as Finding Dory hitting theatres in 2016 and several of the companies producing Regal Tangs as a result, of the live action Jungle Book movie being a hit leading to the companies producing more Asian animals.  But from everyone I've talked to, they take zoo, aquarium, and museum requests VERY seriously and try to accommodate those first and foremost.

[quote="Roger"]

Numaan wrote:

Roger wrote:

three sloths and three snow hares, 2017 has a race, who will win, the hare or the sloth?
Thanks for information Numaan!

Yes, I do remember several examples and I always found it very intringuing.
Naturally with common animals it happened several times but those you mentioned are good examples, especially the sable boom.
Though, the first time I remember seeing it was in 2010 when 3 major brands released Malayan tapirs (Safari Ltd., Schleich and Papo). These 3 sloths at the same year just some years after Mojö's makes me think also about the wolverine, it was very rare in toy shape until Schleich released it in 2011, Mojö replied in 2012 and Safari in 2013. There is also the Schleich snowy owl in 2012 and a boom 2 years later with Eikoh, Battat and Mojö Fun and, the follwing year, it was Papo and Kaiyodo. Some animals get fashionable suddenly, often for media related reasons but I believe forum activity is having also some influence as it was obvious with the sables and now the sloths.

yes Roger quite right! You have a good memory! The sloths, the snowy owls and of course the first time was exactly right -the tapirs! It must be some forum influence but I also think many are watching each other closely....I know Safari Ltd have virtually pulled out of Europe with their products (the owners of UK Toys'n'Hobby) which must be as a result of Schleich's domination so the brands are clearly watching each other closely.....

We destroyed a topic to build a completely new but very interesting topic. Somewhat like the message we see in the Prometheus film.
Sorry for not quoting.
About Bullyland being ahead, that's a fact and a very relevant fact, though, Bullyland hasn't influenced other companies
Chad is also pointing some very good points and surely those are the right guide lines.
I can warrant you that the pair of Gentoo penguins, 2012 CollectA and 2013 Mojö Fun were requested by an Aquatic park from Hong Kong, both companies are exactly stablished in HK.
Wolverine from Mojö was, assumedly, a reaction to Schleich's wolverine. Mojö was sure they could do it better and they did. Safari wolverine was clearly also a reaction to these two, remember that Mojö was easily available in USA at Hobby Lobby during these days.
The example of regal tangs is also very eloquent.
Does anyone know an explanation to the recent boom of African penguins? Schleich 2013, CollectA 2015, Papo 2016 and Safari Ltd 2017. For a long time, the Safari old version was the only representative among major brands.

Simple: companies copy each other. When a manufacturer has a new idea, WHAM! other manufacturers copy the first one's idea. For example, because Safari ltd released a Carnotaurus a few years ago, BOOM! Schleich and Papo also made carnotauruses. And when those manufacturers saw the success Bullyland had with its Archéoptéryx, BANG! they all decided at once they would also make archeopteryxes. That is how it works. And only customers like us can see the ridicule of the situation.

I see there are some new Dinosaurs there. Unless there ones i missed from last year