AAA Killer Whales, How many are they and which secrets are hidden?

Sorting AAA orcas is being one of the most confuse tasks on TAW. A good way to start is using Torben's website. After all these years, the collection website of the founder of this forum continues being a priceless contribution to our hobby.
However, more I research, more confuse I get. I really need your help again and please, if you have AAA killer whale figures, regardless of being pictured here or not, I would love to get information about it. A picture and length is enough.
Dividing in smaller groups, is the key for AAA. There isn't a comprehensive way to sort them just based in large, small and so.Especially for species with so many figures released.
It is also not easy to tell what is a baby, a youngster or an adulte.
So, to try to explain what I've found, I am dividing them in two groups based on pose:

- Group 1, those with simple pose
- Group 2, figures with raised head

Starting with group 1 it seems relatively easy.
Sorting from larger to smaller.

32 cm, 13 inches, known as extralarge and apparently product number is 16053
Easy to identify with its open mouth, a devil appearance like a shark. Here Torben's picture.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Here is one for sale on Ebay Germany - 39,99€ and seller tells it is a calf? It is also where I've found the product number so it may not be right. The figure is marked Killer Whale in the bottom part of the fluke.

23 cm 9 inches, orca with silly smile, part of Schleich Frendserie with product number 16004 and probably sold by ELC too.
Known as large orca, it is probably the toyish most of all of these.
Picture from Torben's collection
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

For sale:
EBAY Germany.
EBAY UK sold as ELC

There is this one for sale that looks the same but it is apparently hollow and seller tells it is 8 inches. Check EBAY USA.

Curiously I can't find medium sized ones and the small model is probably not one but two.

4 inches 10 cm, simple pose, slightly curved to the right side
Torben's picture:
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

For sale EBAY USA:
- EBAY USA.

This seller tells this one is aprx. 3"1/3 long that is less than 9 cm, is it the same?
- EBAY USA
Probably also sold by ELC, this UK sale shows clearly the size.
- EBAY UK:

Here a picture of a catalogue, it seems those are the silly (23 cm) and the small figure
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Now the 2nd group, figures with raised head and things really turn very complex.

From larger to smaller:

22 cm, 9 inches, product number unknown
Picture from Torben's collection
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

A large model. The open mouth, dorsal fin curved to the left side and the tail slightly lifted in a flat pose . The way the pectoral fins support the body is also an identifying feature.

- Here one for sale in Spain with other Jumbo AAA models.

- 15 cm, 6 inches, sold by Mamejo Nature with product number 12211 ,
I've never seen this model sold by AAA or it was sold with a different product number.

Official picture
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

14 cm, a misterious model
Torben's picture
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
We could assume it is the same as the 15 cm from Mamejo and just a little measurement incoerency.
Though, the dorsal fin is straight while the Mamejo model has it curved. We will see later that it may not be a determining feature. Though, pectoral fins are clearly different. While the Mamejo model has them clearly supporting the weight of the front half of the body, this model seems like the body is curved up while swimming.


9 cm, 3,5 inches, product number 12834 and marketed as Young Orca
H&H Winners' Circle writes:
"PLEASE NOTE:  Some units have straight dorsal fins, some are curved to the right and some are curved to the left.  You will be shipped one of these variations.
Size:  1.875"H x 3.5"L x 1.25"W"
It seems this model exists in 3 variations with different dorsal fins.

Official picture
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
For sale EBAY USA, easily available


9cm, 3,5 inches,  product number 96014, marketed as killer whale baby?
same measurements provided as 12834 , we could assume it is the variation with straight dorsal fin but the fluke is completely different from the previous model.
Official picture
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
- A few for sale on Ebay USA


Though, the orca party is not over. Torben shows this model with 10 cm, it may be one of the previous ones but it looks different to me, like an older version of  96014.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Fluke is similar but dorsal fin and pectoral fins are different.


Here apicture of a catalogue
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Please don't try to find info on TAW once it is all result from this research and it has surely a good number of mistakes.
Let's see if the help of everyone I can make a more accurate job.

What an amazing topic filled with so much information on AAA Killer Whales!
You have already made such an informative list, which looks very complete to me! This will definitely be a useful place to reference for collectors! It's hard to say whether Torben's 10cm model is the same or different to the 96014 model- very confusing! I'm sorry I can't help more but hopefully others will have photos of AAA killer whales to help with the sorting for TAW!

Thanks Bonnie, I think they are from two different generations of models but it is hard to be sure.
Meanwhile I updated the first post once the large silly orca, 23 cm model, was sold by Schleich in their Frendserie collection during the first half of the 1990's decade. Though, it brought another figure to the party. It seems there was also a model of another orca in that series with the number 16064 or 16024, it looks like a calf of the silly orca !!!

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Picture is not mine and credits go to the seller.

Roger wrote:

Thanks Bonnie, I think they are from two different generations of models but it is hard to be sure.
Meanwhile I updated the first post once the large silly orca, 23 cm model, was sold by Schleich in their Frendserie collection during the first half of the 1990's decade. Though, it brought another figure to the party. It seems there was also a model of another orca in that series with the number 16064 or 16024, it looks like a calf of the silly orca !!!

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Picture is not mine and credits go to the [url=https://www.ebay.de/itm/164962657896?mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=707-53477-19255-0&campid=5338722076&toolid=10001 seller[/url].

Another silly orca!

Too silly to be true, no? The devil giant orca, the 32 cm model was also sold by Schleich. Here a 1993 catalogue page showing it. It is almost hard to believe these models shared the same catalogue with the Monterey Bay Aquarium orcas.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I wish I still had mine from when I was a kid! It was the large one, with the silly smile. Always looks kind of deranged. It was also very heavy, and was occasionally an accidental weapon if thrown.

Jill wrote:

I wish I still had mine from when I was a kid! It was the large one, with the silly smile. Always looks kind of deranged. It was also very heavy, and was occasionally an accidental weapon if thrown.

Most large AAA models were in the 90s.

My large orca measures up to just short of 9 inches/21 centimeters. (The photo with the ruler makes it look a bit shorter but I swear it measures as above)
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

My little one is a calf intended for a larger model. Ot measures at 3 1/2 inches/9 cm long.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Here are the two together. Let me know if I can help in any other way!
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Thanks a lot Paige, you're always very helpful! It is normal the little discrepancy between measurements once I obtain them from different sellers and there is also the readjustment needed while converting the unites.
However, it is easy to identify your models.
The large one, a very beautiful model, is the first of the 2nd group, the 9 inches model.
The small figure is the last of the first group, Torben's picture has a pair of them.
I used the pictures on TAW to join to the existing ones.
Let's hope someone has pictures of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th models of the second post.

Jill wrote:

I wish I still had mine from when I was a kid! It was the large one, with the silly smile. Always looks kind of deranged. It was also very heavy, and was occasionally an accidental weapon if thrown.

Some brands are taking it seriously and moving to softer materials. As a collector, I really enjoy them with a denser pvc.
I hope you can find one like yours from your childhood.
When we are kids, we love silly toys.
When we are grown up, we love silly collectibles.

You are very welcome Roger, I am sorry I don't have more to contribute! I actually had to rescue the larger one from an acrylic paint job to see the natural shine coat underneath. I couldn't get all the paint out of the stamp and mouth etc but after a week of scrubbing carefully I got 97% of it off. And while it has that classic heavy, rubbery, and slightly cartoony AAA feel to it, I really like it too.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]


They have the triple A marking

They say "Tiger Shark Made in China"
The baby also has a number 3 on it

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]



Sorry the photos aren't great. I need to buy some lego or something but hope they are some use.

While browsing ebay I couldn't resist... the calf to my adult orca. Measures about 6 inches/13.5 cm.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Paige, you got the figure I call killer whale male with open mouth - on TAW.
It is a perfect baby for that impressive mother you rescued. I defintely like the AAA orcas with this pose, they display so nicely and that pair works so nicely together.

ethomas wrote:

Sorry the photos aren't great. I need to buy some lego or something but hope they are some use.

Your photos are surely very informative, however, to use them on TAW, it is more useful when we use pictures of individual figures.
Though, I will surely give use to your information and also pics. Some AAA figures are sold with a pair of youngsters and often marked with [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] and [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]. There are also some adultes with [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], maybe it means these are sold together in sets but it is something still to find out.
Thanks for telling those are marked tiger shark, actually they look somewhat like sand tiger sharks instead but I will study it better when workin on sharks. Recently I sorted rays and I opened a page dedicated to them. - I only found these 6 models, the large devilfish is often sold with two babies but I can't find any difference between them.

Do we have another AAA orca? Paige acquired this model, a 6 inches long figure:
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

The seller used this picture and announced it as being a 9 cm, 3,5 inches, product number 12834 and marketed as Young Orca
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Something is wrong, of course, the official picture does not show Paige's orca for sure, even if Paige's is the version with straight fin, pose and pectoral fins look different to me.
What is evident is the announced size, Paige's model is much larger but it could be a description error.

We know this model from Torben's collection, 14 cm is the size provided, 5,5 inches.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

... and Susanne owns this figure with a similar size.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Do you think those are all the same, isn't Paige's model in a more horizontal posture?

This is so confusing!
I think Paige's model looks to me the same as Torben's and Susanne's but it's strange that the seller marked its size differently- and the official photo looks different with the drooping fin! Maybe they are all the same model, but there are just sometimes slight variations between the orcas!

After careful consideration, I think they are the same model, but with perhaps slightly different plastic material used. My calf lays down further than Susanne's but the flippers that would support it upright are too soft and so it leans forward, maybe Susanne's is stiffer rubber/plastic? My adult orca sits up because the fins are much more rigid. Besides that, I think the details are the same between the photos (to my eye) and that the seller description was mistaken. The tag for mine lists it as a young orca.

Thanks Bonnie and Paige, your help is really precious. I know AAA models are not as important to the collecting community as they were 10 or 20 years ago but I think it is still a very respectable brand and it is good if we can list on TAW as many figures as we can. Thus, I really appreciate a lot your help. Paige's explanation makes all sense to me and it explains perfectly why these figures have the exact same sculpting details, size but the pose is slightly different. Head is lower on Paige's but tail is slightly higher and the softer pectoral fins change the center of gravity of the model. It is also convenient that this is a calf and being a calf, the only possible Mother is paige's large model as she oportunetly pictured. The other two large orcas are completely different. So, I will join Torben's, Susanne's and Paige's model as being the large AAA killer whale calf.
Just one more question, Paige. Does the tag has a product number or a barcode? Can you show it to your annoying friend?

By the way, I've found this picture of the 2004 Wild Republic catalogue with an AAA orca, the 5,5 inches model.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

You are not annoying at all! I was working on getting photos of the tag anyway, after I figured out my frog headache...  somehow I kept counting more frogs than were in my list so... now that is sorted!
Not great pictures unfortunately...
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Thanks for the catalogue picture! The butterflies, jellies, dolphins, rays, sea horses...  AAA might not be the taste of many modern collectors but I enjoy them a lot still. They were the only BIG brand that had diversity and quality for the time period. My big heavy rubber AAA models won't ever break where some delicate modern brands will...

LOOOOOLLLLL
Thanks and very fast! These tags help a lot! At least I am still more confuse. Hahah!
- OK, that's a Mamejo Nature figure.
- Product number is 12834 as we can see on barcode and it is consistent with seller's information
- Size provided by the seller is the exact same as model 96014, maybe that's the only mistake of the seller
Considering the seller tells these figures can have different dorsal fins and the pose difference can result from pvc with different density, as you demonstrated, maybe the official picture provided is also correct.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Though, we have now another little mistery. So what about this model?
Sold by Mamejo Nature with product number 12211, I've found this picture online telling it is 6 inches long but [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] told me it is 8 inches and it looks a lot like the 9 inches model.  Could it be the mother of 12834?

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]


Also, isn't the 4420 Wild Republic model the same as 12834 (Paige's) but sold as an adulte?
Oh, my Frog!!!

Dear Roger and Others:

Well, since this topic is about killer whales by AAA, I might as well tell you that AAA did indeed make a killer whale figure that is 18 inches long. When I saw this listing on ebay, I jumped straight to my searchlist, and put that figure on the list. You see, I have so few AAA figures, that any that I do find are real treasures for me. Yeah, AAA is definitely one brand that I'd like to find more of. Anyway, if anyone reads this post, just know that I was the one with the information.

Aschuck

Thanks Anna, the number of AAA figures seems to be endless.

The small Orca i have too

Roger wrote:

Too silly to be true, no? The devil giant orca, the 32 cm model was also sold by Schleich. Here a 1993 catalogue page showing it. It is almost hard to believe these models shared the same catalogue with the Monterey Bay Aquarium orcas.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Looking at this catalogue photo, I am now able to date two of my recent AAA Killer Whale purchases. I found the silly adult as pictured on the left page, but I also have the baby with the slight right curve. Both have been made in white PVC, painted over black and white. I thought they looked different from the paint scheme and noticed the white bottoms when they came in the mail.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Silly adult measures 20 cm.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Notice the white belly, that’s the base material. The white flank patch paint does seem to continue on the bottom, covering the black spray paint.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
On the bottom of the flukes, the AAA logo inside a triangle, inside a circle, as described earlier.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Baby killer whale measures 9 cm.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Again the AAA logo set in triangle in circle.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
White underside.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Silly adult and baby side by side  

May I just say how much I love this forum and you people! It makes me feel validated for collecting orca figurines

Cheers,
Bas