Salvat Editores SA Dinosaurs - Spain

I couldn't see a thread dealing with these rare figures so I thought I'd start one!

Salvat dinosaurs are something of a mysterious anomaly (and I love anomalies!). they're very tough figures to find and even harder to find in decent condition. My main encounter with them occurred about two years ago when I was visiting my mother in law in Southern Spain. I'd been sent on an errand to go to a general store in a neighbouring town to find picture fixings of all things. Anyway, at the back of a very old fashioned Spanish general store I found a very dusty unloved rack of dinosaur figures. Imagine my amazement at finding Salvat dinosaurs for sale in near pristine but very dusty condition! I went a bit mad and bought rather a lot of them, much to the store owners amazement (I got the impression he'd virtually given up on ever selling any!). I have about half of my figures to hand (the other half are still awaiting packing and shipment from Spain).

As it turns out, Salvat dinosaurs were issued by Salvat Editores SA, a Spanish magazine periodical publisher. They were issued in tandem with a magazine periodical in Spanish speaking countries (Spain, Portugal, Brazil etc.) around 2000/2001. They are usually considered to have been issued one figure per magazine issue however the situation I found them in would suggest that they may also have been issued and sold as individual figures. As figures lines go they are rather bizarre as there isn't a single original sculpt among them. Instead, they imitate the popular lines of the time such as Battat, Bullyland, Schleich and the Toyway Walking With Dinosaurs line. There are around 40 in the set. They are either considered horribly ugly or charmingly retro. I actually rather love them myself as some are rather charming homages to the figures they imitate and manage to project their own personality.

Here are my figures (in no particular order)

**Images coming**

Dilophosaurus (Safari)



Triceratops (Bullyland)



Amargasaurus (Battat)



Quetzalcoatlus (Safari)



Pteranodon (Bullyland)



Acrocanthosaurus (Battat)



Gallimimus (Battat)



Stegosaurus (Safari)



Carnotaurus (Safari)



Therizinosaurus

Dimetrodon (Bullyland)



Postosuchus

Styracosaurus

Polacanthus (Toyway)



Mosasaurus

Elasmosaurus

Kronosaurus

I remember that line being sold here but Salvat interrupted it due to lack of interest from buyers. Actually, it is not easy at all to find them on online auctions, contrarily to what happens in Brazil where we can find loads of them being sold.
By the way, Brazil and Portugal are not countries with Spanish language but with Portuguese language. :)
The fact of being based on other brands is not a surprise, this kind of editorials reuse other porduction lines. For example, with car miniatures, Altaya uses often Ixo Models, Salvat, Solido from France and we see also often Norev that is a very expensive brand. Surprise is to see the same line using several brands. I hope you're lucky with those you're missing.

Very interesting again      It is very good that you post now also here     

Thank you for the topic and good pics  These copies aren't better tahn the originals but I'm sure they are very impressive all together !
What I prefer is the story of the finding  A dream for a collector  

What a marvellous find !!!!
They are enormously charming  

I agree with Andreas : We are very lucky that you joined The Forum  

Thank you for such great photos and for an interesting topic! I always wondered what exactly the Salvat dinosaurs were and why some of them looked like the battat. This is really fascinating! Welcome to the forum!

(By the way, I think the figure you have labeled "Ceolophysis" is supposed to the Gallimimus by Battat. I'm not positive though.)

scot(t) wrote:

Thank you for such great photos and for an interesting topic! I always wondered what exactly the Salvat dinosaurs were and why some of them looked like the battat. This is really fascinating! Welcome to the forum!

(By the way, I think the figure you have labeled "Ceolophysis" is supposed to the Gallimimus by Battat. I'm not positive though.)

You're welcome.

You're right, it's labelled Gallimius and not Ceolophysis! My bad

Roger wrote:

I remember that line being sold here but Salvat interrupted it due to lack of interest from buyers. Actually, it is not easy at all to find them on online auctions, contrarily to what happens in Brazil where we can find loads of them being sold.
By the way, Brazil and Portugal are not countries with Spanish language but with Portuguese language. :)
The fact of being based on other brands is not a surprise, this kind of editorials reuse other porduction lines. For example, with car miniatures, Altaya uses often Ixo Models, Salvat, Solido from France and we see also often Norev that is a very expensive brand. Surprise is to see the same line using several brands. I hope you're lucky with those you're missing.

Thanks for the info Roger. It's good to have someone here who remembers these figures first hand. Thanks also for clearing up the language issue .............. you learn something new every day!