17 of the best dinosaur toys for children and adults

By Holly Spanner

Published: Monday, 20 December 2021 at 12:00 am

When I was 10, I got into a very heated argument about whether you could keep a velociraptor as a pet. I was firmly in the ‘no’ camp – and after many months, we eventually agreed to disagree. But to this day, the thought of how humans and dinosaurs would have co-existed still crosses my mind. Thankfully, we’ll never be able to find out – and there are lots of brilliant dinosaur toys on the market instead.

Want to say thanks to your favourite teacher or lecturer? Perhaps you’re looking to liven up your home office workspace? And of course, dinosaur toys make great teaching aids for budding palaeontologists. Or maybe, you just think dinosaurs are cool (they are).

From Tyrannosaurus rex to Stegosaurus, we’ve got you covered with these interactive dinosaur toys.

Discover some amazing facts about dinosaurs:

17 of the best dinosaur toys

Inspire future palaeontologists, or just have a roaring good time, with our selection of the best dinosaur toys, from awesome LEGO kits to that inflatable T. rex costume.

Excavate a dinosaur!

Want to feel like a real palaeontologist, and make some mess in the process? Dig a surprise dinosaur by scraping, tapping, brushing and shovelling away the plaster to reveal the skeleton, then assemble the pieces to make your dinosaur. Each kit contains a surprise dinosaur, plus the tools needed to excavate. Dinosaurs include T. rex, Triceratops, Stegosaurus, Brachiosaurus, or you might also excavate a Mammoth.

Meccano dinosaur kit

Having been around for over a century, Meccano has stood the test of time and modern kits today come in all shapes and sizes. They’re excellent for introducing kids to engineering, and most sets come with instructions for several different models. Meccano toys are great for boosting STEM skills, and if you have multiple kits, you can mix and match the pieces. With this Meccano dinosaur kit, you can make at least 10 different dinosaurs; there’s 179 pieces, two tools and instructions for each of the different dinosaur toys.

Build a Stegosaurus

See your wooden dinosaur creations come to life with this robotic walking dinosaur kit. Press out the shapes from the numbered wooden sheets, and slot them together to create your dinosaur, no glue required. With the motor installed, clap once and your dinosaur will move forward, twice to turn right, and three times to turn left – it’ll even roar! Choose from a Stegosaurus (pictured), Triceratops or T. rex.

LEGO dinosaur skeletons

Turn your living room into a natural history museum with this LEGO dinosaur fossil kit, which lets you build a T. rex, Triceratops and Pteranodon. Each one is articulated and comes with its own display stand and name plaque. There are 910 pieces in total, as well as a LEGO palaeontologist figure and human skeleton!

Jurassic Park Monopoly

Complete with the iconic gate, music and special effects, secure the park and avoid a rampaging T. rex in this Jurassic Park-themed Monopoly. Building protective fences (instead of placing houses) allows a player to charge more rent, as well as protect the property from the T. rex.

Wild Republic Diplodocus Hand Puppet

This Diplodocus hand puppet from Wild Republic is just the thing for those who are looking for less ferocious dinosaur toys. There are other dinosaurs too, including a Pteranodon and T. rex, but we think the Diplodocus is too dang cute.

Mould and paint plaster of Paris Dinosaurs

Get crafty with this plaster of Paris dinosaur kit from 4M. There are five different moulds that allow you to create your own flat-backed dinosaurs, which are ideal for fridge magnets. Or why not press a pin badge into the wet plaster for easy DIY dinosaur badges? Paint your dinosaur creations with the included paint or add some glow-in-the-dark details for extra pizazz.

Galt Toys, Horrible Science Kit – Deadly Dino Experiments

Dig up dinosaur fossils, experiment with quicksand traps and amber slime with this Deadly Dino Experiment kit from Galt Toys. This Horrible Science kit includes a dinosaur excavation stone with two dinosaurs, excavation tools, play goggles, amber slime egg with dinosaur, pterodactyl, T. rex skeleton pieces, air-dry clay, dinosaur footprints mould, sand, cornflour and a lab notebook.

Glow in the Dark Surprise Dino Strike Blind Bags

Blind bags have been hugely popular throughout 2020 and 2021, and this double pack from Zuru contains five surprises in each. Each dinosaur toy comes with glow-in-the-dark headgear, armour, scalable weapon backpack and firing projectiles. There are 13 different dinosaurs to collect, and you can even combine the single and double blasters together to make the ultimate triple blaster! Will you find the rare gold T. rex?

Jurassic World dinosaur toys: Super Colossal Indominus Rex

This Super Colossal Indominus Rex can swallow up to 20 mini dinosaur figures, which can then “escape” via a hatch in its belly! With ferocious chomping action, realistic skin texture and articulated arms and legs, this Jurassic World dinosaur toy is 18” high, approximately 46cm.

Jurassic World dinosaur toys: Stomp n’ Escape T Rex

The Stomp n’ Escape T. rex doesn’t want to be restrained. Twist her tail to create big stomping motions (did you know dinosaurs wagged their tails when running?), then press the secret button on her back to make her roar, as she escapes from her bonds. With realistic roaring noises, this dinosaur toy is not small, measuring up at just under 55cm long.

Jurassic World dinosaur toys: Roar Attack Ankylosaurus

The Ankylosaurus is one of the largest armoured dinosaurs, easily identified by the heavy club at the end of its tail. Press the button on its back to make the tail swing back and forth to defend against predators – or annoying siblings.

Jurassic World dinosaur toys: Jurassic World Real Feel Mosasaurus [Amazon Exclusive]

Okay, so the Mosasaurus isn’t technically a dinosaur – it’s a marine reptile – but with over 1,500 five-star ratings, we had to share. The Amazon exclusive Mosasaurus features textured skin and realistic sculpting for truly terrifying underwater antics. The jaws of this apex predator open wide, and the limbs are articulated for hours of action and adventure.

Jurassic World dinosaur toys: Stygimoloch Dinosaur Escape Toy

This LEGO dinosaur kit is an ideal starter set for younger children and includes two dinosaur figures, an all-terrain off-roader and a treehouse/observation post. There are also some fun accessories, including a tranquillizer gun, carrot, shovel and of course, a dinosaur poo. There’s also a removable cage for the Stygimoloch dinosaur toy on the back of the vehicle.

Classic Jeep

Build the iconic Ford Explorer Jeep as inspired by the 1993 blockbuster film, with this 309-piece kit. The bricks fit together with no glue required, and the kit includes full step-by-step instructions to create your own 15cm model Jeep with doors that open.

Inflatable dinosaur costume

Ideal for parties, fancy dress, or just for lightening the mood during lockdown, this inflatable T. rex costume is ideal for people 170cm and taller. It’s inflated using a battery-powered fan (takes four AA batteries) and is made from ultra-durable, soft, waterproof and lightweight polyester.

Jurassic World dinosaur toys: Super Colossal Velociraptor Blue

Take home your very own Blue from Jurassic World. Like the Super Colossal Indominus Rex listed above, the Velociraptor Blue can devour up to 20 mini dinosaurs (sold separately), which are then released via a flap in Blue’s belly. Ideal also, for hiding sweets and other treats you don’t want people to find! And just to be sure that the fun is supersized, this dinosaur toy is over 3 ½ feet long, and around 18 inches tall – so make sure you’ve got room in the house for this big dinosaur toy.

Looking for more dinosaur gifts?

We hope you’ve found something useful in our round-up of the best dinosaur toys, or maybe just dinosaurs in general; if so, be sure to check out our selection of the best dinosaur books or why not take a look inside a dinosaurs skull with this pop-up book, Tyrannosaurus rex.

Reader Q&As about dinosaurs: