Safari Ltd.

Safari Ltd® is an American owned and family operated manufacturer and global distributor of Toys That Teach®. For three generations, these treasured figurines have been hand-painted and meticulously crafted to inspire and educate children and adults around the world. Their mission is to teach the importance of nature and its conservation through the joy of play. The significance of creating Toys that Teach® is inherent in who they are.
The company provides a wealth of educational information online in five different languages, ensuring the mission is heard internationally. Their team of Safarians is always exploring the latest wildlife news, paleontology discoveries and conservation efforts in the name of spreading awareness, perfecting their product and educating future generations. SafariPedia®, the company’s online free-of-charge encyclopedia, is an extension of this. The educational resource houses information on wild and prehistoric animals, which parents and educators use in tandem with the figurines.
Safari Ltd® collections include more than 1,000 products, spanning from the mystical to the historical—dinosaurs, wildlife, dragons and fairies, horses and farm life, reptiles and sea life.
History
Safari Ltd® is an American owned and operated educational figurine manufacturer based out of Miami, FL. Bernard and Rosemarie Rubel—two passionate animal lovers on a mission to help conserve wildlife by raising awareness for endangered species—founded Safari Ltd® on December 21,1982 with a pair of rummy playing cards they first discovered on a vacation to Munich, Germany in 1979. It was a defining moment in the history of the company. The deck of cards doubled as an educational tool featuring photographs of endangered animals and some information about them on each. Motivated and inspired from their journey, they set out to highlight the wildlife of Florida by going out into nature, photographing native species, and placing them on postcards to be sold in zoological parks and other attractions.
The Rubels would later return to Germany and lay eyes on the educational figurines that led them to develop the museum-quality figurines Safari manufactures today. The overarching mission of the brand has always been to educate children on the importance of preserving these incredible animals and ensuring Safari Ltd.® figurines embodied the animal’s true likeness—which would become its hallmark, giving children a true understanding of these animals while engaging in the art of play.
This realistic quality was a characteristic that positioned Safari as a leader in the animal figurine niche. Soon after it grew, the company moved into the prehistoric terrain. Investing and researching heavily into the paleontology community and securing a key partnership with the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Safari Ltd® dinosaur figurines quickly became known as the “the Rolls-Royce of Dinosaurs.” Ramona Pariente, Bernard and Rosemary’s daughter, elevated the level of production quality during her 10 year tenure as CEO. She is credited with having raised the standard across the company and securing its place as the authority on prehistoric and wildlife figurines.
Flash forward to present day Safari Ltd.® and the Rubels’ grandson Alexandre Pariente, along with his wife Christina, are now heading the company and upholding the heritage. With a strong initiative to keep its focus on social and ecological responsibility, Alexandre has developed an in-house wikisource coined SafariPedia®. An interactive way of raising awareness of the natural world, this online hub of wildlife information is available to the public. Parents and educators around the world trust the source and use it in tandem with Safari Ltd® products. This modern-day innovation to Toys That Teach®, the company's flagship principle, is part of the future legacy Alexandre is building.
Brand(Logo)
Bernie is Safari Ltd®’s beloved mascot, and pays homage to founder Bernard Amadeus Rubel. Insightful articles are available on the company's official blog and written from “Bernie’s perspective” highlighting a wealth of educational topics. He even sends out tweets on his official twitter account @BernieTheGator—a must-follow account for fun educational tidbits about history, nature, science and conservation.
http://blog.safariltd.com/category/about/
Safari Ltd® official blog: The company’s official lifestyle blog focuses on the many uses of its products, spanning from education to animals, and the do-it-yourself (DIY) terrain. A resource and added value to customers, the blog is dedicated to highlighting out-of-the-box applications of Safari products to everyday life.
SafariPedia®: Official online, free-of-charge encyclopedia corresponding with prehistoric and wildlife Safari Ltd® figurines.
Design
Safari Ltd® diligently crafts its products for the most perceptive eyes of all—those of a child. The figurines are made with the utmost artistic and precise integrity, which separates them from the herd. From research to meticulous artwork, each authentic, quality figurine goes through a detailed process before it hits the shelves to ensure a safe product beyond reproach. All figurines are phthalate and lead free, and the company goes through a slew of scrupulous testing to adhere to worldwide testing standards.
A group of sculptors meticulously research the animal’s anatomy prior to creating a life-like model. This model is then sent to the manufacturer for large scale production, and each figurine is hand painted in order to capture the animal's unique and distinctive features. For added accuracy and education, each figurine in inscribed with its name on the belly on the animal (in English). This way a child knows if they are playing with an alligator versus a crocodile recognizing the physical differences in the animals.
The figurines are all hand painted to include accurate details, but no two toys are alike, giving Safari Ltd® toys the highest level of distinction and originality.
The artists carefully choose the colors based on the actual animal in order to ensure authenticity. If the creature is only real within fairy tales and mythical stories, they use imagination and childhood like spirit to bring it to life! It’s a thorough process that is part skill, creative vision and fun.
Retailers
The company is headquartered in Miami Lakes, Florida, selling to a principal market within the United States, but international markets as well. Safari Ltd® sells to distributors and retailers around the globe, providing museum-quality figurines to zoos, museums, aquariums, specialty toy stores, gift stores, arts and crafts stores, educational stores and more.
How to become a retailer https://www.safariltd.com/pages/contact_us
International Presence
AUSTRIA, AUSTRALIA, BELGIUM, CANADA, DENMARK, FINLAND, FRANCE, GERMANY, INDIA, IRAQ, INDONESIA, IRELAND, ISRAEL, ITALY, JAPAN, KOREA, JORDAN, LEBANON, MEXICO, NETHERLANDS, NEW ZEALAND, NORWAY, PORTUGAL, ROMANIA, RUSSIA, SOUTH AFRICA, SINGAPORE, SWEDEN, SWITZERLAND, SYRIA, TAIWAN, THAILAND, TURKEY, UNITED KINGDOM
Licensing Agreements
Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, PA.
Contract with Safari Ltd® signed - October 1, 1986- February 13, 2015
Founded in 1896 by Andrew Carnegie, this historic museum holds 22 million specimens exhibiting 10,000 at any given time. It first made history in the year 1899 with the unearthing of Diplodocus Carnegii, and today the Museum maintains the largest collection of Jurassic dinosaurs displayed in the Their Time exhibition. The collaboration between Safari Ltd® and the Carnegie Museum® lasted nearly three decades and brought these prehistoric creatures into the hands and hearts of children worldwide. Additionally, the collection contributed to positioning Safari Ltd® as a dinosaur leader in the figurine community.
http://www.carnegiemuseums.org/
Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey, CA.
Contract with Safari Ltd® signed - December 4, 1990
This public aquarium was founded in 1984 at the site of a former sardine cannery, Cannery Row. Today it is a world renowned institution housing 35,000 sea creatures, which represents 550 species on display. Safari Ltd® and the Monterey Bay Aquarium® signed a contract on December 4, 1990 to create a scaled Sea Life collection designed using the expertise of Monterey Bay Aquarium’s marine biologists and Safari Ltd®’s expert sculptors. Together they’ve created a highly accurate and scaled collection of figurines which is updated based on current scientific discovery.
http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/
Popular Culture
Safari Ltd® has long been considered a leader in the dinosaur figurine niche. The company’s collections, also referred to as “the Rolls-Royce of Dinosaurs”, are featured in major motion pictures Jurassic Park and Jurassic World. The figurine community has applauded and awarded the brand for its dinosaur collections, citing its diversity of species, anatomically correct portrayal and range of collections and sizes.
Safari Ltd® was awarded Dinosaur of the Year 2013 and 2014 from Prehistoric Times for its Monolophosaurus and Gryposaurus figurines.
http://www.prehistorictimes.com/
Awards & Accolades
Accessible Toy Awards Winner- Sensory Sun
Creative Toy Awards Preferred Choice Award-Creative Child Magazine
Creative Toy Awards Top Toy of the Year-Creative Child Magazine
10 Best Creative Products: Safari Ltd® Fairy Fantasy® Tea Party Set- Doctor Toy’s Guide
100 Best Children’s Products: Safari Ltd® Fairy Fantasy® Tea Party Set-Doctor Toy’s Guide
Parents’ Choice Award winners: Wild Safari® Dinos Liopleurodon, Winner’s Circle James on dancing Bells and Safari Ltd.® TOOBS® - Parents’ Choice Foundation, Children’s media & toy reviews
Wild Safari® Prehistoric World Monolophosaurus voted as Best 2014 Prehistoric Animal Toy Figure- Prehistoric Times Magazine
Toys That Teach® Product Collections
The pillar principle for the existence of these toys is based on giving the youth in this world a strong foundation in imaginative play, while educating them on the core concepts of biology and conservation. While children are at play with these figurines, they are genuinely interacting and able to reap the following benefits:
-Categorization of vocabulary and labeling items
-Counting, numbers, math skills
-Color identification
-Cause and effect
-Parts of a whole (i.e. clothing, body parts, etc…)
-Prepositional/spatial skills
-Verbs, adjectives, pronouns, adverbs
-Sounds, words, phrases, and increased sentence production (mean length of utterance)
-Grammatically correct speech which includes syntax, morphology, articles, plurals
-Creative & Pretend play
-Family Bonding
-Individual play
This product collection supports the belief that imaginative play is an integral part of cognitive development and refinement of important educational milestones. The aforementioned list is a snippet from the article “Toys Over Technology” by Elise Duryea, M.A., CCC-SLP.
http://blog.safariltd.com/toys-over-technology/
http://www.eliseduryea.com/
Product Safety
Safari Ltd® maintains extremely strict protocols with its factories and suppliers. All products are tested annually, ensuring they live up to and exceed all worldwide standards of toy and product safety. Safari Ltd® products do not contain phthalates from PVC (softening agents added to PVC, which can be harmful to children) or lead.
Unique Collections from Safari Ltd®
TOOBS®
TOOBS® feature miniature sized figurines on a smaller scale. The figurines are packaged in a 13 inch (`33 cm) acetate tube with an opening and closing cap for convenient storage and take along play. TOOBS® can offer anywhere from 5 to 18 figures per TOOB®. Number of figures per TOOB® vary per theme. Fun facts on the themed TOOB® are listed on the packaging in three different languages (English, French and Spanish). Recommended for Ages 3 and older.
https://www.safariltd.com/category/toobs
Designer TOOBS®
Designer TOOBS® feature high-quality miniature figurines in a smaller tube package. Figures in Designer TOOBS® offer special themes like holidays, dragons, people and historical collections. Designer TOOBS® offer 6 to 8 figures per package depending on theme. Recommended for Ages 3 and older.
Super TOOBS®
Introduced in 2015, these super-sized TOOBS® offer 12 larger, highly detailed miniatures in an acetate reusable TOOB® package with opening and closing cap. Fun facts on the themed Toob® are listed on the packaging in three different languages (English, French and Spanish). Recommended for Ages 3 and older.
[https://safariltd.com/products/search/super%20toobs https://safariltd.com/products/search/toobs]
Wild Safari® Wildlife
Wild Safari® Wildlife features wild animals from across the world. The collection is referred to as our classic collection and it is recognized for its accuracy and detail with over 80 styles. Recommended for Ages 3 and older.
Wild Safari Wonders™
Wild Safari Wonders™ consists of jumbo-sized figures of wildlife and North American animal figurines. These figures are extra-large for small hands. Recommend for Ages 3 and older.

Safariology®
Safariology® features a range of educational-themed products for creative and outdoor play, including Life Cycles, optics, snappers and posters.
https://www.safariltd.com/category/safariology

Incredible Creatures®
The Incredible Creatures® collection features approximately 80 different styles of animals. It is the only collection of realistic hand-painted figures available with a selection of figures recommended for ages 18 months and older in the figure industry. Some items in the collection float and are extra soft for the softest of hands.

Good Luck Minis®
The Good Luck Minis® collection has over 100 different styles of the smallest figures Safari Ltd® offers. These miniature figures are hand painted, despite being approximately the size of penny, and are choke-resistant. Recommended for ages 5 and older.
https://www.safariltd.com/category/good_luck_minis

Great Dinos Collection
Safari Ltd® is most famous for its dinosaur figures. Great Dino Collection consists of 7 popular species of dinos. All figures in the collection are extra-large and light for the best value. Recommended for ages 3 and older.

Wild Safari® Prehistoric World
Wild Safari® Prehistoric World, one of Safari Ltd®’s famed collections, features over 50 different dinosaurs recommended for ages 3 and older. The prehistoric animal figurines are accurate representations of the dinosaurs that once roamed the Earth, according to paleontologists and scholars.
For all collections and outdoor play products:
https://www.safariltd.com/
Sponsorship and Support
Safari Ltd® is deeply passionate about conserving nature and the animal kingdom so families can learn about the natural wonders of this world for decades to come. It aims to inspire awareness of the importance of animal conservation, not only through its figurines and educational platforms, but through generosity. Safari Ltd® has several official partnerships and affiliations.
The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA)
Toy Industry Association, Inc. (TIA)
[http://www.zaggift.com/ Zoo & Aquarium Buyer Group (ZAG)]
[https://www.aza.org Association of Zoos & Aquariums (MSA)]
Zoological Association of America (ZAA)
Big Cat Rescue
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
Humane Society of Greater Miami
New York Cares
National Eagle Center
The Marine Mammal Center
The Nature Conservancy
Sierra Club
The Toy Industry Foundation

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