Pieces of Koco: Dinosaur Collection

• Stuffed "Rex" from Toy Story
  
• Brontosaurus Skeleton Figurine
• T-Rex Skeleton Figurine
• Dinosaur Rummy Card Game
  
• Grow-in-water Stegosaurus
• Grow-in-water T-Rex
  

I used to arrange and exhibit all my toys and chatchkies as if I was a curator of a collection of priceless objects. These were not toys to be played with. I guess I would allow it, but most of them were arranged just so, with intention, or they were in their original packaging. The nerdy tween boy in me developed this set after a trip to the American Museum of Natural History and generous gifts from Alex and my mother.

Rex
dimensions: 12x12x20 cm
materials: synthetic fiber, plastic pellets.
date acquired: 2002-3

The Toy Story stuffed animal was given to me by a guy named Alex. He was a pretty wild dude--creative, intelligent, spontaneous, and even a bike messenger in NYC for a bit. Once upon a time he came to class after a run-in with a manhole or a taxi, and showed me where part of his nipple and a section of his flesh used to be. He was at the Disney Store in Times Square and decided, as a gesture of his distaste for the company, to take Rex hostage. I'm not by any means a fan of Disney, and was a full supporter of Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping since the late 1990's; HOWEVER, I didn't think stealing was okay. I've held onto his contraband all this time for many reasons I don't want to admit. I shouldn't have accepted it in the first place, but this piece, and the story that went with it, was a nice addition to the Dinosaur Collection.

Skeletons
materials: plastic
date acquired: 2001/2
Brontosaurus dimensions: 4x5x23 cm
T-Rex dimensions: 15x14x4

The bone figurines are from the gift shop at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. They are great for creating funny dioramas.

Dinosaur Rummy Cards
dimensions: 11x7.5x2 cm
materials: plastic, paper
date acquired: 2001

The dinosaur rummy cards are visually stimulating, informative, and promote group interactions. My mother, a middle-school science teacher, looks for opportunities to educate or inform at every moment. There was always some kind of quiz about the clouds and the water cycle, flowers, the PHpH scale. These cards were one of her purchases.

Grow-in-Water Dinos
materials: superabsorbent polymers (?)
additional comments: probably best for kids over 4ish
date acquired: 2003(?)
T-Rex dimensions (when dry):4.5x2.5x.7 cm
Stegosaurus dimensions (when dry):4.5x1.7x.6 cm

Lastly, the yellow and purple mini-dinos in the picture. They look like nothing now, just little plastic whatevers. But, put them in water... AND THEY GROW! They get all slimey and big, and if you leave them out and don't touch them, they shrink back down into mini-dinos. Apparently, I never got past the age of 6, maybe 8 at the oldest... I LOVE THESE. The novelty hasn't worn off yet.

The Dinosaur Collection will be listed on Philadelphia's freecycle network. Freecycle, as they state on their site, is all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. I like that.

OR maybe you are reading this now and you want to start a new chapter in the history of these dinosaurs. Maybe you know a cool kid who loves prehistoric creatures. Maybe you'd like to play dinosaur rummy with your kid. BUT, maybe you don't live in Philly. I can mail them to you if you are willing to pay for the shipping via paypal. Email me: koco(at)misskoco.com

The Dinosaur Collection is part of Pieces of Koco.

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Pieces of Koco
Objects hold stories and memories. This is what gives them intrinsic value and why I have immense difficulty throwing away or getting rid of things. Ticket stubs to museums represent a whole series of inspiring ideas, a plastic spider ring is the first gift received from a first love, an old biology book actually is the hours spent studying, the smell of the massive library, and the knowledge gained. Discarding the item removes the reminder. And, until recently I believed that disposal dissolves the significance and the evidence of the memory, and my existence.

My fascination with the history of objects and the way things can map time, place, and experience led me to study art history and anthropology. My thesis projects in undergrad and graduate school focused on documentation as art. This project, Pieces of Koco, attempts to continue that work and looks to incorporate as many opportunities as possible to make connections to members of my community, to donate, and to recycle.