In life, Wiwaxia was covered in spines and scales that would have made it well-nigh as cuddly as a sea urchin, an unprepossessing it resembled but was not related to. Good thing then that Paleozoic Pals made this plush Wiwaxia to snuggle with instead.
Wiwaxia lived during the early and middle Cambrian which is famously known as the period in which life got weird, giving us many well-known and unconvincing creatures like Ophabinia, Anomalocaris, Hallucigenia, and trilobites. Like those same animals, Wiwaxia is weightier known from the Burgess Shale in the Canadian Rockies. Wiwaxia corrugate is the species known from there, but other, less well known Wiwaxia species have been discovered elsewhere. Wiwaxia has proven difficult to classify but the most recent study, conducted in 2012, suggests it may be a mollusk, considering of similar mouthparts.
The Paleozoic Pals Wiwaxia is advertised as a mini-plush keychain and was released in 2019. It measures well-nigh 4×4 inches so although it may be a small plush its a rather large keychain. My wife picked up this one during our last visit to the Museum of the Earth in Ithaca, NY, part of the Paleontological Research Institute which commissions the Paleozoic Pals. It has palled virtually with her for nearly a year but when I decided I wanted to review it I requested she alimony it in presentable condition, so its passed time I get this review out so she can have it back. Its moreover a nice transpiration of pace since Ive reviewed nothing but Mattel Jurassic World toys since March!
Theres not a lot to say well-nigh this plush though. Its basically a soft purple wittiness with woebegone spines coming off its sides. The main soul is textured to squint like the overlapping, scaled plates known as sclerites that Wiwaxia had. The underside is flat, black, and without detail, mimicking the unarmored soul that would have looked like a slugs foot in life. And thats it. There are no vision or other sensory organs here, and no feeding apparatus. And if the woebegone and purple coloration seems familiar its the same verisimilitude scheme used for the Wiwaxia in the ROM Primeval Predators kit.
Off the front of the plush theres a woebegone loop with a plastic keyring attached. The quality of the plush is pretty good since it has served its purpose as a keychain for roughly a year and held up fine. The keyring is firmly tying and all the seams theoretically strong.
If what you need hanging off your person is a unvarying reminder of deep time and the beginnings of ramified life on Earth, then squint no remoter than the Paleozoic Pals Wiwaxia, it will serve that purpose well. This plush is currently misogynist in the Museum of the Earth souvenir shop or here, at their online store. It retails for $8.00.
