Diictodon, Star of Hollywood

Diictodon- Amphibi-mole

Actually, star of BBC shows Walking with Monsters and an episode of Primeval as stated and shown time and again. Miniscule appearance in popular literature for over 100 years however, and no toys or plush animals- wouldn't that be adorable?- to speak of. How has an animal like this gotten under the radar so easily when we all know that the world loves cute little animals (as opposed to the "EW! Rodents!" version of see these animals) The answer isn't that difficult to figure out when you look at original interpretations and models made prior to those two shows which made them look like amphibians or moles. Would popularity be bestowed on them a lot earlier if they hadn't looked like moles or primitive amphibians? Who's to say really, we can't considering what we've seen is an animal that, when revamped with a new model skin, has become infinitely more popular with the populace of the world in which we live.

Dicynodon and Diictodon

 

One thing driving that, of course, is the sheer size of the animals. Dachshund size animals are generally regarded as cute (look at lap dogs, of which I am not a huge fan). While everyone adores the big beasts of prehistory sometimes it is easy to overlook animals like Diictodon based on their size.Still, why haven't we seen more than two television shows and a handful of skeletons when we know that there are many more skeletons out there? Why don't museums put up displays for them? Think back to the last museum you visited with a really great pre-Mesozoic display. It's difficult to do because very few museums really highlight the Paleozoic or even mention it at all sometimes. It leads to a very difficult road to popularity for Diictodon and it's small neighbors, even some of its large neighbors honestly.

I'm sure toys and plushies and other things will make their way out soon thanks to the on screen appearances of these guys, but for now we have to make due with Sid and Nancy (and sometimes Rex).