Product Review: Mighty Dinosaurs

The Mighty and Tuffy dog toys, by VIP Products, are unusually sturdy stuffed toys with squeakers. The Mighty toy line is extensive, with several different themes and multiple sizes of toys.

That's a stegosauRu.

I love dinosaurs with the passion of a four-year-old boy. I am also remarkably picky about dog toys because my dogs aren't terribly destructive, and I know those toys are going to be laying around my house for years unless I donate them to the shelter or gift them to a dog friend that is harder on stuffies.

Enter the Mighty Dinosaurs. VIP Products actually has two different toy lines featuring prehistoric creatures.

Now stop biting them for a second and pose, ok?

The Tuffy dinosaurs are as tough as they come. I fell in love with the bright orange Tuffy Pterodactyl when Brisbane was just over a year old. It's huge a heavy with rugged black seams. Little Brisbane enjoyed hauling it around a bit, but he's mostly ignored it during the last couple of years. I waffle between gifting it to a friend with a seriously destructive dog, and tossing it on my couch and calling it a throw pillow.

The Mighty Dinosaurs are a little bit cuter, and a little less sturdy. We have a full-size Brachiosaurus, and the Jr T-Rex, Stegosaurus, and Spinosaurus. Ru's favorite is the Brachiosaurus, most of his favorite toys are bigger than himself. Brisbane prefers the Jr dinosaurs, and likes to hoard them in his lair. This is the only non-edible, non-food-containing toy he considers high enough value to hoard. I assume this is because he knows I love them, therefore they must be special.

Pros: Squeaky, machine washable, and incredibly sturdy. Ours still look brand new, including Pterodactyl at 7 years old. Brisbane says these are very pleasant to bite, for dogs that enjoy biting rather than gnawing or destroying things. Also completely adorable and double as home-decor for the dino-obsessed. (I might actually enjoy these more than the dogs...) There are also dragons, wildlife, a Hydra, and a near-infinite number of other toys in the Tuffy and Mighty lines.

Cons: The Tuffy toys are particularly expensive, though there is a product-tester option for owners of Tuffy-addicts to buy new toys at a discount. The big ones will set you back $50-100 retail. I'm told some of the more elaborate Mighty toys are prone to splitting at the seams, which shouldn't surpise anyone. There's a reason the Tuffys have those ridiculously overbuilt seams and simplified construction.

Bottom Line: These will last longer than any other stuffy out there, and look seriously adorable at the same time. There are dozens of options, make sure you buy some that you like looking at because you'll be seeing them for a very long time.