Put your hands together for the best dinosaurs in pop culture! Oh wait, if you’re a Tyrannosaurus rex that might be hard to do...Oops! Sorry, T-Rex! We didn’t mean to embarrass you in front of your dinosaur friends.
Every kid — at some point in his or her life — has been obsessed with dinosaurs. Whether you were convinced that a long-forgotten dinosaur (like the Loch Ness Monster) was hiding in the depths of your favorite summer lake, or you cried your eyes out when Littlefoot got separated from his grandparents in The Land Before Time, dinosaurs definitely made up a large part of your childhood. So, let’s head back 66 million years to when dinosaurs ruled the earth...or, maybe, let’s just check out the most memorable dinosaurs from our lifetime instead!
1) Toy Story’s Rex
Rex may not be the most ferocious toy in the toy box, but he is certainly the most lovable.
Pixar’s Toy Story franchise introduced us to favorites like Buzz Lightyear, Woody, and Hamm but there was never a toy quite like Rex.
The timid T-Rex was constantly worried that he would be replaced by a more fearsome dinosaur and admits, “I just don't think I can take that kind of rejection!” I think there is a small part of us that sympathizes with the nervous Rex; insecurities can really make you feel like you’re going extinct sometimes.
Don’t worry though, Rex, keep working on that roar and you’ll be terrifying all the toys in Andy’s room in no time!
2) Nintendo’s Yoshi
Who didn’t want a dinosaur best friend growing up? No one would ever dream of bullying you, you’d be able to reach all the snacks hidden on the top shelf, and you’d never have to ride the school bus ever again. It’s like, “Oh, no thanks, I don’t need a ride. I’ll just take my dinosaur home from soccer practice.” And then you’d fly off into the sunset.
Nintendo made that dream a reality by giving your favorite Mario brother his very own dinosaur best friend, Yoshi! Yoshi always had Mario’s back and he was the best sidekick any plumber could ask for.
We’ve never been able to figure out why Yoshi wore shoes and nothing else...but hey, I guess as one of the last remaining dinosaurs alive, you get a free pass to wear whatever you want.
3) Rugrats’ Reptar
That’s no Godzilla, it’s Reptar! Nickelodeon’s Rugrats understood that every friend group needs a dinosaur hero to look up to.
Tommy Pickles, Chuckie, Phil, and Lil discover Reptar during their first outing to a movie theater to see The Dummi Bears and the Land Without Smiles movie.
The adventurous babies have no interest in seeing the Dummi Bear movie (we are, however, dying to know what happened to all the smiles) and they sneak into a different theater to catch their first glimpse of Reptar, who would become an icon to Tommy and a favorite character in the beloved cartoon series.
4) Jurassic Park
Steven Spielberg's blockbuster hit roared into theaters in 1993 and shook the world with stunning special effects, action-packed adventure, and the makings of every dinosaur-lover’s dream (or nightmare).
The paleontologists Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler team up with mathematician Ian Malcolm to get the first glimpse of the dinosaur theme park, Jurassic Park, created by the billionaire, John Hammond and — in the process — come face to face with a terrifying T. Rex, velociraptors, and more. The Jurassic Park dinosaurs were the first dinosaurs that really terrified us as kids and they made us question if we wanted a dinosaur as a best friend after all...
5) Disney Pixar’s The Good Dinosaur
What would have happened if the meteorite that destroyed the dinosaurs had harmlessly passed by Earth instead?
Disney Pixar’s The Good Dinosaur explores that alternate history through the story of the Apatosaurus named Arlo and the cave boy, Spot.
Arlo struggles to make his mark in the world and overcome his greatest obstacle: fear (it’s okay, Arlo; those chickens were terrifying and we would have run away too).
Nonetheless, Arlo goes on an adventure and — with the help of Spot — discovers that he is braver than he realizes.
Whether you wanted a dinosaur as a best friend, or you had nightmares about finding a T-Rex under your bed, we can all agree that dinosaurs are epic and got a pretty bad deal with that whole going extinct thing. Bummer deal...Just think what they’d be doing today if they were still around?
If you need a little more dinosaur in your day, though, don’t worry because Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom premieres on June 22nd and is sure to give you a dino fix that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Head back to Isla Nublar with Owen Grady, Claire Dearing, and a Fifth Sun Jurassic World t-shirt to find out what is lurking the shadows this time...
