A NEW range of soft toys aimed at fashion-conscious youngsters is set to turn the traditional image of dinosaurs as fierce monsters on its head.
''Darlin' Dinos'', as the name suggests, are the first kind of feminine dinosaur toys to be launched, and they are expected to hit the shelves in Hongkong, China and US stores soon, complete with long hair and lipstick.
Saying that the toy business was in many ways a fashion business, Mr Walter Reiling, managing director of Meritus Industries - the producer behind Darlin' Dinos - yesterday said ''it's time for dinosaurs''.
''We've found the charming side of dinosaurs by adding a stylish and fashionable element to the friend-of-the-child toy,'' he said.
Through the different combinations of postures and sizes, there are 40 kinds of products in the series, which will be exhibited during a four-day annual Toys and Games Fair which begins on Thursday.
Mr Reiling said his company would developed an additional 35 kinds of dinosaur toys for boys that would be launched in the second half of this year.
