PBS’s Woolly Mammoth Action Figure Recreates the Majestic Beast at 1:18 Scale

The long-rumored resurrection of the woolly mammoth is close to happening, but it won’t necessarily involve DNA or complex ethical questions. These mammoths will be recreated at 1:18 scale, in plastic, and for educational purposes. Eons, a PBS Digital Studios production, is teaming up with educational hub Complexly and action figure house Creative Beast Studio to unveil a collectible that doubles as a learning tool.

The snugly-coated woolly mammoth, or Mammuthus primigenius, once stood 13 feet tall. Its smaller plastic counterpart is 9 inches tall, 14 inches long (including tusks), and has 24 points of articulation. The mammoth was designed by paleoartist Ross Persichetti to ensure scientific accuracy. It also comes with three interchangeable tusks: one male, one female, and one damaged from locking up with a peer.

“There is enthusiastic demand for high quality, realistic action figures of extinct fauna, and it’s an honor to work with PBS Eons and Complexly to create the first proboscidean action figure line of my career,” Creative Beast Studio founder David Silva said in a statement. “With these woolly mammoths, we’re transporting the engaging, educational content from Eons directly into the hands and hearts of viewers. Built using data from the latest scientific discoveries and painted with colors inspired by modern-day creatures living in similar environments, we know that fans will love this line of prehistoric proboscideans.” 

The team behind the action figure is using crowdfunding site BackerKit to finance the project via a preorder approach. Those pledging $200 will receive just the mammoth. For $225, donors will get exclusive, snow-dusted variants of the adult mammoth and its 3.5-inch-long baby. A $55 pledge buys you a smaller mammoth at 1:35 scale (7.5 inches long and 4.25 inches tall), and $35 nets you the calf. (You can also donate as little as $1, but there will be no mammoths for you.)

The fundraiser is more than two-thirds of the way toward its $185,000 goal as of this writing. The mammoths are expected to ship in late spring of 2025.

As for the real thing: Woolly mammoths marched into extinction 10,000 years ago, but some scientists say resurrection is possible via fossilized chromosomes. The genes giving the mammoth its district traits, like its fluffy coat, could be inserted into the genome of their close counterpart, the African elephant, to act as a surrogate. It may not be an exact match, but it would be close enough to spark both amazement and controversy. Some critics believe reversing nature’s course could result in franken-animals or invasive species.

Fortunately, the plastic mammoth poses no such dangers—aside from the one to your wallet.

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