Flickr Find: Toy Terrariums

Cruising around Flickr, we came across this delightful play on terrariums--small toy animals in recycled jars. We think these are a fun way to put a collection of small objects on display, and like the slight scientific feel it gives the toys...

8.3.09 toy terrarium 2.jpg Apartment Therapy reader lipstickonyourteeth has a great flickr set of her toy animal collection displayed on the mantel above her fireplace. Having saved different sizes of jars, she found this to be a great way to cohesively display her collection of zoo animals. We think it gives the toys a little bit more weight as objects. We also like the fact that the animals in jars allude to specimens preserved in formeldahyde...which gives a very childlike collection a little more of an edge---we like!

We've got a small collection of plastic army men, cowboys, and astronauts that we might try this approach with...

Comments (15)

How cute! I recently put my dad's old Noah's Ark in a mini-aquarium (used for hermit crabs) with sand. It looked so cute I was thinking about using it as the center piece for my table.

posted by brandias on August 3rd 2009 at 5:12pm
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Its okay to grow up.

posted by obdimples on August 3rd 2009 at 5:13pm
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They don't look very happy

posted by Comicgeek on August 3rd 2009 at 5:19pm
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Agree with Comicgeek - I find these kind of depressing and creepy!

posted by undercover on August 3rd 2009 at 5:24pm
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this is the most tacky thing ever featured on Apartment Therapy.

posted by tallen5 on August 3rd 2009 at 5:24pm
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Looks like homemade snowball globes - but someone forgot the water and glitter....

posted by bepsf on August 3rd 2009 at 5:36pm
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I love it! I'd much rather see toy animals in jars than formerly alive ones stuffed. Or animal heads on wall. Now that's creepy!

posted by modernguy on August 3rd 2009 at 6:09pm
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This makes me sad for the toys. They look so trapped.

I do agree that it is infinitely less creepy than taxidermy. But isn't creepiness the appeal of taxidermy?

posted by Cassis on August 3rd 2009 at 6:35pm
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set them free!

posted by zapzap on August 3rd 2009 at 6:49pm
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Well if this makes anyone sad, I won't tell you what my cousins used to do with their G.I Joe figures. Let's just say, Hasbro could have made a Walter Reed line.

posted by modernguy on August 3rd 2009 at 7:04pm
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Completely creepy.

posted by kacran on August 3rd 2009 at 7:05pm
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They are not toys......that is all I can safely say.

posted by sciteach on August 3rd 2009 at 9:04pm
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They had this as a DIY project in Martha Stewart magazine years ago and even showed how to make them into glitter water globes.

posted by jgphotomom on August 3rd 2009 at 11:00pm
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Certainly dusting becomes less complicated, without having to go into all the crevices...

posted by mribaro on August 4th 2009 at 3:25am
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I think it's a rather cute vignette for a rarely used/decorative nook. I especially like the escaped swan.

posted by bewarethebaobabs on August 4th 2009 at 9:35am
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