Flap on over to Ulverstone’s beloved Dinosaur Park to find Robin. As well as being super cute, she also happens to be one of the most controversial Bigs on the planet.
You see, there are two tribes in Ulvo. There are those who believe this happy-go-lucky individual is a pterodactyl (an enormous, furious, flesh-guzzling prehistoric beastie), and those who are resolute that Robin is, well, a robin (a tiny, friendly, berry-munching finch-like creature).
Here’s my theory; Robin shares the park with a big yellow diplodocus, so I believe she started life as a winged thunderlizard, and has subsequently evolved into the mascot for the local Aussie Rules team, the Ulverstone Robins, who play right nextdoor.
Life does, indeed, find a way.
I don’t want to get hate mail from any pouting paleontologists or frothing footy full forwards, so let’s just call her Robin the Pterodactyl and leave it at that.
It’s an appropriate name – within minutes of stepping foot in Ulvo, this beaky babe will be robbin’ your heart!
Rockin’ Robin
Built in the mid-70s, Robin is cute, camp and more than a little cartoonish. Obviously drawing inspiration from the oafish pterodactyls featured in animated television program The Flintstones, the designers didn’t hold back with her bulging eyes and impish grin.
A more animated Big never shall you find.
The pterrific pterodactyl originally had swings hanging from her wings and could spin around like a top. Whilst the swings are long gone she can, apparently, still rotate – something I learnt long after bidding her farewell.
Some contact the Spirit, I’m heading back to Tassie to spin the big bird! Or the winged lizard. Please don’t send me any more death threats, I’m trying my best here.
Robin is a short flap away from Ulverstone’s world-famous Big Globe and another winged wonder – The Big Penguin – is just up the road in (where else?) Penguin. Time to ptero-duck-tyl down and see them – teehee!
When Bigella, Little Peter Poppins and moi visited, Ulverstone was so cold I thought we were entering another ice age – so Robin must’ve felt right at home.
After spending what seemed like 65 million years taking the perfect photo, I gathered the gang around to share one of my famously ribald – yet always family friendly – witticisms.
“Why has nobody ever heard a pterodactyl going to the toilet?” I smirked, waiting a few beats to deliver the punchline. “Because the act of urination is silent!”
“Biggsy,” Peter said gently. “I believe the punchline is, ‘Because the ‘p’ is silent’.”
“You’re pterrible, Peter,” I harrumphed. “We don’t deal in ptasteless humour here at Land of the Bigs.”
“These sorts of jokes come with the pterritory, Bigs,” Peter ptittered. “And I’m having the ptime of my life ptelling them!”
“Boys, boys, boys,” Bigella inpterrupted. “This is becoming a ptense situation. Ptake a break from the pterodactyl jokes or we’ll never have ptime to see all the Big Things in pTassie!”
~ (p)The End ~
