Unisaurs

Unisaurs are the innumerable supporting characters on Dinosaurs. Rather like the Anything Muppets and Whatnots, the Unisaurs are recycled, with variations in costume and occasional cosmetic alteration, for the many guest characters, background extras, and minor recurring characters. These characters can be divided between full body puppets, of which there were only five or six, and hand puppets, of which there were a dozen or more. Unisaurs were created and used to ease the production staffs need to populate a world of dinosaurs week after week. Changing costumes and occasionally features on an exisiting dinosaur was a lot faster (and cheaper) than creating individual and unique dinosaurs for every individual role. Without the Unisaur, Dinosaurs would not have been able to keep the world populated and the show going.

Full-body Dinosaurs

Turtlepuss

Needlenose

Spikeback

Longsnout

Female dinosaur

• Turtlepuss

The short, brown turtle-like Psittacosaurus, used most frequently for Earl's co-worker Sid Turtlepuss. The body type was reused for the ancient Dinosaur Chief (103), the insurance agent (202), the folksinger (203), Frank, General H. Norman Conquest, Crazy Lou, Myman, Larry, Bettleheim, Parish, Hank, Zabar, Ted Hardshell, Jean-Claude, Muse, clerk (312), and the UFO! Show host (320).

• Needlenose

The tall, needlenosed, deep blue Troodon used most often as Mr. Pulman (the science teacher), Ralph Needlenose (another of Earl's Wesayso co-workers), and the Unisaur, outside of Mindy, most often used for female characters. This Unisaur was used for the doctor (201), Glenda Molehill, Hank the salesman (212, Heather, Dr. Herder, the inspector (412)

• Spikeback

This Unisaur is, a bulky Ceratosaurus with striped tail and back, and a prominent nose horn. It was first used, sans horn, for The Job Wizard. It also surfaced as the Grown Up Baby, Bob (DMV Worker), Gus Molehill, Al Harris, Lucius, Gus Spikeback (another one of Earl's co-workers), Richard (dinosaur), Andre, Dolf, Ray Gherkin, Frau Woodhouse and (sans horn) as Shelly.

• Longsnout

This expressive, more lizard-like Dryptosaurus was used most often as one of Earl's co-workers Ed (dinosaur). However, he also surfaced in the role of Mel Luster, Buddy Glimmer, Stu Boombird, Dr. Ficus, Ty Warner, The Babysitter, The Dinosaur Devil, Ansel and Walter Sternhagen. In the final season, this type was used for every character voiced by Thom Sharp, an assortment of clerks, flunkies, blue-collar types and assistants. With the exception of Decker, all of these characters also had the same two puppeteers, David Greenaway and Pons Maar).

• Mindy-type female dinosaur

This Unisaur, with detailed eyelashes, a smaller snout, a crest akin to hair, and lighter-hued skin, was used most often as Mindy, but also showed up as Caroline Foxworth, Sally, Trish and other specifically female characters. It had a fleshy pink with pastel stripes, the body type occasionally surfaced in a light green as well. Another female dinosaur, similar to this one but with speckled snout and other adornments, surfaced as Thighs of Thunder and Wendy Richfield.

• Unnamed Female Light Green Unisaur

A female Dryosaurus with a short snout, eyelashes, hair-like three crest.

Hand-Puppet Dinosaurs

The hand puppet dinosuar characters were used most often as television personalities, elders or officials, audience extras, and other characters who could legitimately be shown only from the waist up. There were at least a dozen or so of this type, in addition to unique characters such as Howard Handupme, but some of the more notable variations include the following:

• Frilled blue Bagaceratops

Including: Elder in Chief, Judge D. X. Machina, Mr. Harold Heffer, Elder #2 (310), the shopper (216), and others

• Frilled green Leptoceratops

A green dinosaur with a large muzzle.

• Crinkly, green humanoid-faced Moschops

  

  Crinkly-green humanoid-faced Moschops

Including: Chief Elder in several episodes (with different voices), Mr. Ashland, Edward R. Hero, Winston, the judge in "Charlene's Flat World", Grandpa Louie, John McGlutton, Mr. Mason Dixon, Dr. Elliott Piaget and others.

• Gray, Iguanodon

  

  Mr. Lizard a Iguanodon

Including: Mr. Lizard and others.

• Cleft-chinned, Albertosaurus

  

  Cleft-chinned Albertosaurus

Including: Captain Heroic, assorted newscasters/reporters, and others.

• Timmy-type Mussaurus

Including: many child characters; most notably, Mr. Lizard's assistant Timmy. Two variations existed: a green one and a blue one.

• Duckbilled blue Edmontosaurus (male)

the Richard Simmons Dinosaur (301), and others.

• Duckbilled blue Edmontosaurus (female)

Similar to the male version, the female version had a slightly bigger muzzle and more feminine features.

Including: sitcom wife (302)

• Brown needlenose

A slightly-cross-eyed Coelophysis with a thin beak-like muzzle.

Used for Mr. Otto Lynch

• Stegosaurus

Including: Government clerk (221), newsboy (310), USO soldier/stagehand (219, 220), and others.

• Crested brown Corythosaurus

Including the DTV host, "Guy in the Lab Coat" (310, jury foreman (405), and others.

• Parasaurolophus

Used mostly for female characters. First appeared in 222.

• Velociraptor

Used during the final season.