Dink, the Little Dinosaur

Dink, the Little Dinosaur is an animated series produced by Ruby-Spears Productions. The series originally aired on the CBS Kids block on CBS from 1989 to 1991. It reproduces as a non-Sesame Street segment.

Production

Starting with the second season, the show introduced a weekly segment called “Factasaurus” that taught lessons and fun facts educating children about different dinosaur species.

Several episodes were later combined into the 1989 video movie Dink the Little Dinosaur while further episodes combined to form the Land of No Return in 1994. Its storylines fostered positive behaviors, such as caring about oneself and others, tolerance, ecology, problem-solving and team work.

Plot

The series followed Dink the Apatosaurus as he roams the volcanic landscape of prehistory in a place called Green Meadow.

Characters

Dink (voiced by R.J. Williams) – The main protagonist of the series. He is nice, brave and smart Apatosaurus. Dink has a strong bond with his friends.
Amber (voiced by Anndi McAfee) – A close friend of Dink's, she is like a big sister figure, and the two often work together. She is a Corythosaurus.
Scat^[1]^[2] (voiced by Frank Welker) – A Compsognathus. He is the scaredy-cat friend of Dink's with a humongous appetite. Scat speaks in the third person, and will do just about anything to get at honeyfruit (which is his favorite food). Scat tends to think a lot of Dink's ideas are dangerous. His appetite gets him into trouble a lot.
Shyler (voiced by Ben Ryan Ganger) – A shy friend of Dink's. Shyler is an Edaphosaurus, who talks in a child's voice pronouncing with a "w" instead of an "r". Shyler looks up to Dink, Amber and Crusty. Dink is like an older brother figure to Shyler as Amber is like big sister to him.
Flapper (voiced by S. Scott Bullock) – A jokester friend of Dink's. Flapper is a Pteranodon who tends to be a braggart and he speaks with a slight lisp. He constantly tries to land in water, but always fails.
Crusty (voiced by Frank Welker) – An old turtle (Proganochelys) who mentors the dino youngsters. He often tells the kids stories that often help teach them valuable lessons, and is usually around when they have a problem going on.

Allies

Ariel (voiced by Jennifer Darling) – A white Parasaurolophus (possibly a partial albino) who once saved Amber from Tyrannor. Exceptionally courageous and self-sacrificing, she lives at the Lake of Mists and is viewed by other dinosaurs as an almost supernatural figure.
Uncle Longbeak (voiced by Hamilton Camp) – Flapper's uncle, whom he talks about a lot.
Frill: A female Edaphosaurus friend of Shyler.
Scratcher (voiced by Dick Beals) – A Deinonychus who preferred to eat plants instead of meat.
Red – A Brachiosaurus (Thundermaker) who was really a spirit who lived in the Cave of Spirits.
Earthshaker (voiced by Frank Welker) – An Ultrasaurus who shook the ground when he walked and talked. None too fond of smaller creatures, but willing to return a favor.
Dippo (voiced by Dana Hill) – A Diplocaulus afraid of what other dinosaurs think of his kind. Good friends with Shyler.
Opo – An Opisthocoelicaudia friend of the gang who helps Ariel to escape from Tyrannor.
Dim – A dimwitted Rebbachisaurus friend of the gang.
Tubble & Hubble (voiced by Jim Cummings and Jack Angel) – An old Diplodocus pair of pathfinders for a herd of Diplodocus.
Squirt (voiced by Russi Taylor) – A Stegosaurus who once thought Crusty was his mother.
Shortspike – A Scelidosaurus whose parents were in trouble by a volcano. He is friend with Dink.
Cornelius – An Hypacrosaurus who was a rival of Dink's.
Trail Blazer – An Apatosaurus who used his tail to create Green Meadow and Tarpit Pass (which protects Green Meadow from Hunters like Tyrannor).
- Patch & Ridetail – Trail Blazer's children.
Strongfoot – An Apatosaurus who was Trail Blazer's rival.
Tiny (voiced by Joey Camen) – A Megazostrodon who Dink helps get to a fruit guarded by a bullish Dicraeosaurus.
Brighteyes (voiced by Jodi Carlisle) – A mother Titanosaurus who the gang help to protect her eggs against some Egghunters.
Buttercup (voiced by Billie Hayes) – Crusty's childhood turtle friend.
Beast (voiced by Michael Bell) – A disfigured Saurolophus.
Iggy – A Camptosaurus who Shyler helps find his way home.
Nobbie – A Pachycephalosaurus. He is good friend with Shyler.
Daisy – A Barosaurus who Scat had a crush on.
Brusier – Daisy's boyfriend.
Glowy – A firefly that Shyler wanted to keep.
Melodi (voiced by Kath Soucie) – A Supersaurus (sea dragon) who the gang helps save her mate.
Forest (voiced by Cam Clarke) – A Corythosaurus who once made Dink jealous one time.
Stormfoot (voiced by Dana Hill) – A Centrosaurus who fought Dink in the "Challenge of the Desert" duel.
Jerry – A pink Gerrothorax whose tail gets stuck under a rock and whom Crusty frees.
Mama Triceratops – A Triceratops who once thought Scat was her son.

Villains

Tyrannor – The main antagonist of the series. He is a Tyrannosaurus who chased Dink and his friends all over their prehistoric world. He is feared by every known dinosaur.
Hunters – Various carnivorous dinosaurs that range from Velociraptors, Deinonychus, Megalosaurus, Dromaeosaurus, Gorgosaurus, Allosaurus, Troodon, Albertosaurus, Baryonyx, Dryptosaurus, Dilophosaurus, Spinosaurus, Deinosuchus and Carnotaurus. Most of the Hunters reside in Hunter's Grove.
Scavengers (voiced by Frank Welker) – A flock of villainous Pterosaurs.
Fleetfoot (voiced by Jim Cummings) – An Ornitholestes who hunted Pterosaurs.
Honeyfruit Monster – An evil Iguanodon.
Sharptooth – An Allosaurus who according to Crusty would even scare Tyrannor. He had fought Trail Blazer with the resulting fight creating Green Meadow and Tarpit Pass.
Snakenecks – An Elasmosaurus.
Sandtooth – A Dinilysia.
Watertooth – A Nothosaur.
Shelleater – A Baryonyx. They are known to prey on turtles.
Bolderbuns (voiced by Frank Welker) – An evil Brachiosaurus.
Waterhunters – A Kronosaurus.
Egghunters – Three evil Acanthopholis that targeted the eggs of Brighteyes.
Sharpmouth – An Albertosaurus.
Slidetooth - a Gigantophis.

Points of interest

Cave of Spirits – The spirit of Red lives here.
Cloudtop Mountain – Beast lives here.
Crystal Cavern – A cavern filled with crystals and lava rivers.
Green Meadow – The main setting of the series which was created by Trail Blazer.
Honeyfruit Valley – A valley with a lot of Honeyfruit growing there.
Hunter's Grove – Tyrannor and other Hunters live here.
Tarpit Pass – An area that has a lot of tar pits. It was created by Trail Blazer.
Turtle Creek – Buttercup lives here.
Lake of Mists - A lake always shrouded in fog which meat-eaters won't follow plant-eaters into. Ariel lives there.