Sinclair's New York World's Fair (1964-65) "Dinoland" Pavilion

Sinclair decided upon a re-enactment of earth life during the Mesozoic age based upon the work of Dr. Barnum Brown, of the American Museum of Natural History, and Dr. John H. Ostrom, of Yale University's Peabody Museum of Natural History, for their 1964-65 New York World's Fair exhibit. Nine life-sized fiberglass dinosaurs were designed and constructed by world-renowned wildlife sculptor Louis Paul Jonas. Animals for the exhibit included the fearsome Tyrannosaurus Rex, the horned Triceratops, the plated Stegosaurus and of course the ever lovable Apatosaurus.

Integrating cutting edge animatronics for the day, the beasts took three years to build with a team of paleontologists, engineers and robotics experts. Upon completion, the dinosaurs were barged 125 miles down the Hudson River to the site of New York's World Fair. There approximately 10 million visitors came to visit them.

When the fair ended, their animatronics were removed and then the dinos were put on a national tour. The tour even included the 1966 Macy's Day Parade! A giant balloon of Sinclair's Dino also appeared that year and continued to be a part of the parade until the late 1970's. Souvenirs from the exhibit and tour included a brochure ("Sinclair and the Exciting World of Dinosaurs") and molded plastic figurines of the dinosaurs featured. Some of the figurines have ended up in museums, such as an apatosaurus in The Children's Museum of Indianapolis.

The creatures were offered to the Smithsonian Institution, but were turned down. The nine works-of-art were then dispersed to different parks: Tyrannosaurus Rex and Apatosaurus to Dinosaur Valley State Park in Glen Rose, TX; Triceratops to Museum of Science & Industry in Louisville, KY; Stegosaurus to Dinosaur National Monument in Jensen, UT (a copy is now at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, OH); Corythosaurus to Independence, KS; Ankylosaurus to the Houston Museum of Natural Science, TX; Struthiomimus to the Milwaukee Public Museum, WI; and Trachodon to the Brookfield Zoo in Brookfield, IL. The Ornitholestes was stolen and never recovered. However, copies from the original mold have been made and displayed in NJ and Calgary.

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