The Cupertino Courier

Photograph by Skye Dunlap

Valerie Scherrette, 6, gets an eyeful of Tyrannosaurus rex at Vallco Fashion Park.

Please don't feed T-rex

Robotic dinosaurs stomp into Vallco Fashion Park

By Dwana Bain

Four-year-old Grant Dechert playfully teased the apatosaurus as the lumbering beast roared at a knot of spectators.

The young paleontologist wasn't even miffed. Nor was he scared off by the warning signs, which read: "Please don't feed the dinosaurs--they haven't had lunch." Apatosaurs, Dechert pointed out with authority, were strict vegetarians.

"Dinosaurs Alive!" a tour that has received worldwide attention, stomped into Vallco Fashion Park this month for a rare Bay Area appearance.

The month-long exhibit runs through Nov. 2. The tour features eight movable, life-size, sound-producing dinosaurs, including a 17-foot-tall, 42-foot-long Tyrannosaurus rex.

Karie Najemnik, Vallco's marketing director, said the dinosaurs are huge crowd-pleasers.

"Who doesn't love a dinosaur?" Najemnik said. "Some of us hate Barney ... but this is definitely not Barney."

The creatures are created by a team of artists, designers and engineers who worked with a paleontologist to ensure the accuracy of details. Each robotic dinosaur took several months to complete.

Opening day brought out diehard dinosaur fans. Kari Miller, age 4, sat on her mother Kay's shoulders as she pointed to the humongous Tyrannosaurus rex.

"That's the kind of dinosaur I am," she explained. Kari was dressed head-to-toe in T-rex gear. The Millers made a trip from their home in San Jose especially to see the dinosaurs.

In spite of the "do not pet" signs, adults and children alike seem unable to resist petting, poking and grabbing the lifelike creatures, who looked back at spectators with shifting eyes.

In addition to the dinosaurs, the exhibit includes a fossil-digging station and dinosaur artwork stations. Should any children think that the dinosaurs are real, their fears should be alleviated by the Dimetron, a robot whose metallic insides are exposed and whose joints can be manipulated by joystick.

Children can pose for pictures with dinosaurs and choose from an assortment of souvenirs, including bubbles, toys, T-shirts and other dinosaur memorabilia.

But feeding the dinousaurs is still strictly prohibited. Even vegetables.

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