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 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

 * Sid Turtlepuss-type
 * The short, brown turtle-like dinosaur, 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, Jean-Claude, Muse, clerk (311), and the UFO! Show host (320).


 * Mr. Pullman-type
 * The tall, needlenosed, purple dinosaur used most often as Mr. Pullman the science teacher, and the Unisaur, outside of Mindy, most often used for female characters. This Unisar was used for the doctor (201), Glenda Molehill, Hank the salesman (212, Heather, Dr. Herder, the inspector (412)


 * Fat brown horned dinosaur
 * This Unisaur is, a bulky character 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, Richard (dinosaur), Andre, Dolf, Ray Gherkin, and (sans horn) as Shelly


 * Green dinosaur 
 * This expressive, more lizard-like Unisaur was used most often as one of Earl's co-workers. However, he also surfaced in the role of Mel Luster, Buddy Glimmer, Dr. Ficus, The Dinosaur Devil, and Walter Sternhagen. In the final season, this type was used for an assortment of clerks, flunkies, and blue-collar types, normally voiced by Thom Sharp and, with the exception of Decker, with the same two puppeteers, Dave 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, 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.

Handpuppet Dinosaurs
The handpuppet 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 Howard Handupme, but some of the more notable variations include the following:


 * Frilled dinosaur
 * Including: Elder in Chief, Judge D. X. Machina, Mr. Harold Heffer, Elder #2 (309), the shopper (215), and others


 * Crinkly, humanoid-faced dinosaur
 * Including: Chief Elder in several episodes (with different voices), Mr. Ashland, Edward R. Hero, Winston, the judge in "Charlene's Flat World", and others.


 * Gray, bronto-esque faced dinosaur
 * Including: Mr. Lizard and others.


 * Cleft-chinned, T-rex-esque dinosaur
 * Including: Captain Heroic, assorted newscasters/reporters, and others.


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


 * Duckbilled blue dinosaur
 * Including: sitcom wife (318), the Richard Simmons Dinosaur (301), and others.


 * Stegosaurus
 * Including: Government clerk (221), newsboy (309), USO soldier/stagehand (219, 220), and others.

Handpuppet Prey Creatures
This class was used for the many refrigerator creatures, restaurant appetizers, and other food-related creatures, or for wild animals in forest scenes. These include variations on Arthur Rizzic, a mouse-like creature used for Kyle and General Chow's assistant Cupcake, and even Gunge from Fraggle Rock (with different eyes).