Dinosaur Pillows: Shaped or Square, Which Size, and When to Order

There are two kinds of people shopping for a dinosaur pillow. One has a kid who wants to sleep next to a Triceratops. The other has a sofa that needs a T. rex on it. Both are fair, and they call for different pillows.

We make both kinds. Below is what's actually in the range, what each size is good for, how they're made, and the date to order by if one is going under the tree. Every size, price and shipping time here comes from the live product listing.

The short version

Six shaped designs and three square ones, all in our dinosaur pillow collection.

Dinosaur-shaped pillows: the ones kids pick

A shaped pillow is cut to the outline of the dinosaur. No square around it, so it reads as a character more than a cushion. That's why it works as a bedtime buddy.

There are six, named for what they are:

• Baby Dino: a baby dinosaur, and a natural pick for a toddler's first big-kid bed.
• Triceratops: horns and a frill make a silhouette even a three-year-old can name.
• Ankylosaurus: the armoured one with the tail club, for the kid who has already told you it's their favourite.
• Cute Hatched Dino: a newly hatched baby dinosaur.
• Dino Friends: for the kid who can't pick just one.
• Dino Nuggie: a dinosaur chicken nugget. For the nugget-only eater, or the adult who finds that funny. It's slightly cheaper: $31.99 medium, $33.99 large.

Each listing shows the actual print, so look at the photos before you choose.

How they're made

All six are built the same way, and it's worth knowing before you buy:

• 100% polyester, soft and plush rather than firm.
• 3″ to 5″ thick. That's a squashy decorative pillow, not a sleeping pillow. It won't replace the one under their head.
• Printed on one side only, with a solid white back. Face it outward on the bed.
• Sealed, with no zipper. There's no cover to take off and nothing for small fingers to unzip. The flip side is that you can't swap or wash a cover separately.
• Printed to order on a blank sourced in the USA, and they ship to US addresses only.

Which size dinosaur pillow?

Size is the decision people get wrong most often, so here's how the three work in practice:

• Small (10″ × 10″), $29.99. About the size of a dinner plate. It's the one a toddler can carry from room to room, and the one that fits in a car seat or a backpack for a sleepover. If it's for a two- to four-year-old, start here. (We cover what else fits that age in our guide to dinosaur gifts for 3 year olds.)
• Medium (16″ × 16″), $31.99. The all-rounder. Big enough to hug, small enough to live on a twin bed without taking it over. For a school-age kid, this is the one.
• Large (22″ × 22″), $33.99–$34.54. This is a statement. On a sofa or a full-size bed it looks great. On a toddler bed it takes up most of the room.

The step from small to large is under $5, so pick on size, not price.

Square dinosaur throw pillows for grown-up rooms

If the dinosaur pillow is for you, or for a living room rather than a kid's bedroom, the square pillows are the better fit. They look like proper throw pillows, with a print on the front instead of a shape.

• Jurassic Fuji: the widest size range, with four squares (14″, 16″, 18″ and 20″) from $34.99 to $40.99.
• Pink Retro T-Rex: 18″ and 22″ squares, plus a 20″ × 12″ lumbar that sits along a headboard or the back of an armchair. $34.99 to $38.99.
• American Pride T-Rex: one size, $34.99. A good fit for the Fourth of July as well as Christmas.

These are made differently from the shaped ones: a 100% polyester cover with a concealed zipper, and the polyester insert is included. You get a finished pillow, not just a case.

Shaped vs square at a glance

Ordering a dinosaur pillow for Christmas

Each pillow is printed when you order it, so it isn't sitting on a shelf. The shaped pillows list 2–5 business days of production plus 4–13 business days of shipping. That adds up to as much as 18 business days.

Working back from the slowest estimate, order a shaped pillow by November 27 for it to arrive by December 23. Order earlier if you can: most arrive well inside that window, but the slow end of an estimate is the one that matters in December.

If you're building a whole dinosaur Christmas around it, our dinosaur Christmas guide covers the rest, from ornaments to stockings.

Pair it with a blanket

A pillow on its own is a good gift. A pillow with a matching blanket is a whole bed makeover. Our dinosaur blankets include hooded blankets that a kid can wear around the house, and they sit naturally next to a shaped pillow on a bed.

Dinosaur pillow FAQ

Can a child sleep on a dinosaur pillow? They're decorative pillows, 3–5″ thick and soft. Fine for cuddling and lounging. For a toddler's sleeping pillow, use one made for that and keep this one as the bedtime buddy.

Is there a T. rex pillow? Yes. Two of the square pillows are T. rex prints: Pink Retro T-Rex and American Pride T-Rex.

Does the cover come off? On the square pillows, yes: there's a concealed zipper. The shaped pillows are sealed, with no zipper and no removable cover.

Is the back printed too? On the shaped pillows, no. The print is on the front and the back is plain white.

Do you ship outside the US? The shaped pillows ship to US addresses only, according to their listings.

What size is best as a gift for a kid? Small (10″) for toddlers, medium (16″) for school-age kids. The large is for teens, adults and sofas.

Ready to choose? Browse every dinosaur pillow in one place.