When you make a kids collection featuring dinosaurs, you want someone with T-Rex-size talent. So Hallmark Baby Creative Director Marie G. called in Hallmark Designer Colin W.: “He’s a rad dad. Colin pulls inspiration from his experience really bring to life the untethered world of a kid’s imagination. I love his infectious enthusiasm for life in general—he’s the perfect partner to illustrate our Dinos and Botanicals collection.”

Colin: I love dinosaurs. It’s because I grew up in Florida, and there are lizards all over the place—like little miniature dinosaurs. We’d catch them and put them on our ears like earrings.

We have lots of dinosaur toys for my son, Finn: Transformers that are dinosaurs that turn into robots.

They’re these amazing creatures: the size of them, how long they were on earth, the size and stature of all the plant life back then, how hot is was. I appreciate the history a lot more now. I read a lot more. When I was a kid, I just wanted to see pictures. Now it’s really fun to find out different information—I guess I’m a grown up.

Still, all the dinosaurs I put on one page weren’t even around at the same period. I did a growing chart and I originally put a little cave man next to the dinosaur. I was looking for pictures, and with the popup books and really accurate stuff, you can get overwhelmed. So I just…there’s a lot of stuff from my imagination. I ended up looking at a lot of toys. If I’m having trouble drawing, I kinda gravitate towards vintage toys. It helps break the shapes down and simplify things.

I don’t know why they’re changing all the dinosaur names now.

This Dinos and Botanicals project was really organic. I did a bunch of ‘sauruses for Hallmark’s kids collections. Marie contacted me and said, “OMG, do you have any more?” And then [Hallmark Baby Designer] Allison S. really took it and ran with it—really brought the collection to life.

The team does a really good job. Everything is really high quality. Why isn’t that shirt for me?

I wish they made adult versions of it.

Shop the Dinos & Botanical collection

Good news, Colin: Marie says “We just might make him a man-boy size botanicals shirt if he promises to wear it to the lunch room and eat jello and chicken nuggets with us.”

What are your kids super-into right now? (We were also #TeamDino.) Tell us on Instagram at @think.make.share and on Facebook.

— Colin W.