What started your interest in dinosaurs?

This big ass mofo right here.

My dad told me that Bowser was a dinosaur when I was 3, and now he's my second favourite Nintendo character, second to Bowner Jr that is.

I LOVE THAT GAME

Hmm, what didn't get me into dinosaurs. Walking With Dinosaurs was probably the first documentary I ever watched, Jurassic Park played a big role, Land Before Time did as well, etc. I guess I was born with an interest(some would say obsiession) in dinosaurs.

This guy:

I went to the Museum of Ancient Life here in Utah, and saw the fighting T-rex's exhibit, and my mind was blown ever since I was three. Now of course through my life my fav dino has changed from rex to raptor to spino to triceratops eventually deciding on T-rex when I was ten after reading about how epic it was. ;)

Hmm... Let me go get some memories.....

     I'm back. When I was three, my mom showed me some outdated dinosaur picture books. Then I got vintage 1985 dinosaur figurines. (How the heck does CVS get 1985 dinosaurs?!) After that I saw WWD Arena Spectacular, and it was one event after another after then.

Eight yearas later I'm still the biggest dinosaur lover at my school! :D

Wow, thanks guys!

@Rex Fan- Me too, especially playing with toy figurines. Aww, I had HUNDREDS of toy dinosaurs...

@Primal King- Yeah, originally I was a Rex Fan but then I researched more about Spino and now SPino is my favorite! A year ago I was much more of a Raptor fan.

@Sci-fi King- Me too. No one else shares an interest with dinosaurs at my school...

What was the first museum you guys ever went to? For me, it was the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, PA(before it's updating). The Allosaurus they have was the first dinosaur I saw. I thought it was huge. Then I caught a glimpse of the Tyrannosaurus towering in the background and my jaw dropped. I think I was 5 or 6.

Original Mount...

Current Display...

First T. rex pic is the type specimen and it's the one with it's mouth open wider in the current display(it measures over 39 feet long and probably weighed over 8 tons when alive).

Nice pictures. I remember whenPeople thought T-rex stood like that. Can never watch the Land Before Time the same way ever again, since they have the T-rex walking like that.

Well... I guess I grew up in the time when dinosaurs were on the brink of their extinction from popularity. 

Having family in the oil business and living where I do (Near the Royal Tyrell In drumheller alberta) I was littlerally thrown into the dinosaur world.

Here I am, After my earliest recollection fo going to The tyrell, About 12 years ago now I believe.... Still A dinosaur fan... 

Hopefully Jurassic World will do SOMETHING to give rebirth to dinosaur popularity.

My GrandMother had given me some Dinosaur toys when I was like 2 or 3 and I just loved them. I collected more and more, then I finally descicied that I wanted to be a Paleontologist and I have wanted to be that ever since.

yah, but these days you won't get that much money...

I know, but it's my passion so I will strive to achieve that goal.

Sigh.................................................

Land before time THEN jp THEN walking with dinosaurs THEN.... yeah you get the idea

I can't remember it that well, but I think that it all started with me seeing the DVD for Dinosaur Planet (the episode with the Daspletosaurus) in a store. My parents bought it and I watched it and then I fell in love with dinosaurs.

I second that, Smaug - For me it started with Land before Time, then I went to the natural history museum in DC when I was like 4 or 5.  Soon after I was hooked on the Jurassic Parks, and I have like 50-something dinosaur toys and figurines.

I'm also considering a career in paleontology, but I could also go the architecture route.

The Land Before Time was huge for me. I loved those movies, but still, Super Mario started it for me. I actually lost interest for a few years, but then I discovered this site, and since then, I don't give a damn if my friends think I'm stupid for liking dinosaurs (and by my friends, I mean the asshole that hangs out with the same people as me). 

I'm considering a career in Paleontology, but (always a but) I've been informed by my neighbour (her son is a police officer) that I have a shot at being a sniper. See what I did there? With having a shot at being a sniper? 

Now that I think about it, aren't there LITERALLY 13 Land Before Time movies?

Yes, Raptor, sadly there's 13. The last about 6 or so were pointless. I also enjoyed hour after hour in my room with a launfry basket full of dinosaurs.

Yah, hopefully they stopped...

Yes. They were fine at first, now down right annoying and pointless.

(And Mr.Happy [up there] I did see what you did there. It was rather amusing.)