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4''Dino Dan'' is a live action television series on both TVO in Canada and Nick Jr. in the US.
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6It follows the adventures of a young boy named Dan (Creator/JasonSpevack) who is obsessed with dinosaurs. He lives and breathes dinosaurs. He seems to be the only one who is able to see the dinosaurs in his neighborhood, though it's never explained how he's able to, whether they are real or simply products of his imagination.
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8After a brief hiatus, it was revived as ''Dino Dan: Trek's Adventures,'' this time focusing on Dan's younger brother taking up Dan's "mantle". It also now has a counterpart on Amazon called ''Dino Dana'', starring Creator/MichelaLuci.
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10!! The show provides examples of the following tropes:
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12* AdaptationSpeciesChange: In the episode "Big Bad Spinosaurus" Dan retells the story of Little Red Riding Hood with a Spinosaurus in place of the wolf to his reading buddy.
13* AerithAndBob: Trek is an unusual name (most likely a pun on ''T. rex'') and Dan is a common real name.
14* AmazingTechnicolorWildlife: Most of the dinosaurs are very colourful.
15%% * AnnoyingYoungerSibling: Trek, especially in the episode where he makes a point of [[IrritationIsTheSincerestFormOfFlattery mimicking his older brother]].
16* ArtisticLicensePaleontology:
17** Oddly enough for an educational show, the episode "Moody Dino" teaches something factually incorrect -= that stegosauruses' plates could change color, HollywoodChameleon style. This was likely based on a now-discredited hypothesis that the plates contained blood vessels that could be used to flush blood into them for display or temperature control. We now know they were covered in a layer of keratin, making this impossible.
18** The ''Quetzalcoatlus'' is bipedal and eats fish. The ''Pterodactylus'' can carry a golf ball with its feet. Both are scaly.
19%% * CallARabbitASmeerp: The Dinocorder, in particular.
20* ChristmasEpisode: The episode includes a rhyme that is set to the same meter as "A Visit from St. Nicholas."
21* CreativeClosingCredits: Footage of dinosaurs alternates with the end credits.
22* DisappearedDad: Dan and Trek's father is said to be working in a museum in Alberta, British Columbia.
23%% * FairCop: Dan and Trek's mother.
24%% * {{Gasshole}}: The ''Brachiosaurus''.
25* GiganticAdultsTinyBabies: Often Dan will see mother dinosaurs with their offspring, which are much, much smaller than their parents. In "Prehistoric Zoo", Dan carries a baby ''T. rex'' in the top half of his backpack, then sends it to join its mother whose ''toes'' are bigger than it.
26%% * GreatBigBookOfEverything: Dan's field guide, which gets [[OnceAnEpisode regular updates]].
27%% * ISeeThemToo: Trek, Dan, and the dinosaurs.
28* InstrumentalThemeTune: Very rare for contemporary children's programming.
29* InsistentTerminology: It's Dinocorder, not recorder.
30* {{Kiai}}: Dan's family has adopted karate as a hobby.
31* KidsLoveDinosaurs: The titular Dan is a young boy who loves dinosaurs. The same applies to his younger brother Trek.
32* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: It's kept ambiguous whether the dinosaurs are real or Dan is imagining them. In the sequel series, Dan acts like Trek is imagining them and he's just playing along.
33* MeaningfulName: Mr. Paluxy, the art teacher. The [[https://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/dinosaur-valley Paluxy]] is a river in Texas with very well-preserved dinosaur tracks.
34* RaptorAttack: The ''Dromaeosaurus'' and ''Velociraptor'' do have feathers, but they're the wrong kind (they should be pennaceous, not protofeathers) and should have wings. Also, the palms face the wrong way (they should face each other, not the body).
35* RogerRabbitEffect: The setting and human characters are live-action, while the dinosaurs are animated in CGI.
36* SeriousBusiness: Dan's passion for palaentology is truly noteworthy.
37* ShoutOut: In an episode of ''Dino Dana'' Saara borrows Dana's backpack to teach her a lesson. Dana looks at the camera and mutters [[Franchise/JurassicPark 'clever girl']].
38* SomethingPerson: Dino Dan himself.
39* SpinosaurusVersusTRex: Downplayed in the episode "Ready? Set? Dino!". A ''Tyrannosaurus'' and a ''Spinosaurus'' compete for the same prey and have a dispute in front of Dan, but they don't exactly come to blows and simply roar at each other instead. Later in the episode, Dan sets up a race opposing the two dinosaurs in order to determine which one is the fastest. The T. rex ends up winning by a few seconds.
40** This occurs between a mother ''Tyrannosaurus'' defending her baby and the kids from an attacking ''Spinosaurus'' in ''Film/DinoDanaTheMovie ''

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