Dippy the dino-star
The story of Dippy, the Museum's much-loved Diplodocus cast, stretches back more than 100 years. Take a look at some memorable moments in pictures.
Dippy on Tour: A Natural History Adventure
In partnership with
Supported by
Dippy, the Museum's iconic Diplodocus cast, has been on tour across the UK.
He has visited eight venues and been seen by over two million visitors, encouraging people to explore and cherish the biodiversity around them.
On this page, we're celebrating the people he met and the things he discovered.
Dorchester
Dippy's tour started at Dorset County Museum, where he took advantage of the local Jurassic Coast to learn more about fossils.
The exhibiton showed how popular Dippy would prove to be - visitor numbers surpassed the venue's annual figures in under three months. A highlight was the farewell parade through the town centre, attended by more than 250 local children.
Birmingham
Dippy's second stop was at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, where the accompanying exhibition examined the relationship between dinosaurs and birds.
Over a quarter of a million people visited Dippy over his 107-day stay, making the tour the most successful temporary exhibition ever at the venue.
Credit: Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, 2018
Belfast
Dippy then crossed the Irish Sea to visit the Ulster Museum. The focus of this exhibition was on the local natural history of Ireland.
Dippy showed how he could draw in new people: the museum had their busiest day ever during the run and a visitor survey discovered that 14% of visitors questioned had never been to the museum before.
Glasgow
Dippy's fourth stop was Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow.
The tour was fulfilling one of its aims of providing access to a star specimen to people who could not travel to London. When surveyed, 86% of visitors questioned said they had not seen Dippy before.
During Dippy's stay at Kelvingrove, the tour surpassed its one-millionth in-person visitor.
Credit: Glasgow Museums
Newcastle upon Tyne
Dippy's spent the summer of 2019 at Great North Museum: Hancock, Newcastle upon Tyne, where the exhibition provided a thought-provoking exploration of the effects of climate change.
The venue saw 51% more visitors than during Dippy's display, with 75% of visitors questioned having never seen Dippy before their visit.
Join local landscape photographer David Taylor as he takes us on a tour of some of his favourite locations around Northumberland.
Underwater cameraman and seal researcher Dr Ben Burville, explains how seals' whiskers help them hunt underwater even in poor visual conditions.
Cardiff
Dippy's sixth stop was at National Museum Cardiff, where the accompanying exhibition explored environmental issues and sustainability.
As in other venues, the tour and the extra visitors it attracted provided important extra income to its hosting museum. Compared to the same period the year before, the museum shop almost doubled its revenue.
Rochdale
Dippy's penultimate stop was at Number One Riverside, Rochdale. The accompanying exhibition was hosted nearby at Touchstones, and explored biodiversity and sustainability.
Although the pandemic meant that the tour did not have a full uninterrupted run, over 175,000 managed to catch Dippy in Rochdale. It was also while in Rochdale that Dippy became a proud owner of an iconic, oversized Blue Peter badge!
Norwich
Dippy's final stop was in the nave atNorwich Cathedral, with accompanying installations situated around the cathedral buildings including the cloisters.
180 volunteers contributed over 9000 hours of time to help with the visit.
Dippy was visited by over 10,000 school children, and 2,000 visitors made pledges for ways they could help the planet.
Credit: © Bill Smith/Norwich Cathedral
Read more about Dippy
3D Dippy skull
Rotate, zoom in and explore the features of this popular dinosaur.
Resources for teachers
We have a range of free learning resources for teachers and home educators, helping 4-11 year-olds explore the natural world both now and in the time of the dinosaurs.