Aleut

Appearance
Aleut is a dappled gray hippocampus stallion with a long, silvery mane with two strands bound by brown straps. His body also has a layer of insulating blubber that keeps him warm in the cold.

Personality
Whenever Aleut is stumped on how to achieve his dreams, he lets his unconscious mind mull it over for a while. In time, his vision becomes clear!

Magical Gift
As a hippocampus, Aleut can swim and likely breathe underwater. He can also survive the freezing waters he calls home; in fact, Aleut loves the cold!

Seal
Aleut has a special connection to the seals he shares his home waters with. They often spend their days swimming, diving, and gliding across the ice together.

The Name Game
The tribe this steed is based on are located on the seventy Aleutian Islands that extend 1,000 miles southwest from Alaska. Russians named this tribe Aleuts. They call themselves Unangan, which means “The People.”

During World War II some Aleuts were captured by the Japanese and held as prisoners of war. Traditional Aleuts were exceptional maritime hunters, using harpoons to catch prey, which consisted of whales, otters, sea lions and seals. They built light, flexible boats called kayaks. Aleuts built and lived in underground houses called barabaras. Barabaras were camouflaged to blend in with the surrounding ground, making them almost undetectable. Aleuts made jewelry out of ivory, bone and feathers. Aleuts developed techniques for surviving harsh arctic winters. During the summers the Aleuts would travel inland to fish for salmon and live in temporary dwellings. Today Aleuts still live in Alaska, where 44 million acres of federal land was set aside for Alaska’s Inuit and Aleut populations.

Promo Info
Aleut could be found in the June/July 2008 issue of the Discovery Girls Magazine. According to some collectors, they were a Dollar Store Discovery Girls Magazine exclusive, although this info has not been confirmed.

Inspirational Message
English: "Give your imagination time, and it will find a way."

French: "Laisse le temps à ton imagination: elle finira par t’amener à la solution."

Italian: "Dai tempo alla tua immaginazione, ed essa troverà la strada."