An animal toy features the ability to connect two or more separate toys of varying shape, size, color, and/or texture, together to create larger and more complex toy systems. The animal toy allows an almost endless variety of toy systems to capture the interest as well as challenge and develop the animal's problem solving skills. The animal toys are either solid or include internal chambers for holding and ultimately dispensing food. When two or more toys with the internal chambers are combined the food may flow from the chamber of one toy into another toy several times before exiting the toy system. The increased problem of extracting the food challenges and develops the animal's skills. Moreover, by combining solid and food dispensing toys in random combinations further increases the problem solving skills required to completely extract the food from the toy system.