Contrary to popular belief, the white tiger is not its own unique species or sub-species of tiger. In fact, according to Luke Hunter’s Carnivores of the World, all captive white tigers are descended from one wild individual. That individual was a male cub captured in Madhya Pradesh, India, in 1951. Also contrary to popular belief, white tigers are not albinos. They arise from a recessive mutation that not only produces a white pelt, but also and blue eyes that a true albino would lack. White tigers today are immensely inbred to the point where they exhibit an array of genetic mutations and health problems.
As toys, tigers in general are among the most popular and most abundant animal toy figures. Today we’re looking at Schleich’s 2014 white tiger. This exact figure can also be found in your standard orange tiger coloration, if that’s your preference. This one came to me in an eBay lot of toy animals that I bought for my daughter, and I was instantly taken with its excellent craftsmanship.
From nose to tail this tiger measures 5” (12.7 cm) in length and stands 2” (5.08 cm) tall at the shoulder. White tigers are actually Bengal tigers (Panthera tigris tigris) which are native to the Indian sub-continent. Not including the tail Bengal tigers can reach a length of 6.6’ (2.0 meters) which would put this figure at 1/20 in scale. Male Bengal tigers are larger than females and capable of weighing over 500 lbs. (227 kg). This figure is anatomically identifiable as a male.
The Schleich white tiger is presented in a fairly static pose with the left paws positioned forward of the right as if the cat was moving forward. The head is hung low with the mouth slightly open, and the shoulders prominently bulging upwards. The tail hangs low with the tip curving upwards and the tail is directly attached to the right leg. It’s your classic cat-in-motion posture and it’s well executed here.
The detail work is admirable with the teeth and tongue visible within the open mouth, tufts of hair around the cheeks, and nicely sculpted foot pads. Loose skin hangs along the figure’s underside and in cats this is what’s known as a primordial pouch. Fine hair is etched into the sculpt and faithfully follows the various contours of the cat’s muscular body. Longer hair is sculpted around the face, neck, and along the pouch on the underside.
The figure is painted white with black stripes, as you would expect, but the white isn’t a pristine white and has a faint brown wash over it. The foot pads, tongue, and nose are pink and the area above the nose has a light brown wash. The eyes are blue with round black pupils.
In looking at the various tigers currently in production I have come to the conclusion that the Schleich tiger is definitely among the best. It’s a beautiful sculpt that hits all the marks, is lifelike, and anatomically sound. That said, there are other excellent tiger figures out there, so if you’re only looking for the one definitive tiger I would suggest some comparison shopping. You can’t go wrong with this one though. The Schleich tiger is currently in production and retails for about $7.00.
oh wow. I was never a fan of ‘white’ versions of things like lions and tigers, but this one is very well done, indeed!
…I went back and researched the orange version of this figure, as I contemplated replacing my Papo tiger with it. Unfortunately, it’s a bit small compared to my other big cats (while not super scale-conscious, I can’t have my tiger the smallest of my big cats haha). Otherwise, it is one of the best tiger figures I’ve seen!
Since this one technically belongs to my kid, and I would rather display an orange tiger, I’ve considered getting the orange version of this very same toy. I too would prefer a tiger larger in scale though.