Review and images by Suspsy; edited by bmathison1972
African lions (Panthera leo) are by far the most social of wild felids thanks to their practice of living in groups of around 15 to 30 individuals, commonly called prides. The males, with their greater size and distinctive manes, occupy themselves primarily with defending the pride against intruders. But the females, known as lionesses, are the real backbone of the pride, for they are the ones who do most of the hunting and all of the rearing of the cubs.
Not surprisingly then, all of the major animal toy companies have included lionesses and cubs alongside lions. In this review, we’ll take a look at Schleich’s 2019 renditions. The lioness is sculpted in a walking pose with her head turned sharply to look to the left, her mouth closed shut, her left front paw raised in mid-step, her right hind paw extended back, and her tail swinging to the right. She measures about 11 cm long, which puts her out of scale with the much larger CollectA lion in our family’s bulging tub of animal figures (not that any of us mind). A real lioness weighs between 120 and 182 kg while a male weighs between 150 to 250 kg.
Like any proper lioness, this one is coloured in varying shades of light brown with a pale underbelly. Her tail tuft is very dark brown and the pads on her paws are dark grey. Glossy black is used for her claws and the markings on her muzzle, and also to outline her medium brown eyes, her pink nose, and her mouth. Finally, there are thin white streaks under her eyes and white on the tip of her muzzle. Oh, and forgive the scuff marks; this lioness has endured some rough play since her introduction to my two boys. So has the lion as you can plainly see!
The lioness’ fur is sculpted to look short and very fine. Thicker patches are visible insider her ears and on her chest, plus there’s her distinctive bulging tuft. Also bulging are the muscles in her neck and limbs. She looks both strong and swift, and she needs to be both in order to survive and provide for her young. Lionesses hunt cooperatively with each individual filling a certain role in the stalking, the pursuit, and the takedown. And even then, a pride is lucky if their kill rate is above 25%.
The 8 cm long cub figure is also posed in a walking stance with the head turned to the right, the right front paw raised, and the tail pointing straight back. Looks like a relatively older individual next to the mom, but a much younger one in the presence of the aforementioned CollectA dad (but again, no one in our household minds the discrepancy). A set of testes under the tail shows that this youngster is a male.
Our little lion’s fur is lighter than his mom’s with caramel brown spots on his sides and limbs. His eyes and nose are coloured the same, but he also features black patches on the inside and the back of his ears and a black tail tuft. In addition, the fur on his head is distinctly bushier. Combined with his wide eyes, it makes him look decidedly cute.
The rest of the cub’s fur is just as meticulously sculpted and while his limbs appear stumpy, there’s visible musculature as well. A lion cub lives a very hard life despite all its mother’s care and father’s protection. Up to 80% of them do not make it past two years of age. Even if a male like this one survives to become a young adult, he’s likely to be ejected from his pride and have to fend for himself. But with strength, determination, ruthlessness, and a lot of luck, he’ll rise to become ruler of his own pride in time.
Both the Schleich lioness and cub figures are excellent products that ought to please collectors and children alike. They are likely to be found wherever Schleich figures are sold.
