POP Rafiki Holding Baby Simba (Flocked) (The Lion King)

Rafiki, whose name in Swahili means "friend" is an important character in the cartoon The Lion King. He is an old mandrill who plays the role of Mufasa's advisor. He always moves around with his cane, a stick decorated with fruit. At the beginning of the cartoon, Rafiki baptizes the young Simba, future king, son of Mufasa and Queen Sabari, by sprinkling dust on his forehead. He then carries him at arm's length on the rock to introduce him to all the animals of the savannah. This is the scene of the celebration of Simba's birth: all the animals are shouting for joy, the gazelles are rearing up, the elephants are barring. Rafiki lives apart from the other animals, in the hollow of a baobab tree in the jungle. We do not see him after the baptism episode except when he is devastated when he learns of the death of Mufasa and the alleged death of the young lion cub and then erases the symbol of Simba on his tree. One evening, during one of his rituals, he discovers that Simba, now an adult, is still alive, so he becomes euphoric and hilarious. On his tree, he draws Simba's ochre mane on the erased drawing and sets off in search of her on the edge of Lion Land. He catches Simba wondering about his destiny and makes him understand between two blows of sticks on Simba's head that mistakes are a thing of the past and that he must take his place as king.

On this Pop! flocked figurine, you can recognize the features of the chuck, with its white mane, its yellow eyes and the red and dark blue colours of its face. This figurine is a flocked version of an already existing figurine which represents Rafiki, standing, carrying in his arms the newborn Simba he has just baptized by sprinkling earth on his forehead. The baby Simba is recognizable with its yellow coat and the mark of its baptism.