POP Rafiki (The Lion King)

Rafiki a mandrill, a character embodying wisdom in Disney's The Lion King. This magnificent cartoon with its grandiose music has left its mark on all generations. It's the story of a destiny, it's the story of life. In the kingdom of the Land of Lions, the almighty king Mufasa is idolized by all animals for his wisdom and generosity. His son Simba is the heir to the throne and at the beginning of the film, all the animals come to meet him and celebrate the baptism of the young lion cub.

In this famous scene, Rafiki, the king's adviser and great sorcerer advances towards the rock where the royal family is. He is greeted by a row of animals, who prostrate themselves as he passes by to show him their respect. He moves with a simian gait with his stick decorated with knotted fruits, which he always keeps close to him. After greeting King Mufasa, Rafiki blesses the young Simba by marking his forehead with the juice of a fruit and sprinkling it with sand. He then takes Simba to present him to all the subjects of the kingdom from the Lion Rock. The gazelles reared, the elephants barred, the monkeys shouted, all celebrated the birth of their future king.

Simba is a mischievous and naive young lion cub who spends his time having fun with his girlfriend of the same age Nala. He is also looking for thrills, which doesn't make it easy for his tutor Zazu, who is also in charge of taking care of him. His recklessness will not last long, since his Machiavellian Uncle Scar has only one objective: to take the throne and eliminate King Mufasa. After trapping his nephew who is stuck on a branch in the middle of a herd of wildebeest, Scar betrays his brother who came to help Simba and kills him. The young Simba, pushed by his uncle, fled into the desert and eventually fainted. For the first time, he finds himself alone and helpless in this hostile world...

It is then that he meets Timon and Pumbaa, two rather atypical friends who will teach him to live according to the philosophy of the carefree life, the Hakuna Matata. Simba grows up peacefully then with his two friends in the jungle, until the day Nala finds him. Simba doesn't want to go back to the Land of the lions, he is looking for himself and doesn't know who he is anymore. Rafiki discovers during a ceremony that Simba is alive. He rejoices and goes in search of him. The mandrill helps his young protégé to find his way back by making him understand that his father will always be there for him.

On this limited edition Pop! figurine, we find Rafiki in his flocked version. He is shown here with a dark grey coat all over his body. This figurine is less colorful than the other versions of the character but we can recognize his sky blue cheeks and his bright red nose as well as his white goatee. Rafiki is shown sitting with one hand on the floor. A sober posture full of wisdom.