Cowardly Lion facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids The Cowardly Lion
Oz character
The Cowardly Lion as illustrated by William Wallace Denslow (1900)
First appearance	The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900)
Created by	L. Frank Baum
Portrayed by	Fred Woodward (His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz) Spencer Bell (The Wizard of Oz) Bert Lahr (The Wizard of Oz) Ted Ross (The Wiz) Cedric the Entertainer (1995 Apollo Theater Revival) John Alexander (Return to Oz) David Alan Grier (The Wiz Live!)
Voiced by	Jim Belushi (Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return) Jess Harnell (Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz)
Information
Aliases	Dandy Lion
Species	Lion
Gender	Male
Occupation	King of the Forest of Wild Beasts Ozma's chariot puller
Title	King of the Forest

The Cowardly Lion is a famous character from the magical Land of Oz, created by American author L. Frank Baum. He is shown as an African lion, but like all animals in Oz, he can talk!

Lions are usually seen as "Kings of Beasts." But the Cowardly Lion thinks his fear makes him not good enough. He doesn't realize that being brave means doing things even when you are scared. And he often does brave things! After the Wizard gives him a special drink, he feels less afraid for a short time. Even so, he keeps doing courageous deeds.

The Cowardly Lion is actually very brave, but he just doubts himself. In the classic book and film, he often shows courage when facing danger. This is similar to the Scarecrow, who wants a brain but is already very smart. It's also like the Tin Man, who wants a heart but cries easily and rusts himself still.

The Lion in Books
The Lion in Movies
Where Did the Lion Come From?
Images for kids
See also

The Lion in Books

Dorothy meets the Cowardly Lion in the first book.

The Cowardly Lion first appears in the book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. He is the last friend Dorothy meets on her way to the Emerald City. He tries to scare Dorothy, Toto, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Woodman. When he tries to bite Toto, Dorothy scolds him. She calls him a coward, and he admits it.

The Cowardly Lion joins Dorothy because he wants to ask the Wizard for courage. He feels ashamed that he isn't brave enough to be the King of the Beasts. Even though he seems very fearful, the Lion shows great bravery during their journey.

For example, he leaps across a wide gap on the yellow brick road many times, carrying a friend on his back each time. Later, they face an even wider gap. The Cowardly Lion bravely holds off two scary Kalidahs while the Tin Woodman cuts down a tree for them to cross. Despite his fears, he hunts for food and even offers to hunt a deer for Dorothy.

The Wizard gives him a mysterious liquid, saying it is "courage." After drinking it, the Lion becomes bolder. He goes with Dorothy to see Glinda. He even lets his friends stand on his back to escape the Dainty China Country.

His favorite friend is the Hungry Tiger. In the Forest of Wild Beasts, many animals have been eaten by a Giant Spider. The Lion finds the spider asleep and bravely cuts off its head. The Tiger and other animals then ask him to be their king. He promises to return and rule after helping Dorothy. Glinda later sends him back to the forest using the Winged Monkeys.

In other Oz books by Baum, the Lion doesn't have a main role. He often joins Dorothy on her adventures. He becomes Princess Ozma's main guardian for special events. He and the Hungry Tiger even pull Ozma's chariot. He continues to be brave and loyal, even though he still thinks of himself as a coward. He even gets scared by Aunt Em sometimes! In Ozma of Oz, he becomes good friends with the Hungry Tiger. They become Ozma's personal guards. In Glinda of Oz, he is part of Ozma's group of advisers.

In a story called "The Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger," the Lion starts out wanting to act tough. But instead, he and the Tiger find a small child and safely return it to its mother.

In The Cowardly Lion of Oz by Ruth Plumly Thompson, a rich sultan named Mustafa kidnaps the Cowardly Lion. The sultan wants him for his collection of lions. The Lion is turned to stone by a giant, but he is rescued by a clown and a boy.

In most later Oz books, the Cowardly Lion appears only briefly. He is turned into a clock in Ojo in Oz but is saved. He helps in battles in Ozoplaning with the Wizard of Oz and The Hidden Valley of Oz. He also travels with Dorothy in Merry Go Round in Oz.

The Lion in Movies

His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz (1914)

In this early film, Fred Woodward played the Cowardly Lion.

The Wizard of Oz (1925)

In the 1925 silent movie, Spencer Bell played the Cowardly Lion.

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion in the 1939 film.

In the famous 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz, the Cowardly Lion was played by Bert Lahr. He was a popular stage star. Many of Lahr's funny actions were put into the film. In this movie, the Wizard gives the Lion a medal marked "Courage" instead of a drink. Bert Lahr's son, John Lahr, wrote a book about his father called Notes on a Cowardly Lion.

The movie was made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, which has a lion as its mascot. MGM even thought about using their real lion mascot for the role!

In the movie, the Lion usually walks on two legs. But when he first appears, he runs out of the forest on all fours to attack Dorothy's friends. After roaring, he stands up on his hind legs.

Lahr also played Zeke, a farmworker in Kansas. Zeke is the Lion's real-world counterpart. Zeke helps on Aunt Em and Uncle Henry's farm. He saves Dorothy when she falls near the pig pen. Everyone realizes Zeke was afraid of the pigs and teases him.

The Courage Medal

The Cowardly Lion's courage medal from the 1939 film.

The original Courage Medal from the 1939 movie was a cross-shaped medal. It had a lion, a crown, and the word "Courage" on it. Years later, an MGM costume department head named Mal Caplan had a bad accident. To honor his bravery, his co-workers gave him the Cowardly Lion's Courage Medal. He also received the Tin Man's "heart" prop, but he gave it to someone else who needed it.

The Courage Medal stayed with the Caplan family. In 1997, it was sold at an auction. In 2010, it was shown on a TV show called Hollywood Treasure.

Cowardly Lion Costumes

One of the original Cowardly Lion costumes from the movie was stored away and forgotten for many years. It was found just in time for a big MGM auction in 1970, where it sold for $2,400. In 1985, a sculptor bought it and had it restored. He later sold it for $826,000 in 2006.

Another costume is in the Comisar Collection, which has many TV items. The curator, James Comisar, bought this costume and had it restored. The tail's weight caused tears in the back of the costume, which were fixed. The original face parts were glued to Bert Lahr's face and didn't survive. So, Comisar asked Lahr's son, Herbert, to pose for a new face mold because he looked so much like his father.

Herbert Lahr shared:

The Lion’s suit was very interesting. It was a real lion skin, and it weighed 60 lbs. My dad had to be in it all day, he couldn’t eat because of the way the mask was, so he had to eat his lunch through a straw.

The Lion's mane was remade using human hair from Italy, costing $22,000. Over twenty people worked for two years to restore the costume.

Comisar's Cowardly Lion costume has been shown on TV, including The Oprah Winfrey Show, where it was valued at $1.5 million. It is considered one of the most valuable Hollywood items. Comisar believes the Cowardly Lion is special because everyone can relate to needing more courage. In 2014, Comisar's costume was sold at auction for $3.1 million. This is the highest price ever paid for a costume worn by a male actor in a Hollywood film.

A historian named William Stillman featured a photo of this costume in his book, The Wizardry of Oz. He noted that other costumes were used for rehearsals or for stunt doubles. In 1998, both Comisar and another auction company claimed to have Lahr's actual costume.

The Wiz (1978)

In the 1978 film The Wiz, based on the Broadway play, Ted Ross played the Lion. He also won a Tony Award for his stage performance. David Alan Grier played the Lion in the 2015 TV special The Wiz Live!.

Return to Oz (1985)

In the 1985 movie Return to Oz, the Cowardly Lion appears briefly at the end. Unlike the 1939 film, this version is a puppet and walks on all fours. He growls instead of speaking.

The Oz Kids (1996)

In The Oz Kids, an animated cartoon series, the Cowardly Lion rules the Quadling Country. He has two cubs, Bela and Boris. His son Boris is afraid of things, just like his dad.

Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return (2013)

The Cowardly Lion was in the animated film Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return. He was voiced by Jim Belushi.

Oz: The Great and Powerful (2013)

The Cowardly Lion makes a short appearance in Oz the Great and Powerful. He is a computer-generated character. He tries to attack Oz (played by James Franco) and his monkey friend Finley. But Oz uses magic to create a smoky fog that scares the lion away.

Where Did the Lion Come From?

In the original Oz books, the Lion's past was never clearly told. However, many other stories have tried to explain where he came from. Because there are so many Oz stories, some of these ideas don't match each other or the original books. Many fans don't consider them part of the main story. The original books suggest the Lion was simply a unique lion from Oz.

In Gregory Maguire's book Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, a scared lion cub is seen at Shiz University. This cub was part of cruel experiments and was saved by Elphaba (the future Wicked Witch) and other students. This cub is hinted to be a younger Cowardly Lion. The Tin Woodman confirms this in the musical Wicked.

Maguire's third book, A Lion Among Men, tells the story mostly from the Lion's point of view. It explores his own unsure memories of where he came from.

The book Lion of Oz and the Badge of Courage and its cartoon movie Lion of Oz show the Lion growing up in a circus in America. His caretaker, Oscar Diggs, later becomes the Wizard of Oz. One night, Oscar takes the Lion on a balloon ride, and they both end up stranded in Oz.

The movie Oz the Great and Powerful shows Oscar Diggs scaring away an attacking lion with a smoke bomb. This suggests that this lion might be Dorothy's future friend.

In the 2017 TV series Emerald City, the Lion is a former guard. He was cursed into the form of a beast for his actions against the royal family of Oz.