The Jungle Book (1989 TV series) facts for kids

The Jungle Book: The Adventures of Mowgli
Quick facts for kids ジャングルブック 少年モーグリ (Janguru Bukku Shōnen Mōguri)
Anime television series
Directed by	Fumio Kurokawa
Written by	Kimio Yabuki
Music by	Hideo Shimazu
Studio	Nippon Animation Mondo TV Sunrise Studio
Network	TV Tokyo
Original run	2 October 1989 (1989-10-02) – 29 October 1990 (1990-10-29)
Episodes	52 (List of episodes)

The Jungle Book (ジャングルブック　少年モーグリ, Janguru Bukku Shōnen Mōguri) is an exciting Italian-Japanese anime TV show. It's based on the famous stories by Rudyard Kipling called The Jungle Book. This series first aired in 1989 and has 52 episodes.

The show combines parts of Kipling's original Mowgli stories with ideas from the Walt Disney movie. It became very popular around the world. In India, it was especially loved after being dubbed into Hindi. The Indian version had a special opening song, "Jungle Jungle Baat Chali Hai," which became a huge hit. This song was even used later for Disney's 2016 movie, The Jungle Book, when it was released in India. In the United States, the series was known as The Jungle Book: Adventures of Mowgli.

Story of Mowgli's Adventures

The series follows Mowgli, a "man-cub" or human child. He was adopted and raised by a pack of wolves led by Akela. Mowgli grows up in the jungle with his animal friends, including Baloo, Kaa, and Bagheera. He often has to deal with the tricky plans of the tiger Shere Khan, the wolf Grizzle, and the hyena Tabaqui.

Meet the Characters

Main Animal Friends

• Mowgli - The main character of the show. He is a young boy who got lost in the Seeonee forest in British India. His parents were searching for him and accidentally fell from a cliff. A panther named Bagheera scared them by mistake. A wolf named Alexander adopted Mowgli and raised him as his own son. Mowgli is usually between 6 and 10 years old in the show. He is brave, loves fun, and is very outgoing. However, he sometimes wonders where he truly belongs. He always carries his trusty boomerang, which he made from a tree branch.

• Baloo - A friendly purple sloth bear and Mowgli's best friend. He is also one of Mowgli's teachers, helping him learn about the jungle. Baloo is very kind and gentle in his teaching. He is also incredibly brave and will fight to protect Mowgli, even from a dangerous mugger crocodile. Baloo loves honey very much.

• Bagheera - A wise black panther. He is Mowgli's main teacher of the jungle's rules and his closest friend. Bagheera is like a member of Mowgli's wolf family. He spent some of his early life living with an English family. Later, he escaped when his young caretaker was hurt by her father. At the end of the series, Bagheera decides to leave the jungle and live with humans alongside Mowgli.

• Kaa - One of Mowgli's friends. He is a very smart but sometimes grumpy rock python. Kaa also teaches Mowgli important lessons. For example, he showed Mowgli how to defeat the invading dholes by leading them to Bee Rocks. Many monkeys are afraid of Kaa because of his short temper.

• Kichi - Mowgli's red panda friend. His parents were killed by humans. Kichi sometimes causes trouble by accident. He finds it hard to fit in at first because he is different. But his friendship with Mowgli becomes strong when they work together. Later, Kichi lives with Mowgli in his hut. In the English version, Kichi is a boy.

Supporting Jungle Friends

The family of the Seeonee wolf pack

• Seeonee Wolf Pack - The Indian wolf pack that adopted Mowgli.
  • Akela - The wise leader of the wolf pack for many years. He was the leader when Mowgli was first adopted. Akela is very old and smart. He later becomes an advisor to Luri when she takes over as pack leader. Akela passes away near the end of the series from injuries.
  • Alexander - Mowgli's wolf father, Luri's mate, and the biological father of Akru and Sura. He has blue and black fur. Alexander becomes the leader of the wolf pack when Akela retires. He bravely fights to protect his pack from Shere Khan during a forest fire and dies.
  • Luri - Alexander's mate and Mowgli's wolf mother. She has beige fur. Luri later becomes the first female leader of the pack. She is strong and protective, but also kind and smart, showing great leadership.
  • Akru and Sura - The sons of Alexander and Luri, and Mowgli's wolf brothers. Akru has brown fur, while Sura has blue and black fur like his father. They are cubs when Mowgli joins the pack but grow up during the series. They are very close to Mowgli. Akru is loving but sometimes acts without thinking. Sura is calmer and more thoughtful. Sura later becomes a father to two cubs.
  • Vermillion - Lala's father and Alexander's good friend. He has red fur and a scar over his left eye. He competes with Alexander to become the next pack leader. Vermillion later moves away and becomes the leader of another wolf pack.
  • Bacchus - A large wolf who is not very good at hunting. He is better at looking after the wolf cubs. He often provides funny moments in the show.
  • Fargas - An old wolf with pale blue or white fur. Alexander once saved him from a pack of dholes. Fargas sometimes stole food from the pack's storage. He later leaves on a journey.
  • Lala - Vermillion's daughter and Akela's granddaughter. She has orange fur. At first, she doesn't like Mowgli being in the pack. Later, she grows up and becomes fond of Mowgli. She eventually chooses Sura as her mate. By the end of the series, Lala and Sura have two cubs.
  • Sandah/Thunder - A young male wolf from Vermillion's pack. He is navy blue. Sandah dislikes humans because they killed his sister. He eventually becomes friends with Mowgli. Sandah seems to be a trusted wolf in Vermillion's pack.
  • Maki - A golden-yellow and cream female wolf and Akru's love interest. Maki is a great singer. She appears later in the series.

• Rikki-Tikki-Tavi - A brave Indian mongoose. He is the pet of Jumeirah and her family. Rikki-Tikki protects them, just like in the original story. He also protects Mowgli. Rikki-Tikki kills Buldeo's pet Indian cobra when it tries to attack Mowgli.

• Hathi - A large Indian elephant who is the ruler of the Seeonee forest. He is usually with his two sons. Hathi first appears during a drought, announcing the Water Truce at Peace Rock. He tells the animals the story of How Fear Came. Hathi helps Mowgli and the other animals many times.

• Chil - A Brahminy kite who works as a messenger for Akela's pack and Hathi.

• Linda - A kind English girl who adopted Bagheera as a cub. Bagheera tells Mowgli about her in flashbacks. She loves animals, especially Bagheera. Her father, a hunter, tries to hurt Bagheera. Linda protects him and helps him escape. She is hurt while doing so, and Bagheera never knows if she survived.

• Bougi/Rahhar - Jumeirah's grandfather. He meets Mowgli after Mowgli falls into a trap. Mowgli is unsure if he can trust humans at first. But Bougi helps Mowgli and gives him food, showing he is kind. Bougi is later hurt by Shere Khan while protecting Mowgli and Jumeirah, but he recovers.

• Mari/Meshua - Jumeirah's mother. When she first meets Mowgli, she thinks he is her lost son, Keshnu. Even though he isn't, she treats him like her own child and quickly loves him. She hopes Mowgli will not fight Shere Khan.

• Nil/Sanjay - Jumeirah's father. He also quickly accepts Mowgli into the family. When his family is captured, Mowgli rescues them. Mowgli's animal friends guide them to another town after the animals destroy the villagers' homes. Later, Nil becomes very ill.

• Meshua/Jumeirah - A girl whom Mowgli becomes friends with later in the series. Her grandfather found Mowgli earlier and said he reminded him of his grandson. Mowgli's human family later adopts him as their new son.

Jungle Villains

• Shere Khan - A powerful Bengal tiger and the main bad guy of the series. He is mean and clever. Shere Khan breaks many jungle laws, like hunting humans and their cattle too much. He is afraid of fire and guns. His hatred for humans comes from his family's past. Alexander injures his leg in a fight. Mowgli also wounds him in later fights. In their final battle, Mowgli defeats and kills Shere Khan.

• Tabaqui - Shere Khan's clumsy sidekick. Unlike other versions, he is a striped hyena, though still called a jackal. He is often lazy, greedy, and not very smart. Tabaqui and another hyena are defeated when Mowgli and Shere Khan fight, being gored by water buffaloes.

• Louis/Alba - The leader of the monkeys, who are mostly covered in white fur. He is Shere Khan's main helper and spy. Louis and the other monkeys, based on the Bandar-log, cause a lot of trouble in the jungle. They trick Mowgli into going to an old temple, where he learns about humans' greed for treasure. They also bother Mowgli and destroy his hut. Mowgli, Bagheera, Baloo, and Kaa confront Louis, warning him to stop. After this, the monkeys run away from Mowgli.

• Grizzle/Bunto - A wolf with beige or grey fur and a dark brown mark around his left eye. He used to be part of Akela's pack but was kicked out for breaking jungle laws. This made him bitter, and he joined Shere Khan to get revenge. Grizzle leads a gang of two other wolves. Mowgli eventually defeats and kills Grizzle.
  • Kim/Dusty & Sargah/Jocko - Two wolves who join Grizzle. Jocko is the father, and Dusty is his son. They are easily tricked. Jocko is not very brave.

• Dholes - Wild red dogs that live in the jungle. Mowgli first meets them at Rahhar's campsite and scares them away. Later, Mowgli gets rid of a large group of dholes by leading them to a beehive. The bees chase them into a river, where the wolves attack them.

• Linda's Father - A selfish hunter who wants to capture Bagheera. He treats Bagheera badly when the panther doesn't obey. His daughter, Linda, always stops him. He accidentally shoots Linda while trying to shoot Bagheera.

• Buldeo - An old hunter from the village who tells exaggerated stories about his adventures with jungle animals. When Mowgli defeats Shere Khan and returns with the tiger's skin, Buldeo tries to take credit. He then convinces the villagers that Mowgli is a sorcerer because Mowgli can call his animal friends. Buldeo tries to frame Mowgli's human family to steal their land and wealth. Mowgli and his animal friends stop him. Buldeo is last seen fleeing the village when the animals attack.

• Ganshum - Buldeo's grandson. He and other boys pick on Mowgli and spread rumors about him. He joins Buldeo in searching for missing buffaloes and kidnapping Jumeirah's family. Ganshum is not seen after Mowgli helps Jumeirah and her family escape.

• Abdullah - The village headman. He works with Buldeo and others to accuse Jumeirah's family of witchcraft. Abdullah is last seen running away from the village during the animal attack.

• Riswan/Gallo - Buldeo's friend. He tricks Mowgli by giving him a drink with a sedative. Riswan and two other men plan to sell Mowgli to a circus. Riswan succeeds in selling Mowgli to the circus.

• John J. Hargreaves - The English owner of the Bombay circus. Riswan sells Mowgli to him. Mowgli plans his escape and outsmarts Hargreaves and his dogs, proving Riswan was right about Mowgli's abilities.

Episodes List

Music of the Show

The Japanese opening song is "Get UP ~Aio Shinjite~ (Get UP ~I Believe in Love~)". The closing song is "Chikyuu No Ko (地球の子 lit. "Child of the Earth"). These songs are sung by Toshiya Igarashi and Shiori Hashimoto. Some music from another anime, Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics, was also used in this show.

The French version has similar opening and closing songs. In the English version, the opening song is "Wake Up" and the closing song is "A Child is learning". Both are sung by Suzi Marsh.

For the Hindi version, a special song called Jungle Jungle Baat Chali Hai was created. Vishal Bhardwaj wrote the music, and Gulzar wrote the lyrics. Amol Sahdev sang it.

Images for kids

• 

  The family of the Seeonee wolf pack