Every year, World Tiger Day is observed on July 29 to spread awareness about the endangered wild cat. Open Sesame looks at the most popular fictional tiger characters over the years.
Sher Khan Jungle Book
Sher Khan, the villainous Bengal tiger from ‘Jungle Book’, is one of the most remembered characters from the famous story. Created by Rudyard Kipling, the tiger is a ravenous predator who refuses to stop hunting Mowgli, the principal character. Sher Khan’s fears are fire and guns, the two destructive creations of man that can easily kill the otherwise unstoppable tiger.
His famous line, “No matter how fast you run, no matter where you hide, I will catch you.” This shows his true character.
Tigress Kung Fu Panda
The beloved female warrior, Tigress, from the ‘Kung Fu Panda’ series is a role model for many young kids. The South China tiger debuts as the leader of the furious five. She comes across as a harsh and unyielding warrior in the beginning, as seen in her famous saying: “It is said that the Dragon Warrior can survive for months at a time on nothing but the dew of a single ginko leaf and the energy of the universe.”
As the series progresses, she undergoes a transformation and is recognised as a Kung Fu master. She is a fierce and skillful fighter but is also shown as empathetic and compassionate.
Rajah Aladdin
The proud and powerful pet of princess Jasmine from Disney’s ‘Aladdin’, Rajah is a tiger of great renown. But did you know that he was originally a circus animal? He escaped to the Sultan’s palace and Jasmine decided to adopt him. From then on, he has fiercely protected the princess and is unerringly loyal to her. To many others, he is aggressive and intolerable but is always gentle with Jasmine.
Tigger Winne The Pooh
Most tigers are considered to be fearsome and predatory. That is not true about Tigger from ‘Winne the Pooh’. He is a lovable and energetic character who loves to share his enthusiasm for life with everyone. “Tiggers don’t jump, they bounce!” is a perfect dialogue from him as it describes his tendency to bounce everywhere on his springy tail.
Hobbes Calvin and Hobbes
The animated comic strip, ‘Calvin and Hobbes,’ gives us the quirky, sarcastic and wise tiger character called Hobbes. Hobbes appears as Calvin’s stuffed animal toy to everyone else but to Calvin, he is a real life tiger who loves tuna sandwiches and is bad at math. The relationship between the two is true to any best friend duo — they fight without end but are always there for each other. Hobbes is memorable for his quick wit and wise remarks and one of his many beloved quotes is “You can take the tiger out of the jungle but you can’t take the jungle out of the tiger.”