Jungle Book Characters

The Jungle Book was written by Rudyard Kipling in 1894 and is a collection of stories which were inspired by tales about the Indian jungles, tales he heard when he spent his childhood in India. This book was followed by a second book in 1895 and speaks about the adventures of a lost human child Mowgli, who is rescued and nurtured by wolves and other animals in an Indian jungle.

In 1967 Walt Disney decided to produce an animated movie inspired by The Jungle Book which was the 19th animated feature film of the Disney Animation Studios. It was released on 18th of October, 1967 and grossed about $73 million in the United States. Let's walk down the memory lane and meet The Jungle Book characters.

List of the Famous Characters

Mowgli
The main character in the Jungle Book is Mowgli, who is an abandoned human baby or the 'man cub' who is rescued by the animals in the jungle and is named by Bagheera. Mowgli is named so due to his hairlessness. The book describes his adventures with the jungle animals as he is growing up.

Shere Khan
He is the tiger who wants to kill Mowgli and so Bagheera and the Wolves want to send him back into the village. Mowgli's fights with Shere Khan are some of the unforgettable scenes in the movie. His character is shown as someone very sophisticated and strong.

Raksha
Raksha, who is a demon in wolves' language, is the mother wolf who takes care of Mowgli and raises him up along with her cubs. Mowgli is found by Raksha's mate, the Father Wolf.

Akela
He is an Indian wolf in the Council of wolves and wants Mowgli to go back to the human village. He is the leader of the pack who presides over the pack's meetings and is shown to be always concerned about the honor of the pack.

Bagheera
He is a black panther who finds the orphaned baby Mowgli and brings him to Raksha. But he is adamant to leave him back into the village amongst humans as he thinks Mowgli doesn't belong to the jungle. Bagheera is Mowgli's friend and guide.

Baloo
Baloo is a carefree bear who loves Mowgli and teaches him the ways of the jungle. He teaches him to use the boomerang and to steal honey from hives. You might remember the song "Bare Necessities", Baloo loves to spoil Mowgli and doesn't want Mowgli to go back to the village.

Kaa
As per the book, Kaa is the python who is a friend of Mowgli. He is friends with Baloo and Bagheera and even help them to rescue Mowgli when he is in trouble. However, in the film the character is portrayed as the one always trying to kill Mowgli.

Radha
She is the human girl Mowgli sees at the river and follows her to the human village. He wants to know if there are more like him and eventually finds them, leaving Baloo and Bagheera watch him go.

King Louie
The character of King Louie is not there in the original book by Kipling, as orangutans are not found in India. However, in the film, Mowgli gets him bananas in exchange to let him stay in the jungle. He is the orangutan who wants to know how to make fire and calls it "Man's Red Flower".

Chil
This character is in the book but is not in the film. Chil is a kite who is a friend of Mowgli. He helps to rescue Mowgli from the Bandar-Log.

Tabaqui
This character also does not appear in the film, but is a part of the book. He is the jackal who is pretty scared of Shere Khan. He lives mostly on the food that is given by Shere khan or one of the wolves.

Colonel Hathi, Winifred and Junior
These are the friendly elephant family characters who help Mowgli whenever he needs them and Junior, the Colonel's clumsy son is a good friend of Mowgli. Colonel Hathi is the head of the elephant troop. Hope you remember the song, "Colonel Hathi's March", where all the three characters of Colonel Hathi, his wife Winifred and his son Junior march along.

Buzzie, Flaps, Dizzie and Ziggy
These four characters are the singing vultures who resemble 'The Beetles' and always sing to the passersby. The song, "That's what Friends are for" that they sing along to cheer Mowgli, is one of the famous songs.

So those, in short, are the jungle book character names, which are truly unique and memorable. Rudyard Kipling's book differs with the film, with regards to the Jungle Book characters and their roles. Whether you are reading The Jungle Book or watching the movie, at all times, it's a mesmerizing experience. Thanks to Kipling and Walt Disney.