Cowardly Lion

Inspiration

rowing up, I shared a bedroom with my twin sister Claudia. Our bedroom was a magnificent place for make-believe. A place where Cowardly Lion would often come to life. It was a nice size room, large enough to fit two twin beds, a large low antique dresser, and still have, between the two beds, plenty of area to play. The north wall was a half wall painted royal blue with windows that expanded from side to side. The south wall had a wall to wall and ceiling to floor built-in-closet. The east wall was white, and my bed was against it. The west wall was covered with light cherry paneling, and my sister Claudia’s bed was against it. Disguised by the wood paneling, there was a secret door to the bathroom. Our bedroom was far from ordinary, as it welcomed Cowardly Lion from time to time.

The bedroom floor was tiled with large 16” by 16” square yellow tiles. Those yellow tiles were fantastic. They came very handy when sorting Barbie’s clothes, colored pencils, or blocks. They were perfect for playing hopscotch. And the tiles provided a nice surface for playing jacks, and pick-up sticks. But the best of all, was when we pretended to be Dorothy as we skipped across the bedroom following the yellow-brick-road. I remember, in the evenings after brushing my teeth, following my own yellow-brick-road, arms-linked with Cowardly Lion, from the bathroom until I would reach my bed. I would crawl in bed, close my eyes, and imagine having reached the Emerald City with my friend Cowardly Lion. And then, my dreams would take over, transporting me to the magical worlds I used to draw with my color pencils. Until the next day, when I would trace back my steps into the bathroom, and into an ordinary world where there was only room for yellow tiles, and none for yellow-brick-roads or Cowardly Lion.

Cowardly Lion Figurine and Ornament Design Process

The Cowardly Lion, one of the primary characters of The Wizard of Oz, is the third character Dorothy befriends in her journey to Oz. In his book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum describes the Cowardly Lion as having a shaggy and unruly mane. So, I made his mane from brown yarn that I tied many times along a wooden dowel making short loops. These loops gave his mane that unruly look. In some of the book’s illustrations, the Cowardly Lion is shown with a ribbon on his mane, so I tied a green bow on his locks. I made the Cowardly Lion’s body from fabric of multiple patterns, and brown tones ranging from dark to light. I added an accentuated long tail that curves playfully around his hinds.

When the Cowardly Lion meets the Wizard of Oz, Oz instructs him to drink a green elixir so he can get his courage back. So, I added a splash of green shining on his chest, to represent the green elixir, right at the very moment when a sunburst of courage envelops him. I made the green elixir splash from green glitter cardstock.

I gave the Cowardly Lion long whiskers made from black upholstery thread. And I painted his face with a pouty expression to reflect his melancholic personality. Same as Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Woodman and Toto, I placed the Cowardly Lion standing on a yellow base that represents the yellow-brick-road. The yellow-brick-road that, just like me, you might have dreamed of following once upon a time.