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The Lion King Wiki
Pumbaa Jr.
Pumbaa Jr.
Physical information
Gender

Male

Species

Alligator

Skin color

Black, green, and yellow

Eye color

Blue

Biographical information
Also known as

Ugly chicken (by Timon)

Status

Living

Residence

Everglades

Relationship information
Family

Pumbaa (adoptive "mother")
Timon (adoptive uncle)
Unnamed mate

Allies

Pumbaa, Timon

Mommy, how come Uncle Timon won't join us for dinner? How come he won't be a part of the family? Huh? Huh? Huh? Home come? How come? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh, Mommy? How come?
―Pumbaa Jr. to Pumbaa[src]

Pumbaa Jr. is a male alligator. He is the adoptive son of Pumbaa, and the adoptive nephew of Timon.

When Pumbaa Jr.'s egg rolled underneath Pumbaa and hatched, Pumbaa believed that he was the alligator's mother. He quickly bonded with the youngster and named him "Pumbaa Jr." As Pumbaa Jr. aged, he became increasingly annoying to his adoptive uncle, Timon, who eventually told Pumbaa that the alligator was not his real son. This caused a heartbroken Pumbaa Jr. to run away from home. However, he soon found a female alligator, with whom he became mates, and Timon and Pumbaa helped the couple find a new home in a chicken pen.

Biography[]

Early life[]

Pumbaa Jr. was separated from his parents and came into the possession of humans.[1]

Adopted by Pumbaa[]

While Timon was chasing a bug, a truck full of alligator eggs drove by. The driver saw Timon and the bug walking by and maneuvered to avoid them, which caused one of the eggs to drop out of the truck and roll through the Everglades. It eventually settled underneath Pumbaa, who was asleep. The bug Timon had been chasing woke up Pumbaa by getting in his mouth, and the warthog realized that there was an egg beneath him. He came to believe that he had laid it.

NE Pumbaa & Jr2

Pumbaa adopts Pumbaa Jr.

In the face of Pumbaa's claims, Timon explained that Pumbaa was a male warthog and that only chickens laid eggs. Just then, Pumbaa Jr. hatched and believed that Pumbaa was his mother. Pumbaa accepted his role and made Timon be the alligator's uncle. While Pumbaa thought that Pumbaa Jr. was a warthog, Timon thought that he was an ugly chicken.

Later, after Pumbaa Jr. grew into an adolescent, Pumbaa began teaching him how to forage for food. Pumbaa scolded Timon for doing everything rudely and setting a bad example. At dinner, Timon continually set a bad example by not saying grace, eating sloppily, and not waiting for dessert. Pumbaa got on the meerkat for belching and expressed disapproval when Timon abandoned Pumbaa Jr. during a game of hide-and-seek.

NE Pumbaa Jr & girl

Pumbaa Jr. gets a girlfriend.

On Family Picture Day, Timon did not want his tail to get bitten again, so he stood far away from Pumbaa Jr. However, Pumbaa made him get closer to the alligator, and he reluctantly did so. After the family picture, Timon told Pumbaa how much he missed the old days of "Hakuna Matata." He reminded Pumbaa that Pumbaa Jr. was not really his son and that the alligator should be with his own kind. Pumbaa Jr. overheard this and ran away, only leaving behind a goodbye letter. When Timon and Pumbaa read the letter, Timon felt bad about what he had said and was concerned that Pumbaa Jr. might not survive in the Everglades. Together, he and Pumbaa searched for Pumbaa Jr.

After searching the whole swamp, Timon and Pumbaa saw that there was one spot they had not checked. They went to the spot and found Pumbaa Jr. with a female alligator. Pumbaa told Timon that he had been right about Pumbaa Jr. However, he expressed concern about leaving the alligators all alone. Timon then got the idea to find a place for the couple. After Timon led the alligators to their new home, Pumbaa Jr. thanked Timon and Pumbaa for everything they had taught him. He and his girlfriend said their goodbyes, then moved into a chicken pen, as Timon still believed that they were ugly chickens.[1]

Legacy[]

After Pumbaa lost his memories in a lightning strike, Timon told him stories about his past so as to restore the lost memories. Pumbaa commented that he would never forget Pumbaa Jr.[2]

Physical appearance[]

Pumbaa Jr. is a large and powerfully built alligator. He has green scales, with a yellow underbelly and dark green ridges on his back. He has blue eyes.[1]

Personality and traits[]

Pumbaa Jr. is a kind-hearted, easygoing, and playful alligator. He enjoys biting Timon's tail, despite the meerkat's disapproval of the behavior. Pumbaa Jr. is also a fast-talker and likes to ask Pumbaa "how come" questions. After overhearing Timon tell Pumbaa that he was not the warthog's real child, Pumbaa Jr. was heartbroken and ran away from home. However, after Timon and Pumbaa found him and his girlfriend a new home, Pumbaa Jr. thanked them for everything they had taught him.[1]

Appearances[]

Trivia[]

  • Pumbaa Jr.'s name means "be foolish" or "be dumbfounded, be astonished" or "be weak-minded" or "be negligent, be careless, be thoughtless" or "be ignorant" in Swahili.[4]
  • Pumbaa Jr. is similar to Spike; both get adopted by Pumbaa but end up leaving him so they can live with their own kind.[5]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Revealed in "Never Everglades" from Disney's The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa. Season 1, Episode 4a. Written by Roberts Gannaway and directed by Tony Craig and Roberts Gannaway. Originally aired September 22, 1995.
  2. Revealed in Disney's Around the World with Timon & Pumbaa (1996). Written by Darrel Campbell, Kevin Campbell, and Bobs Gannaway, and directed by Tony Craig, Jeff DeGrandis, Bobs Gannaway, Rob LaDuca, and Steve Moore. Distributed by Buena Vista Home Entertainment.
  3. Nancy Cartwright. IMDb. IMDb.com, Inc. Retrieved on September 26, 2020.
  4. Online Swahili - English Dictionary. African Languages. Retrieved on September 26, 2020.
  5. Revealed in Mummy Pumbaa from The Lion King: A Nature Fun and Learn Series. Issues 29–31 (1995–1997).