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Jambo
BigLovableChunkOfWarthogHere
"Do you see any other big, lovable chunk of warthog here?"
This article is about the monkey.
You may be looking for the elephant.


Jambo
Jambo
Physical information
Gender

Male

Species

Monkey

Hair color

Brown, cream, and gray

Eye color

Red

Biographical information
Status

Living

Residence

Pride Lands

Affiliations

Pride Landers

Relationship information
Allies

Kopa, Kwaheri, Zazu

Listen up, zero in, and get this!
―Jambo[src]

Jambo is a male monkey.

Jambo befriended Kopa, the prince of Pride Rock. One day, he and Kwaheri were playing "I-dare-you" with Kopa, during which they dared him to jump across a perilous ravine. However, a frightened Kopa fled and was consoled by Rafiki. Afterward, he returned to the monkeys and rebuffed their attempts to pull him into another unfair dare.

Biography[]

Early life[]

Jambo lived in the Pride Lands. He befriended a fellow monkey named Kwaheri.[1]

Rumors of a beast[]

Zazu: What is this beast?
Jambo: I'm not sure. I just heard some ostriches talking about it.
Kwaheri: It sounds like bad news. Do you think it can climb trees?
—Jambo, Kwaheri, and Zazu on a rumor[src]

When Zazu was taking a break in a tree, he overheard Jambo gossiping with his friend, Kwaheri, about a strange beast. Zazu asked the monkeys about the beast, but Jambo was unsure of what he had heard and told Zazu that he had heard the rumor from the ostriches. Kwaheri thought it was bad news and asked his friend whether he thought it could climb trees or not. Zazu decided that he must figure matters out right away and flew off to find out more about the beast.[1]

Friendship with Kopa[]

I dare you! You're not a scaredy-cat, are you?
―Jambo to Kopa[src]

Kopa was playing with Jambo and Kwaheri. He boasted about his future as king and watched them to make sure they were listening. However, as he was preoccupied with his talk, he did not watch where he was going and tripped over a tree root. Jambo and Kwaheri laughed at him and started teasing him about his clumsiness. They called him names, and an annoyed Kopa told them to drop it. Jambo changed the subject by inviting his friends to play a game of "I-dare-you," and Kopa and Kwaheri agreed enthusiastically. Kopa started by daring Jambo to swing from a short acacia tree to a tall one. Jambo was confident and smoothly completed the dare. The game continued, and the three friends performed a number of dares.

Dare2

Jambo and Kwaheri dare Kopa to jump across a gorge.

Finally, Jambo dared Kopa to catch him and Kwaheri. The lion cub agreed, and the chase began. The monkeys were agile and evaded Kopa by swinging through the trees. He chased them long and hard until he barely had breath left. Finally, they led him to a dangerous gorge at the edge of a raging river. They called to him, and he saw them perched in a tree on the edge of the cliff. They skillfully leaped to a tree on the other side of the gorge and yelled to Kopa to come catch them. Kopa reminded them that he could not climb trees, and the monkeys told him to jump. Kopa hesitated, and Jambo asked what he was waiting for. Kwaheri broke into merciless mocking, and Jambo joined in. Finally, Kopa gave in to the pressure and decided to jump. However, he froze. The monkeys kept yelling, and Kopa finally turned and ran away.

Later, after Kopa heard Rafiki's story, Zazu told him that Jambo and Kwaheri were looking for him and that they would be waiting around the terrace. Kopa went to meet the monkeys again, and they greeted him with the same ceaseless chatter as before. They hung from the branches of an umbrella thorn tree, and Kopa scampered up to meet them. Jambo immediately told Kopa to watch him perform a trick. He did an amazing double somersault and landed on the ground in front of Kopa. Kwaheri repeated the trick, and Jambo told Kopa to give it a try. Kopa reminded the monkeys that they knew he could not do those things and then asked them to drop the subject. Jambo retaliated by daring him to do it and calling him a "scaredy-cat." Kopa started to walk away, and Kwaheri asked what was up. Kopa turned and told the monkeys that lions would never learn to roar if they listened to the chattering of monkeys. Jambo and Kwaheri stared at Kopa with mouths wide open. The cub listened to their unusual silence and decided that he liked it.[2]

Physical appearance[]

Jambo is small, long-limbed, and skinny. He has a dark brown pelt, with a ring of dusky-brown fur around his face. His hands and feet are a light beige, his chest is gray, and his eyes are orange-brown. He is a shade darker than his friend, Kwaheri.[1]

Personality and traits[]

Jambo: What a gas! What a goof! What a riot!
Kwaheri: Tickles my ribs, splits my sides, flips my wig! Can you believe he's going to be the Lion King someday?
Jambo: Like his father, Simba! That's a scream, a hoot, and a howler!
—Jambo and Kwaheri tease Kopa[src]

Jambo is social, talkative, and critical of his friends. He does not seem to be aware of Kopa's feelings, as he often laughs at the cub and teases him mercilessly. He likes to show off his acrobatic ability to Kopa by tree-swinging with Kwaheri. He is also clueless when it comes to the difference between fun and danger, as he frequently goes too far when playing games, such as when he dared Kopa to jump across a gorge.[2]

Appearances[]

Trivia[]

  • Another form of Jambo's name ("hujambo") is a way to say "hello" in Swahili.[3]
  • While Jambo's name means "hello" in Swahili, his friend Kwaheri's name means "goodbye."[3]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 McGuire, Leslie. How True, Zazu? (1994). ISBN: 0717283496.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Barkan, Joanne. Nala's Dare (1994). ISBN: 0717284719.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Online Swahili - English Dictionary. African Languages. Retrieved on September 13, 2020.
  4. David Chandler (September 1, 2018). Creating The Lion King: Story development, authorship and accreditation in the Disney Renaissance. Ingenta Connect. Retrieved on August 15, 2021.
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