Leo - Hello

Here comes "the emperor of the jungle"! This 13.5cm King Leo is without doubt the one who launched the career of his creator, the master of Japanese manga Osamu Tezuka. Released in 1950, this manga will become a real series that will fascinate children and adults.

The little white lion sees his father murdered by hunters and must regain his throne by ousting a traitor with the help of two acolytes. Sound familiar? Yes, Disney's The Lion King itself was inspired by this icon of manga art. While he was drawing and broadcasting Leo's adventures, an improbable little robot called Astro appeared in Osamu Tezuka's mind. Astro was born in April 1952.

We can say that Leo is Astro's big brother, and that he celebrates with us the 70th anniversary of Osamu Tezuka's debut, commemorated in Tokyo by a big exhibition in 2022! Osamu Tezuka gave Japanese comics and animation their letters of nobility, while modernising them. And if Osamu Tezuka is sometimes nicknamed in Japan "Manga no Kami-Sama", literally "the God of Manga", it is with good reason.