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Disney Animation

Timon and Pumbaa

A meerkat and a warthog arrive halfway through The Lion King and change its temperature completely. Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella had both auditioned to voice hyenas, and the directors cast them as this pair after hearing them work together, which is why the double act sounds like a Broadway partnership rather than two separate performances.

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Disney AnimationDebut 1994animationfilmtelevision

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First appearance
The Lion King (1994), Walt Disney Feature Animation
Created by
Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff, Mike Surrey, Tony Bancroft
Also known as
Timon, Pumbaa
Universe
The Lion King
Appears in
animation, film, television

Who is Timon and Pumbaa?

A meerkat and a warthog arrive halfway through The Lion King and change its temperature completely. Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella had both auditioned to voice hyenas, and the directors cast them as this pair after hearing them work together, which is why the double act sounds like a Broadway partnership rather than two separate performances. Mike Surrey animated Timon and Tony Bancroft animated Pumbaa. Their song, Hakuna Matata by Elton John and Tim Rice, borrows a Swahili phrase roughly meaning no worries and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. It is also the reason this pair matters to anyone buying a shirt: Disney registered the phrase as a US trademark for clothing in the 1990s, a fact that drew public criticism decades later. The duo carried their own television series from 1995 and a 2004 film retelling the story from their side.

Timon and Pumbaa: the details

First appearance
The Lion King, June 1994
Voiced by
Nathan Lane (Timon) and Ernie Sabella (Pumbaa)
Cast as a pair
Both actors had auditioned to voice hyenas
Animated by
Mike Surrey (Timon) and Tony Bancroft (Pumbaa)
An Oscar-nominated song
Hakuna Matata, by Elton John and Tim Rice
A trademarked phrase
Disney registered Hakuna Matata as a US trademark for clothing in the 1990s
Their own series
Timon & Pumbaa ran on television from 1995

Why Timon and Pumbaa endures

A comic double act that turned a Swahili phrase into a trademarked slogan and one of Disney's best-selling shirt designs.

What Timon and Pumbaa looks like on a shirt

Signature motif: A meerkat on a warthog's back, often with the song title

The pair reads as one shape — upright meerkat, round warthog — and the song title does as much work as the art. Savannah sunset backgrounds are common and print best on light fabric.

Slogan designs carry this licence across every size. Warm browns need a light or mid-tone ground. Family-matching sets are common because the phrase suits every age.

Timon and Pumbaa T-shirts

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Buying from outside the United States? Prices shown are amazon.com in US dollars. Links redirect international readers to their local Amazon, where pricing, sizing and availability are shown in local terms.

Price and availability are taken from Amazon at the time shown and can change. The price on Amazon at the time of purchase applies.

Sizes: kids to adult

These links run a live Amazon search for Timon and Pumbaa shirts in each US size band. Amazon shows what is currently listed; availability in a particular size is confirmed on the product page, not here.

BandAgesUS sizesSearch
Toddler 2–4 years 2T, 3T, 4T Search toddler sizes
Kids 4–7 years XS (4/5), S (6/7) Search kids sizes
Youth 8–14 years M (8), L (10/12), XL (14/16) Search youth sizes
Adult 15+ S–3XL Search adult sizes

US sizing shown. Cut and measurement vary between brands — see the size guide before ordering, especially for youth sizes. Base search: Timon and Pumbaa t-shirt.

Who has played Timon and Pumbaa

PerformerProductionYearType
Nathan LaneThe Lion King1994Voice
Ernie SabellaThe Lion King1994Voice
Billy EichnerThe Lion King2019Voice
Seth RogenThe Lion King2019Voice

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Timon and Pumbaa T-shirts: common questions

Who created Timon and Pumbaa?

Timon and Pumbaa was created by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff and Mike Surrey and Tony Bancroft, first appearing in The Lion King in 1994 (Walt Disney Feature Animation).

What does a Timon and Pumbaa T-shirt usually look like?

A meerkat on a warthog's back, often with the song title. Slogan designs carry this licence across every size. Warm browns need a light or mid-tone ground. Family-matching sets are common because the phrase suits every age.

Are Timon and Pumbaa T-shirts made for children?

Yes — Timon and Pumbaa appears on our kids pages, and shirts are commonly made from US toddler 2T up through youth XL.

Who has played Timon and Pumbaa?

Timon and Pumbaa has been voiced by Nathan Lane (The Lion King, 1994), Ernie Sabella (The Lion King, 1994), Billy Eichner (The Lion King, 2019).

How much does a Timon and Pumbaa T-shirt cost?

Timon and Pumbaa shirts we currently track start from around $10.99 on amazon.com. Every price on this page is dated, because they move.

This profile was compiled from published reference material about Timon and Pumbaa — first appearance, creator credits and production history — and is a secondary source rather than a substitute for the original publication. Where a detail could not be corroborated it has been left out. We do not physically test garments; see how we work for what that means and what it does not.

Reference. This profile was compiled from published sources. For the character's full publication history see Wikipedia (Wikidata Q1073705). Our method and limitations are stated in full.

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