Disney’s Jungle Book was incredible, but nothing screams nostalgia like the Doordarshan Jungle Book which had anime stamped all over it. Sunday mornings as a kid couldn't have been better because of Mowgli and his friends. So let's rewind time and go back to the ’90s and revisit some of the most loved characters and turn them into desserts!
Straight from Rudyard Kipling’s book, sprung forth the human child in the den of wolves, Mowgli. The mother wolf raised the little child as one of her own, alongside her own wolf pups. Mowgli was molded into the ways of the jungle thanks to Baloo, the bear, who was tasked with teaching the wolves and automatically got the hapless task of teaching the human kid as well. Bagheera, the black panther, being raised in a cage by humans also took a liking to Mowgli. As the little kid grew, he found more friends and of course, he was the one who chased away the predatory tiger, Sher Khan in the end. For the son of the earth, a mud cake is quite fitting.
A sleek panther, his black coat makes him camouflage into the dark depths of the jungle quite well, and also hints at his wise and intelligent personality. He was the one who delivered a baby Mowgli to the wolves and hoped he would eventually grow up and find his way back to human civilization. Something he and Baloo the bear got into arguments frequently, for both of them acted like dual guardians wanting the best for the little child. For this wise and caring panther, a black forest cake is perfect representing his grounded personality.
The caring and jolly counterpart to Bagheera’s fatherly behavior, Baloo is the epitome of a gentle giant. This sloth bear is fun-loving, and outgoing and is a dear friend of Mowgli. Despite being dubbed the jungle bum by the careful Bagheera, Baloo is responsible where needed, and under his watchful eye, the little child grew up as an adventurous boy who barely shied away from danger. For this wholesome giant fellow, nothing else but one of the most wholesome chocolate desserts – a fudgy brownie will do.
You might not be able to put the two and two together but Luri was the adoptive mom of Mowgli and like a true Romulus and Remus Roman tale, she raises Mowgli like her own wolf cub alongside her two biological pups. She was the one who named him Mowgli which referred to his hairless state, meaning frog. For the mother wolf, who has beautiful white fur, and is fiercely protective of her own, standing up to Sher Khan as well and doing pack duties when Alexander dies, we picked one of the most luscious chocolate desserts ever – a chocolate mousse is fitting.
Alongside Kaa, a huge python with hypnotic eyes, Sher Khan and this snake find opportunities to eat the man-cub, Mowgli, who does not fit in with the jungle folks. Sher Khan has an ill reputation for being a man-eater and killing cattle of the humans living near the jungle, which is why it’s no surprise that he wanted to off Mowgli too. Something that Alexandar fought him for, and gave him an injury on his leg. But ultimately, Mowgli succeeds in driving away the troublesome tiger. For this antagonist, we picked a cheesecake topped with lotus biscoff, to suit his orange coat.
You might remember the two wolf cubs that grew up with Mowgli, they were Akru and Sura, and like twins, they had completely opposite personalities, perhaps each taking after their father Alexander, and mother Luri. Akru has brown and beige fur, like Luri while Sura has grey and black like Alexander. They remain close to Mowgli and all three share a sibling-like bond throughout. While their appearances match their parents their personalities are swapped, Akru is the hot-headed one and impulsive whereas Sura is the calm and collected one. For the twins, a parfait is perfect with its split elements of yogurt or cream and fruit or cake in it.
With a humble and protective nature, Alexander is the alpha wolf (the only alpha male that should exist tbh) of the pack, meaning its leader. By Jungle Law he ends up becoming the leader of his pack and ends up adopting the little human mug, Mowgli on the advice of the pack senior Akela and also Baloo and Bagheera. For this humble and caring leader, a dark chocolate cake is perfect, for unlike Tarzan’s adoptive gorilla father, Alexander is quite doting and protective.