Jungle girl

A jungle girl (so-called, but usually adult woman) is an archetype or stock character, often used in popular fiction, of a female adventurer, superhero or even a damsel in distress living in a jungle or rainforest setting. A prehistoric depiction is a cave girl.

Description

Jungle girls are generally depicted as wearing either a scanty animal print (usually leopard) bikini or some type of jungle dress made from fur, leather, or sometimes vegetation. Most are barefoot while some are shown in primitive shoes. Some are feral children; some come from a wealthy, educated family who grew up in the jungle. Others come to visit, whether by accident or design, and decide to stay and serve as protectors of the land and local tribes. They are the female counterpart of Tarzanesque characters. They are depicted either as a tough heroine, perhaps a jungle queen, or as a bound and gagged damsel in distress to be rescued by a jungle man.

History

A prototypical version of the jungle girl was the ancient but eternally youthful sorceress Ayesha in H. Rider Haggard's She: A History of Adventure (1886). The first forest-dwelling character in fiction was Rima from W. H. Hudson's 1904 novel Green Mansions. One popular character, adapted into various media, is Sheena, Queen of the Jungle, who, though created by American writer-artists Will Eisner and Jerry Iger, made her debut in the British magazine Wags #46 (1937). Sheena went on to star in the American comic book anthology series Jumbo Comics the following year.

List of jungle girl characters

Literature

  • Rima (from W. H. Hudson's 1904 novel Green Mansions)
  • Meriem (from Edgar Rice Burroughs' 1917 novel The Son of Tarzan)
  • Fou-tan (from Edgar Rice Burroughs' 1932 novel Jungle Girl)
  • Balza (from Edgar Rice Burroughs' 1933 novel Tarzan and the Lion Man)

Comics

Live-action film and television

  • Algona, played by Deborah "Deek" Sills in Trader Hornee (1970), an adult sex comedy film
  • Aloa from the German film Golden Goddess of Rio Beni (1964) played by Gillian Hills
  • Anatta, played by Laurette Luez in The Bowery Boys comedy film Jungle Gents (1954)
  • Cavegirl (UK/South African TV series, 2002–2003)
  • Christa, portrayed by Shannon Day, from the 1990s Land of the Lost TV series
  • Diana from Diamonds of Kilimandjaro (1983) a French film starring Katja Bienert as the half-civilized jungle girl Diana who was raised in Africa by her stepfather and the cannibal tribe that found them following an airplane crash
  • Doreen Stockwell, played by Julie London in Nabonga (1944)
  • Eba from the 1985 comedy Cavegirl played by Cynthia Thompson
  • Eva from Kong Island, a 1968 Italian exploitation film
  • Eva from King of the Gorillas, a 1977 Mexican film
  • Eve, a.k.a. The Face of Eve (1968), British film starring Celeste Yarnall as Eve
  • Girl, played by Vitina Marcus in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. episode "The My Friend the Gorilla Affair" (1966). She is a Tarzan parody.
  • Gungala from Gungala, the Virgin of the Jungle (1967) and Gungala, the Black Panther Girl (1968), Italian sexploitation films starring Kitty Swan as the titular character.
  • Inara, the Jungle Girl (2012), a film about a girl (played by Cali Danger) who was descended from a tribe of Amazons living on the island of N'iah
  • Inyaah, Jungle Goddess (1934) film.
  • Jane Porter from Tarzan (numerous novels and films)
  • Jean Evans (Panther Girl of the Kongo, 1955), Republic serial update of Jungle Girl
  • Jelita, played by Lydia Kandou in the Indonesian film Jungle Virgin Force, a.k.a. Perawan Rimba (1983)
  • Jennifer of the Jungle (The Electric Company television program)
  • "The Jungle Goddess", played by Rochelle Hudson in the film The Savage Girl (1932)
  • Kilma/Laura von Marnix from Kilma, Queen of the Jungle (1975), Spanish film
  • Kuhlaya, played by Ann Corio in the film Jungle Siren (1942)
  • Lana, Queen of the Amazons (1964), German film with Catherine Schell as Lana
  • Veronica Layton, played by Jennifer O'Dell, in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World (TV series, 1999–2002)
  • Leda, played by Valerie Leon in the British film Carry On Up the Jungle (1970)
  • Leela, companion of the 4th Doctor on the Doctor Who TV series, played by Louise Jameson (1977–1978)
  • Liane from Liane, Jungle Goddess (1956, German film)
  • Lothel, played by Ruth Roman in the film serial Jungle Queen (1945)
  • Luana the Jungle Girl a.k.a. Luana, the Girl Tarzan (1968), Italian-German film with Mei Chen as Luana
  • Luana/Susan Wilson from Daughter of the Jungle (1982), Italian film with Sabrina Siani as Luana/Susan Wilson
  • Lureen, played by Cleo Moore from the Congo Bill serial (1948)
  • Maya from Power Rangers Lost Galaxy (1999), a tribesgirl from the planet Mirinoi who is portrayed by Cerina Vincent
  • Meelah, played by Gale Sherwood in the film Blonde Savage (1947)
  • Rima, played by Audrey Hepburn in the 1959 film Green Mansions
  • Miss Robin Crusoe (1954 movie, played by Amanda Blake)
  • Samantha, played by Evelyn Kraft, from The Mighty Peking Man (1977), a Hong Kong-made version of King Kong
  • Sarima (an original character on YouTube played by YouTuber Brianna Zeigler aka Bridazzel)
  • Shandra the Jungle Girl (1999), straight-to-video film
  • Sheela, a.k.a. Africadalli Sheela (1986), Indian variation of the Sheena film
  • Sheena, Queen of the Jungle (1955–56) television series starring Irish McCalla
  • Sheena (film) (1984) film adaptation starring Tanya Roberts
  • Sheena (TV series), (2000–2002) TV series starring Gena Lee Nolin
  • Tarzana, the Wild Girl (1969), Italian sexploitation film with Femi Benussi as Tarzana/Elizabeth
  • Tarzeena, Queen of Kong Island (2008), erotic parody film by Fred Olen Ray
  • Ticoora, played by Lois Hall, in Daughter of the Jungle (1949).
  • The Tiger Woman (1944), Republic Pictures serial starring Linda Sterling
  • Nina Trent, the White Goddess played by Edwina Booth in the film Trader Horn (1931)
  • Ulah, played by Dorothy Lamour in the film The Jungle Princess (1936)
  • Greta Vanderhorn, played by Wanda McKay in the film Jungle Goddess (1948)

Animation

  • Ainbo from a computer-animated film Ainbo: Spirit of the Amazon, she is part of a tribe in the Amazon
  • Dualot from Working with Words/Journey Through the Jungle of Words, a Golden Step-Ahead Video)
  • Jana of the Jungle, a Hanna-Barbera series in 1978
  • June from Tarzoon: Shame of the Jungle, an animated French/Belgian film with an X rating
  • Jungle Janet of the Civic Minded Five from The Tick, 1990s animated series based on the comic
  • Lua, voiced by Saffron Henderson, from Kong: The Animated Series (2000–2001) she is a shaman from Kong Island
  • Magnolia from George of the Jungle (2007 TV series), she is the daughter of a witch doctor
  • Princess Rosella in the animated film Barbie as the Island Princess (2007)
  • Shaka from the web animation Chainmail Bikini Squad by MondoMedia (2012)
  • Sticks the Badger from Sonic Boom from the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise
  • Ursula from George of the Jungle, 1967 cartoon series by Jay Ward
  • Willa and Nyda from ThunderCats (1985–1989), they are members of the Warrior Maidens

Video games

  • Ayla, a cavewoman from Japanese video game Chrono Trigger (released 1995)
  • Jill of the Jungle, a computer game released in 1992
  • Vixen, a computer game released in 1988

Sports

  • Jungle Grrrl (Erica Porter), wrestler persona created in 2000 for Women of Wrestling

Music

  • Katy Perry dressed up as a jungle girl in the music video of her 2014 single "Roar."
  • Backup dancers in the music video of the 1987 song Walk the Dinosaur by Was (Not Was)

See also

  • Amazons
  • Cambodian jungle girl
  • Feral child

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Sergi, Joe. "Tales From the Code: The Near Extinction of Sheena," CBLDF website (January 25, 2013)
  2. ↑ Camilla, Jungle Queen at Don Markstein's Toonopedia Archived from the original on April 9, 2012.
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