Sam is a lion who is the assistant and best friend of Reader Rabbit and typically the secondary protagonist of the Reader Rabbit series since his debut in 1994 (except Reader Rabbit 2nd Grade).
Appearances[]
Sam appears in most of the 1990s games, first appearing in Reader Rabbit's Interactive Reading Journey, and all of the 2000s games. He appears as a cub driving a ship in a flashback in Reader Rabbit Math Adventures Ages 6–9. He also teams up with Penelope the Parrot in all activities except Monkey Pizza Party. He meets his grandpa, Grandpa Sampa, in Reader Rabbit: Learn to Read with Phonics: 1st & 2nd Grade, which also reveals that his residence is a tree-house and that he was born in Gunk.
Cameos[]
- In the ending of Reader Rabbit 1st Grade
Background[]
Physical Appearance[]
Sam is a slightly muscular anthropomorphic lion with a thick mane. In the 1990s games, he is orange with light-shaded toes, muzzle and belly, and his mane is red. He is also unclothed, except in the early 1997 games, in which he wears a green shirt. In the 2000s games, he is tan, his mane is reddish brown, and he wears a green t-shirt.
Personality[]
Sam is very outgoing, confident, and proud when he is happy, and he always has something fun or engaging to say in reply to what his friends tell him, especially Reader Rabbit. He cares a lot about how he looks (especially in front of others), but he cares more about Reader Rabbit and his friends. He likes to go on adventures with his friends and crack jokes. His favorite shape is triangles, and his least favorite shapes are hexagons and pentagons.[1] His favorite foods are sandwiches and ice cream.[2]
Friends[]
Sam has many friends, but his best friends are Reader Rabbit, Paige and Chester.
Quotes[]
- "Roaring Raspberries!" - Sam's catchphrase
- "A lion should be king! King of the forest. That's what a lion is!" - Reader Rabbit's Interactive Reading Journey
- "My name is Sam. I am Sam." - Reader Rabbit's Interactive Reading Journey
- "What an exciting journey! We read books, learned new words, and made new friends." - Reader Rabbit's Interactive Reading Journey 2
- "Don’t click on me. I’m just a funny guy." - Reader Rabbit's Reading 1
- "Hey! This isn't the Interactive Reading Journey, I'm in the wrong game" - Reader Rabbit's Reading 2
- "Hey, this isn't the Road to Imagination! I'm in the wrong game!" - Reader Rabbit's Reading 2
- "Oh, the good old days! This place hasn't been the same since the carnival left town." - Reader Rabbit Preschool
- "Help! I'm falling!" - Reader Rabbit 2nd Grade
- "Howling Hyenas!" - Reader Rabbit 2nd Grade: Mis-cheese-ious Dreamship Adventures!
Trivia[]
- Sam wears a green T-shirt in Reader Rabbit's Reading 1 and a green lumberjack shirt in Reader Rabbit's Reading 2.
- Sam is nine years old, as implied in the chapter "The Search Continues" in Reader Rabbit: Learn to Read With Phonics: 1st & 2nd Grade.
- Sam makes a cameo appearance in the game Ultimate Writing & Creativity Center.
- In the 2002 re-releases of the 2001 games, the covers replace him with several children.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- As seen in Reader Rabbit Preschool (version 2), Sam the Lion considers the Moosecoaster his favorite rollercoaster to ride on.