Reference Desk

Is that Lion King backpack vintage or the current one?

Material, print, slogan and shape tell the 1990s vinyl bag from the current 15-inch one, which sells new for about $20.Illustration: LinkToLooks

There are two Lion King backpacks in circulation and they cost very different money. The one sold new today is the current-production 15-inch child’s backpack printed ‘Walk on the Wild Side’, sold new at Target and Walmart for about $20. The one collectors actually want is the 1990s vinyl Simba and Nala bag from the film’s original merchandising, and that is a different object.

Telling them apart in a listing photo

Material. The 1990s bag is coated vinyl with a visible sheen and hard creases. The current one is matte polyester that drapes.
Print register. Film-era Disney merchandise was printed flat, with slightly soft edges where colours meet. The modern bag has a crisp sublimated gradient behind Simba — that sunset band is the fastest tell at thumbnail size.
The slogan. ‘Walk on the Wild Side’ is modern copy. The 1990s bags carry the character art alone or the film logo.
Silhouette. Vintage is boxy with a flat bottom panel; current is rounded with a padded back.

The 1990s bag, where it is on sale

Retailer	Listing	Asking
eBay	Vintage 1990s Disney Lion King purple vinyl backp…	$35

The current bag, where it is on sale

Retailer	Listing	Asking
Amazon.com	Disney Lion King Backpack - Boys Backpack for Sch…	$35
Target	LION KING, 15" Boys' Backpack with Padded Straps…	$20
Walmart	LION KING, 15" Boys' Backpack with Padded Straps…	$20
thesummitbirmingham.com	Lion King 15" Boys Backpack With Padded Straps &…	$20

Last verified 2 September 2026: 2 listed offers re-checked against the CJ product feed (US advertisers) — 2 no longer returned by the feed and shown as of 31 August 2026. A further 3 listed offers could not be reached in the feed on that date and are left as of 31 August 2026. Prices move; read them as the market on that date, not a promise.

Our position, plainly: the $20 new bag is a perfectly good bag for an actual child and a bad buy for a collector, because nothing about it is scarce. If the nostalgia is the point, hold out for the vinyl one — and expect to pay for condition rather than rarity, since these were school bags and most of them were used like school bags.

Questions

Are Lion King backpacks from the 1990s valuable?

Modestly. Condition drives the price far more than age: the vinyl cracks at the fold lines and a bag without cracking is worth several times one with it.

Is the current Lion King backpack a reissue?

No. It is a new design using current Disney character art, not a reproduction of the 1990s bag, despite what resale titles imply.