Birthday Lion SVG

King of the party

Every birthday child gets to be king or queen for the day, and this lion cub has the crown to prove it. A butter-yellow crown with three rounded points and a sky-blue band sits on top of a round, scalloped coral mane. Inside the mane, the face is a warm yellow circle with two round ears lined in peach.

The lion’s features are drawn simply: two eyes, a small coral triangle nose and a cream muzzle with a soft double-curve smile. Below the head sits a round body with a cream chest, two front paws side by side and a tail that curls up the right-hand side to a coral tuft.

Color layers

• Base and lines in cocoa brown: the backing outline
• Peach in pale peach: the inside of each ear
• Butter in butter yellow: the head, ears, body, paws, tail and crown
• Sky in pale sky blue: the band across the crown
• Cream in warm cream: the muzzle and chest
• Coral in coral pink: the mane, the nose and the tuft on the tail

Pieces and weeding

This design has 19 pieces in the solid cut and 3 cut-outs. The crown, its band, the ear linings, the muzzle and the tail tuft are separate from the main shapes, so transfer tape is needed for vinyl and a backing card for paper. The mane is the largest single piece, so give it a little extra room on the mat. It passes our cut checks from about 2.5 inches wide.

Size guide

Under 2.5 inches, use Print Then Cut on the color file instead of cutting layers.

Using the lion

1. A “birthday king” shirt for a little boy, or a “birthday queen” version for a girl.
2. Safari or jungle invitations.
3. A crown-themed party sign for the front door.
4. Paper crowns for guests, with a small lion stuck to the front.
5. Cupcake toppers at about 3 inches, printed and cut, taped to food-safe sticks or with the stem wrapped, and taken out before serving.

Getting the mane right

The mane is one big coral piece with a rounded scallop edge all the way around. Cut it from a smooth, heavy card so the scallops stay crisp. Glue it down before the face, then center the yellow head over it so an even ring of coral shows on every side.

Color ideas

Golden yellow with a rust-orange mane is closer to a real lion, while a lilac mane and a pink crown suit a princess party. Our guide to changing SVG colors walks through the swap.

Pairs well with

The Birthday Penguin also wears a crown, and the Birthday Giraffe joins the lion for a safari set.