What was the Cowardly Lions costume made from?
Lahr’s costume was made of two real lionskins, weighed over fifty pounds, and was extremely hot and uncomfortable to work in. He claimed it was like “working inside a mattress.” When Lahr was on the set, the lights would be turned off and the soundstage doors opened for fresh air every half hour so he wouldn’t suffocate. One of the costumes was found and restored in the 1990s, and featured on the program History’s Lost and Found on the History Channel. It is now in a private collection.
