What Is The 'Lion Gift,' How Much Is It And Why Are People Buying Them On TikTok?

On TikTok, people are spending over $400 to send a 10 second clip of an animated lion to their favorite livestreamer. The gift is meant to support the livestreamer, who is able to sell the lion back to TikTok to receive some money, but there are many issues with the practice.

If you're not sure why anyone would even consider spending $400 on a virtual lion gif, this explainer should help you understand just how bad it is.

How Do You Get A Lion?

On TikTok, when someone is doing a livestream, it is possible to open up a menu and see gifts that you are able to send the livestreamer. These gifts are often sent as a way of thanking the creator for being live, or for their content, and cost TikTok Coins. After putting in a credit card and buying the necessary number of coins, a fan is then able to select the lion when viewing a livestream and send it to them.

How Much Is A Lion?

It takes 29,999 coins to buy a lion, which would cost over $400 dollars thanks to the conversion rate of 65 coins per $1 spent.

Why Would You Gift A Lion?

On TikTok, creators are able to take the gifts sent to them and trade them back to the company for money. This has, in turn, pushed many creators to have mock "live battles" in which they will go head to head against another creator, with gifts being sent in contributing to one creator or another's "point total" to see which creator has the better fanbase. This makes large gifts, like the lion, very appealing to fans who have spent large amounts of money on the app, as they can support their favorite creator and help them "win" live battles that are likely fake much of the time.

What Does The Lion Do?

After the lion is sent, it will often appear as a notification on the screen that the lion was sent before a short video of a lion running across the savannah plays, culminating in it roaring before disappearing. This usually elicits a shocked and excited reaction from the livestreamer, who will then clip that part of the livestream and use it as a standalone TikTok to drum up interest when they go live. This makes the lion not only a monetary gift towards a livestreamer, but also a potentially viral piece of content that can help boost their clout.

For the full details on the TikTok lion gift meme, be sure to check out our entry on the meme for even more information.