Dead Lion Golden Syrup
The story behind Lyle's Golden Syrup logo
Last Sunday, I went to the Manchester Art Gallery before heading to a book club meeting. The gallery boasts a rich collection of remarkable paintings and art pieces, yet something unexpected captured my attention. Two small tins of Lyle’s Golden Syrup next to a huge lion painting — The Desert by Edwin Henry Landseer. At first, I thought the lion was just sleeping, but later I found out it was actually dead because of sickness. Even though The Desert painting was impressive, I couldn't help but focus on those syrup tins.
I looked closer to see what connected them to the painting. And you know what? I stumbled upon something that truly impacted my senses—the logo. On the tins, the lion isn't peacefully napping. Instead, it's a sadly slaughtered lion, left to decay, with a swarm of bees drawn to its decomposing carcass.
It made me think. Lyle’s Golden Syrup is a famous brand with such an iconic logo, and we see it everywhere—grocery stores, cafes, magazines, and social media. But despite seeing it all the time, I never really looked at it. I knew it has a yellow lion and a dark green label, but I didn't realise the lion was dead and surrounded by bees. It's funny how we can miss important details when something becomes so familiar.
I got curious, so I looked up the origin of the logo, and here's what I found —
The original design was the idea of the product’s founder, Scottish businessman Abraham Lyle, who decided to include a Christian analogy on the tins.
The Book of Judges details Samson killing a lion with his bare hands before returning to the carcass a few days later to find a swarm of bees had created a hive in its body
Lyle’s Golden Syrup has recently undergone a rebranding, featuring a simpler logo compared to the original. While I was initially surprised by story behind the old logo, personally, I prefer it over the new "modern" version. The timeless Victorian-style design, along with the green and gold tin, holds a special place in my heart.
Do you prefer the old logo or the new logo?
Yes the old tin is the best 😅