Groton — A stuffed Rafiki and Simba perch on a boulder in Groton overlooking their kingdom — the Gold Star Highway. The monkey and lion duo, and a wild bunch of stuffed animals, were collected by a local woman who decided to recreate the iconic "Circle of Life" scene from Disney's "The Lion King," using her very own Pride Rock.

The reimagined movie scene features a stuffed leopard, giraffe, zebra, rhinoceros, ape and a purple elephant, centered around one boulder that Groton resident Lisa Richter thought bore a roaring resemblance to the cartoon lion dynasty's home.

Richter, who lives on the corner of Gungywamp Road and the highway, said that when she first spotted the upward pointing rock in her family's front yard, she immediately told her husband, James, that they needed to get a stuffed Simba to make it look even more like "The Lion King."

Richter found her Simba for $2 at Goodwill in Groton and put him out on the rock. After the little lion flew solo for a while, she started adding more animals and "the 'Circle of Life' just happened," Richter said.

One addition to the scene, she said, was from an anonymous little boy who dropped off a stuffed warthog, rang the couple's doorbell and ran off.

"My husband looked outside and there was Pumbaa," she said of the movie's warthog character. Richter also returned to the Goodwill, scouring the shelves for wild animals, and has found quite a few.

As their collection grew, her husband decided to connect some piping to the toys to secure them in the ground. The couple's 2-year-old daughter, Caitlynn, has enjoyed getting to add new animals, Richter said.

"The whole point is to put a smile on my daughter's face and it's working," Richter said.

In addition to making their daughter happy, Richter said she thinks the scene has made a lot of people smile on their commute. Some passers-by have shouted from their cars to thank her for setting up the scene and many have stopped to take photos.

"If you're sitting at the red light on either side (of the highway), it's right there, you can't miss it," she said.

Soon, it will be even more noticeable, Richter said. She plans to continue growing the jungle, hoping to find a stuffed Zazu, the colorful bird who guides Simba, more lions, including Mufasa, Scar and Nala, along with the villainous hyenas.

And, Pumbaa needs his sidekick. "If anyone wants to drop off a Timon, you're more than welcome," Richter said.

The Groton family plans to leave the display up permanently and to keep expanding its animal kingdom.

t.hartz@theday.com