Money Tigers is regarded as the Japanese television programme that originated the Dragon's Den format.
The Japanese programme, known as Money Tigers, presented entrepreneurs seeking financial backing from a panel of wealthy businesspeople. Its central idea was later adapted for television markets around the world, with investors taking different names in different countries.
The British version uses “Dragons,” while the United States adaptation is known as Shark Tank. These titles can obscure the shared format history, because the programmes are locally produced and have different presenters, investors, rules, and broadcast histories.
Money Tigers is therefore not the name of the British programme or a fictional predecessor created for the UK series. It is the Japanese source format commonly cited in accounts of the franchise's development.