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Babar the Elephant
| Babar the Elephant | |
|---|---|
 Cover of the first Babar story, Histoire de Babar (Story of Babar), published 1931 | |
| First appearance | Histoire de Babar, 1931 |
| Created by | Jean de Brunhoff |
| Voiced by | Peter Ustinov (1968–1971; 2 TV specials) Jim Bradford (1985; TV special) Gordon Pinsent (1989–2015; 2 TV series and movie) Dan Lett (1999–2000; movie and TV series) Gavin Magrath (young; 1989; TV series and movie) Kristin Fairlie (young; 1999; movie) Daniel Davies (2005; video game) |
| In-universe information | |
| Alias | Babar, Doctor of Letters, King of the Elephants |
| Species | African bush elephant |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | King |
| Spouse | Celeste |
| Children | Pom, Flora, Alexander, Isabelle |
| Relatives | Arthur (brother-in-law), Badou (grandson), Lulu (granddaughter), Periwinkle (daughter-in-law), Cory (son-in-law) |
| Author | Jean de Brunhoff |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Genre | Children's literature |
| Published | 1931–present |
| Media type | Print (hardcover and paperback) Audiobook |
Babar the Elephant (UK: /ˈbæbɑːr/, US: /bəˈbɑːr/; French pronunciation: [babaʁ]) is an elephant character who first appeared in 1931 in the French children's book Histoire de Babar by Jean de Brunhoff.[1]
The book is based on a tale that Brunhoff's wife, Cécile, had invented for their children.[2] It tells of a young African elephant, named Babar, whose mother is killed by a big game hunter. Babar escapes, and in the process leaves the jungle in exile, visits a big city,[3] and returns to bring the benefits of civilization to his fellow elephants. Just as he returns to his community of elephants, their king tragically dies from eating a poisonous mushroom. Because of his travels and civilization, Babar is chosen king of the elephant kingdom. He marries his cousin, Celeste (French: Céleste), and they subsequently have children and teach them valuable lessons.[4][5]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
babarpastwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Freeing the elephants". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on 27 August 2010. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
- ^ Stating, as it is sometimes done, that the city is Paris is wrong. No recognizable building of Paris or, for that matter, any other larger town is shown in any of the drawings. Since Babar flees by foot, the city would presumably be located in Africa, anyway, although its population (as it is drawn) is exclusively white.
- ^ "Cécile de Brunhoff". Daily Telegraph. London. 9 April 2003. Archived from the original on 9 September 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
- ^ Mehren, Elizabeth (24 December 1989). "A Legendary Elephant King of the Forest Has Taken Up U.S. Residency With His Growing Family and His Illustrator". The Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 14 December 2010.
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