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)
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 Paris, 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.[3][4]
Story synopsis
After Babar's mother is shot and killed by a hunter, he flees the jungle and finds his way to an unspecified big city with no particular characteristics.[5] He is befriended by the Old Lady, who buys him clothes and hires him a tutor. Babar's cousins Celeste and Arthur find him in the big city and help him return to the Elephant realm. Following the death of the King of the Elephants, who had eaten a poisonous mushroom (the illustrations indicate that it is a fly agaric), a council of old elephants approach Babar, saying that as he has "lived among men and learnt much", he would be suitable to become the new King. Babar is crowned King of the Elephants and marries his cousin, Celeste.[6]
In Jean de Brunhoff's second Babar book, The Travels of Babar, when the married couple leave by balloon on their honeymoon:
... stormy winds down the balloon on an island, and yet again will the royal couple escape by whale, be marooned on an even smaller island and be rescued by a passing ocean liner only to be turned over to an animal trainer and put to work in a circus. And when they escape and return home, what awaits them but war with the rhinoceroses.[7]
It was sparked when Arthur tied a firecracker to the tail of Lord Rataxes. Babar wins the war by having the elephants paint monster faces on their backsides, which cause the frightened rhinoceroses to run away. After the victory celebrations, the book ends with Babar, Celeste and the Old Lady sitting together and discussing how Babar can rule wisely and make all the elephants happy.[8]
In the third book, Babar the King, Babar founds the city of Celesteville. After many dromedaries are found, they help with building the city. Each elephant citizen is given a job to do. Once the city is built, everyone celebrates. However, problems arise; the Old Lady is bitten by a snake, and Cornelius' home catches fire. Babar has a dream where he is visited by Misfortune and other demons which are chased away by elephant angels representing Courage, Hope, and other virtues. The morning after the hopeful dream, the Old Lady and Cornelius make full recoveries.[9]
Among Babar's other associates in the various incarnations of the series are the monkey Zephir, the old elephant counsellor Cornelius (also later Pompadour who was created for the Babar television series), Babar's cousin Arthur, and Babar's children, Pom, Flora, and Alexander. A younger daughter, Isabelle, is later introduced. The Old Lady comes to live in the Kingdom as an honored guest.
Despite the presence of these counsellors, Babar's rule seems to be totally independent of any elected body, and completely autocratic. However, his leadership style seems to strive for the overall benefit of his elephant subjects—a form of benevolent dictatorship.[citation needed]
Besides his Westernizing policies, Babar engages in battle with the warlike rhinoceroses of a hostile bordering nation, led by Lord Rataxes. Much later, in Babar and the Adventures of Badou, Pom grows to become the father of Prince Babar II (known as Badou).
In 1931, Jean de Brunhoff introduced Babar in Histoire de Babar, and Babar enjoyed immediate success.[1][10] In 1933, A.A. Milne introduced an English-language version, The Story of Babar, in Britain and the United States.[11]
Before his death in 1937, Jean de Brunhoff published six more stories. His son Laurent de Brunhoff, also a writer and illustrator, carried on the series from 1946, beginning with Babar et Le Coquin d'Arthur.[12]
An animated television series, Babar was produced in Canada by Nelvana Limited and the Clifford Ross Company, running from 3 January 1989 to 5 June 1991, with 65 episodes. An additional 13 episodes aired in 2000. The character has also appeared in a number of films. The first two of Jean de Brunhoff's Babar books have inspired two major concert works: L'Histoire de Babar, le petit éléphant (The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant) by Francis Poulenc in 1940; and The Travels of Babar (Le Voyage de Babar) by Raphael Mostel in 1994.[13][14] In 2010, a sequel and spin-off, Babar and the Adventures of Badou, was released, introducing new characters, including Badou, Babar's grandson and Pom's son. It takes place several years after the original series.
Babar, who likes to wear a bright green suit, introduces a very French form of Western civilization to the elephants, and they soon dress in Western attire. The attention to stylish clothing perhaps reflects the fact that the original publisher of the books was Editions du Jardin des Modes, owned by Condé-Nast. The Babar books were the first Condé-Nast publications not specifically about fashion.[15]
Author Maurice Sendak described the innovations of Jean de Brunhoff:
Like an extravagant piece of poetry, the interplay between few words and many pictures, commonly called the picture book, is a difficult, exquisite, and most easily collapsible form that few have mastered....Jean de Brunhoff was a master of this form. Between 1931 and 1937 he completed a body of work that forever changed the face of the illustrated book.[16]
A Babar stuffed animal with a bright green suit, shoes with spats and a yellow crown.
The series has over 100 licensees worldwide, and the "Babar" brand has a multi-generational following. There are 12 Babar stores in Japan. A global cultural phenomenon, whose fans span generations, Babar stands along with Disney's Mickey Mouse as one of the most recognized children's characters in the world. There are now over 30,000 Babar publications in over 17 languages, and over 8 million books have been sold. Laurent de Brunhoff's Babar's Yoga for Elephants is a top seller in the U.S. with over 100,000 copies sold to date. The Babar series of books are recommended reading on former First Lady Laura Bush's national reading initiative list. All 78 episodes of the TV series are broadcast in 30 languages in over 150 countries, making Babar one of the largest distributed animation shows in history. Babar has been a perennial favourite for years at the White House Easter Egg Roll.[17]
Herbert R. Kohl and Vivian Paley,[21] have argued that, although superficially delightful, the stories can be seen as a justification for colonialism. Others argue that the French civilization described in the early books had already been destroyed by World War I and the books were an exercise in nostalgia for pre-1914 France.[citation needed]Ariel Dorfman's The Empire's Old Clothes[22] is another critical view, in which he concludes: "In imagining the independence of the land of the elephants, Jean de Brunhoff anticipates, more than a decade before history forced Europe to put it into practice, the theory of neocolonialism".
In April 2012, Babar's Travels was removed from the shelves by library staff in East Sussex in response to parental complaints for what was perceived as stereotypes of Africans.[23] Jean de Brunhoff's son Laurent de Brunhoff was embarrassed by stereotypical Africans and Native Americans in Babar's Picnic and asked the publisher to withdraw it.[24]
A more sympathetic view is expressed in the 2008 New Yorker article "Freeing the Elephants", in which Adam Gopnik argues it "is not an unconscious expression of the French colonial imagination; it is a self-conscious comedy about the French colonial imagination and its close relation to the French domestic imagination. The gist ... is explicit and intelligent: the lure of the city, of civilization, of style and order and bourgeois living is real, for elephants as for humans".[25] He concludes that the satisfaction derived from Babar is based on the knowledge that "while it is a very good thing to be an elephant, still, the life of an elephant is dangerous, wild, and painful. It is therefore a safer thing to be an elephant in a house near a park".[25]
Books
Jean de Brunhoff wrote and illustrated seven Babar books; the series was continued by his son, Laurent de Brunhoff.[26]
Jean de Brunhoff's Babar books (1931–1941), and the titles of the English translations, were:
Histoire de Babar (1931) – The Story of Babar
Le Voyage de Babar (1932) – The Travels of Babar, or Babar's Travels
Le Roi Babar (1933) – Babar the King
L'ABC de Babar (1934) – A.B.C. of Babar
Les vacances de Zéphir (1936) – Zephir's Holidays, Zephir's Vacation, or Babar and Zephir
Babar en famille (1938) – Babar and His Children, or Babar at Home
Babar et le père Noël (1941) – Babar and Father Christmas
Laurent de Brunhoff's books (1948–2017) (selected list):
Babar et ce coquin d'Arthur (1948) – Babar's Cousin: That Rascal Arthur
Pique-nique chez Babar (1949) – Babar's Picnic
Babar dans l'Île aux oiseaux (1952) – Babar's Visit to Bird Island
Babar au cirque (1952) – Babar at the Circus
La fête à Celesteville (1954) – Babar's Fair
Babar et le professeur Grifaton (1956) – Babar and the Professor
Le château de Babar (1961) – Babar's Castle
Je parle anglais avec Babar (1963) – Babar's English Lessons (published as French Lessons in English)
Babar Comes to America (1965)
Je parle allemand avec Babar (1966) – Babar's German Lessons
Je parle espagnol avec Babar (1966) – Babar's Spanish Lessons
Mindscape released Babar and the Royal Coin Caper for the PC in 2005, Both Babar and Cornelius are voiced by Daniel Davies and Dave Pender. The Danish game company The Game Factory published Babar to the Rescue for the Game Boy Advance in 2006.
^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.
^Van Gelder, Lawrence (23 December 2002). "Elephants Aloft". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 19 March 2017. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
^de Brunhoff, Jean (1985). The travels of Babar. Translated by Merle S. Haas (1st jacketed hardcover ed.). New York: Random House. p. 48. ISBN0394805763.
^Kohl, Herbert R. Should We Burn Babar?: Essays on Children's Literature and the Power of Stories; Introduction by Jack Zipes, New Press (2007) ISBN1-59558-130-8
^Dorfman, Ariel. The Empire's Old Clothes: What the Lone Ranger, Babar, and Other Innocent Heroes Do to Our Minds, Penguin (1996), ISBN978-0-8223-4671-5
2003 Indian filmNeeku Nenu Naaku NuvvuPosterDirected byRaja SekharWritten byParuchuri BrothersProduced byD. Suresh BabuStarringUday KiranShriya SaranKrishnam RajuSumanCinematographyN.K. EkambaramEdited byMarthand K. VenkateshMusic byR. P. PatnaikProductioncompanySuresh ProductionsRelease date 15 August 2003 (2003-08-15) CountryIndiaLanguageTelugu Neeku Nenu Naaku Nuvvu (transl. Me for you and you for me) is a 2003 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film starring Uday Kir…
Cabras CràbasKomuneComune di CabrasLokasi Cabras di Provinsi OristanoNegara ItaliaWilayah SardiniaProvinsiOristano (OR)Pemerintahan • Wali kotaAndrea AbisLuas • Total102,26 km2 (39,48 sq mi)Ketinggian6 m (20 ft)Populasi (2016) • Total9,174[1]Zona waktuUTC+1 (CET) • Musim panas (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)Kode pos09072Kode area telepon0783Situs webhttp://www.comune.cabras.or.it/ Cabras (bahasa Sardinia: Cràbas) adal…
Agensi Berita Sentral Korea (ABSK)Korean Central News AgencyCuplikan layar situs web KCNA di JepangJenisMilik negaraIndustriKantor beritaDidirikan5 Desember 1946; 77 tahun lalu (1946-12-05)Kantorpusat1 Potonggang-dong, Distrik Potonggang, Pyongyang, Korea UtaraCabangKoresponden dan kantor di enam negaraWilayah operasiInternasionalJasaMediaPemilikRepublik Rakyat Demokratik Korea UtaraKaryawan2.000 (2004)Situs webwww.kcna.kp Agensi Berita Sentral KoreaJosŏn-gŭl조선중앙통신or 조…
GaviiformesRentang fosil: Early Eocene–Present PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N Gavia immer Klasifikasi ilmiah Kerajaan: Animalia Filum: Chordata Kelas: Aves Ordo: GaviiformesWetmore & Miller, 1926 Genus Colymbiculus (punah) Colymboides (punah) Gavia Gaviella (punah) Petralca (punah) Nasidytes (punah) Sinonim Colymbiformes Sharpe, 1891 Gaviiformes adalah ordo burung air yang terdiri dari burung loon beserta kerabat-kerabat terdekatnya yang telah punah. Gaviiformes modern ditemukan di banyak b…
Xian MA60Xian MA60 milik Merpati Nusantara AirlinesTipePesawat penumpang regionalTerbang perdanaFebruary 25, 2000[1]StatusAktifPengguna utamaChinaTahun produksi2000 - sekarangJumlah produksi41 (April 2010)Harga satuan$12.5 million (2006) [2]Acuan dasarXian Y-7VarianXian MA600 Xian MA60 milik Lao Airlines Xian MA60 (新舟60, Xīnzhōu 60, Modern Ark 60) adalah pesawat penumpang bermesin turboprop yang dibuat oleh perusahaan Tiongkok Xi'an Aircraft Industrial Corporation di bawah …
Subdistrict of Tallinn, Estonia Subdistrict of Tallinn in Harju County, EstoniaAstanguSubdistrict of TallinnAerial view of the central part of Astangu.Astangu within Haabersti District.Country EstoniaCounty Harju CountyCity TallinnDistrict HaaberstiPopulation (01.01.2015[1]) • Total3,274 Astangu (Estonian for Terrace) is a subdistrict (Estonian: asum) in the district of Haabersti, Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It has a population of 3,274 (As of 1 January…
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: The Ghost in Science – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (May 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) 1990 studio album by Susumu HirasawaThe Ghost in ScienceStudio album by Susumu HirasawaReleasedMay 25, 1990 (1…
This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages) This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: Bizarre TV series – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (June 2016) (Learn how and when to remove…
Cet article est une ébauche concernant les transports. Vous pouvez partager vos connaissances en l’améliorant (comment ?) selon les recommandations des projets correspondants. Un système automatique de transport est un mode de transport fonctionnant de manière automatique, c'est-à-dire sans intervention humaine. Ils peuvent être guidés dans un parcours contraint (véhicule sur rails par exemple) ou plus libres (comme une voiture entièrement autonome). Les transports guidés urbain…
Japanese volleyball player In this Japanese name, the surname is Nakada. Kumi NakadaPersonal informationBorn (1965-09-03) 3 September 1965 (age 58)Tokyo, JapanHeight1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)Volleyball informationPositionSetterNumber12 (1984)8 (1988)2 (1992)National team 1982–1992 Japan Honours Women's volleyball Representing Japan Olympic Games 1984 Los Angeles Team Asian Games 1982 New Delhi Team 1986 Seoul Team Kumi Nakada (中田 久美, Nakada Kumi, born 3 September…
Tablet computer made by Apple (2014–2015) Not to be confused with iPad (3rd generation) or iPad Air (3rd generation). iPad Mini 3DeveloperApple Inc.ManufacturerFoxconnProduct familyiPad MiniTypeTablet computerGeneration3rdRelease dateOctober 22, 2014; 9 years ago (2014-10-22)Introductory priceWi-Fi:16 GB: $399, 64 GB: $499,128 GB: $599Wi-Fi + Cellular:16 GB: $529, 64 GB: $629,128 GB: $729DiscontinuedSeptember 9, 2015; 8 years ago…
Republic MuseumCumhuriyet MüzesiMuseum from the southeastRepublic MuseumEstablished1981; 43 years ago (1981)LocationCumhuriyet Caddesi Ankara TurkeyCoordinates39°56′28″N 32°51′06″E / 39.94111°N 32.85167°E / 39.94111; 32.85167CollectionsTurkeyOwnerMinistry of Culture and TourismWebsiteRepublic MuseumBuildingBuilding detailsGeneral informationArchitectural styleTurkish NeoclassicalInaugurated18 September 1924Technical detailsFloor count2Design…
Website that presents data and statistics of socially relevant topics Our World in DataPublisherGlobal Change Data LabFounderMax RoserBased inOxford, EnglandWebsiteourworldindata.org Our World in Data (OWID) is a scientific online publication that focuses on large global problems such as poverty, disease, hunger, climate change, war, existential risks, and inequality. It is a project of the Global Change Data Lab, a registered charity in England and Wales,[1] and was founded by Max Roser…
Julia StilesStiles pada Festival Film Tribeca di New York City, April 2007LahirJulia O'Hara Stiles28 Maret 1981 (umur 43)New York City, New York, Amerika SerikatAlmamaterUniversitas Columbia (B.A.)PekerjaanAktrisTahun aktif1993–sekarang Julia O'Hara Stiles (lahir 28 Maret 1981) adalah seorang aktris Amerika Serikat. Stiles mulai bekerja pada usia 11 tahun dan membuat debut layar sebagai Erica Dansby dalam enam episode serial televisi, Ghostwriter (1993-1994). Peran film pertamanya ad…
Cemetery in Johannesburg, South Africa Westpark CemeteryDetailsEstablished1942LocationBeyers Naude Drive, Montgomery Park, Johannesburg, GautengCoordinates26°9′49″S 27°59′23″E / 26.16361°S 27.98972°E / -26.16361; 27.98972Owned byJohannesburg City ParksWebsitejhbcityparks.comFind a GraveWestpark Cemetery Memorial to the Six Million at Westpark Cemetery Westpark Cemetery is a large cemetery in Johannesburg, South Africa, and is the resting place of some of the c…
Football clubDornbirner SVFull nameHella Dornbirner Sport VereinFounded30 July 1954GroundSportplatz HaselstaudenCapacity1,000ChairmanHerbert LenzManagerRoman EllensohnLeagueEliteliga Vorarlberg Home colours Dornbirner Sport Verein is an Austrian association football club from Vorarlberg, based in the town of Dornbirn, which was founded in 1954. They play their home games at the Sportplatz Haselstauden. They currently participate in the Eliteliga Vorarlberg. History In 2002, the club was renamed …
Division, section, region, or part of a town This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: Quarter urban subdivision – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (July 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Kalasatama, a quarter of Helsinki, Finland A quarter is a part of an urban settlement.…
Reference management software MendeleyMendeley Desktop (previous Mendeley main application)Original author(s)Paul Foeckler, Victor Henning, Jan Reichelt[1]Developer(s)ElsevierInitial releaseAugust 2008; 15 years ago (2008-08)Stable release2.108.0[2] / 17 January 2024 Operating systemWindows, macOS, LinuxAvailable inEnglishTypeReference management softwareLicenseProprietaryWebsitemendeley.com Mendeley is a reference manager software founded in 2007 by PhD st…