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Story synopsis
After Babar witnesses the slaughter of his beloved mother by a hunter, he flees from the jungle and finds his way to Paris where he is befriended by an old lady, who buys him clothes and enrolls him in school. Babar eventually returns to the Elephant realm following the death of the King of the Elephants, who had eaten a poisonous mushroom. A council of elephants approach Babar, saying that as he has been educated in France, he would be suitable to become the new King. Babar is crowned King of the Elephants, marries his cousin Celeste, and founds the city of Celesteville. 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.

Among Babar's other associates are the monkey Zephir, the old elephant counsellors Cornelius and Pompadour (Pompadour was created for the Babar TV series), his cousin Arthur, and his children, Pom, Flora and Alexander. Later, a second daughter, Isabelle, was introduced. The Old Lady comes to live in the Kingdom as an honoured 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 be one that works for the overall benefit of his elephant subjects; a form of "gentle authoritarianism".

Besides his Westernizing policies, Babar engages in warfare with the warlike rhinoceroses of a hostile bordering nation, who are led by Lord Rataxes.


Pronunciation
Babar's name is pronounced /ˈb�bɑr/.[1] Babar (pronounced [ˈbaːbər]) was the name of the first Mughal emperor of medieval India.


Criticism
Some writers, notably Herbert R. Kohl and Vivian Paley [2] have argued that, although superficially delightful, the stories are politically and morally offensive and can be seen as a justification for colonialism. Others argue that the French civilisation described in the early books had already been destroyed by the Great War and the books were originally an exercise in nostalgia for pre 1914 France. Ariel Dorfman�s The Empire�s Old Clothes [3] is another highly 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." Author Adam Gopnik has a different point of view. In Freeing the Elephants [4] he writes that 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." 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." Despite the controversy, the Babar collection remains popular in many nations.


Books
Jean de Brunhoff wrote and illustrated seven Babar books; the series was continued by his son, Laurent de Brunhoff.

Jean de Brunhoff's Babar books, 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 Z�phir (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 p�re No�l (1941) - Babar and Father Christmas
Laurent de Brunhoff's books (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'�le aux oiseaux (1952) - Babar's Visit to Bird Island
Babar au cirque (1952)�Babar and the Circus
La f�te � Celesteville (1954) - Babar's Fair
Babar et le professeur Girafon (1956) - Babar and the Professor
Le ch�teau 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
Babar � New York (1966)�Babar in New York
Babar Loses His Crown (1967)
Babar Vists another Planet (1972)
Babar Learns to Cook (1980)
Babar and the Ghost (1981)
Babar's ABC (1983)
Babar's Counting Book (1986)
Babar's Little Circus Star (1988)
Babar and the Castle (1993)
Babar's Rescue (1993)
Babar's Little Girl (2001)
Babar's Little Girl Makes a Friend (2002)
La Mus�e de Babar (2002)�Babar's Museum
Babar Goes to School (2003)
Babar's Museum of Art (2003)
Babar's Book of Color (2004)
Babar's Busy Year (2005)
Babar's World Tour (2005)
Babar's Yoga for Elephants (2006)
Babar's USA (2008)
English translations of the original Babar books are routinely republished in the UK and in the USA, individually and in collections.

Other English-language titles about Babar [5] include the following:

Babar Comes to America. New York: Random House, 1965.
Babar Learns to Cook. New York: Random House, 1967.
Babar Loses His Crown. New York: Random House, 1967.
Babar's Games. New York: Random House, 1968.
Babar's Fair. New York: Random House, 1969.
Babar Goes Skiing. New York: Random House, 1969.
Babar's Moon Trip. New York: Random House, 1969.
Babar's Trunk. New York: Random House, 1969.
Babar's Birthday Surprise. New York: Random House, 1970
Babar's Other Trunk. New York: Random House, 1971.
Babar Visits Another Planet. New York: Random House, 1972.
Meet Babar and His Family. New York: Random House, 1973.
Babar's Bookmobile. New York: Random House, 1974.
Babar and the Wully-Wully. New York: Random House, 1975.
Babar Saves the Day. New York: Random House, 1976.
Babar's Mystery. New York: Random House, 1978.
Babar's Little Library. New York: Random House, 1980
Babar the Magician. New York: Random House, 1980.
Babar's Anniversary Album. New York: Random House, 1981.
Babar's A.B.C. New York: Random House, 1983.
Babar's Book of Color. New York: Random House, 1984.
Babar and the Ghost. Easy to Read Edition. New York: Random House, 1986.
Babar's Counting Book. New York: Random House, 1986.
"Christmas with Babar & Baby Isabelle." Woman's Day, 22 December, 1987.
Babar's Little Circus Star. New York: Random House, 1988.
Babar's Busy Year. New York: Random House, 1989.
Isabelle's New Friend. New York: Random House, 1990.
Babar and the Succotash Bird. New York: Harry N. Abrams Inc., 2000.

Films and programmes
Babar (1960) [6]
The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant (1968)
Babar (1969): broadcast in the UK on BBC1 weekdays from 29 September
Babar Comes to America (1971) [7]
Babar and Father Christmas (1986) [8]
Babar (1989) [9][10]
Babar: The Movie (1989) [11]
Babar: King of the Elephants (1999) [12]
The New Adventures of Babar (2010) [13]
The Babar stories are popular around the world. They have inspired musical works by Francis Poulenc and Raphael Mostel, and an extremely popular animated television series by Ellipse (France) and Nelvana (Canada).

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I am taking cover under Teddy so Babar thinks I am already dead too Quote

Babar has Friends and Family


Babar's family
Babar: A charming and charismatic elephant. He is also the King of Celesteville. He brought his love of the city back to the great forest and built the beautiful, happy kingdom of Celesteville. However, he is a dedicated ruler and world traveler. Babar is very happy when he picnics at the lake with his family or joining in the antics of his lively children. His elephant mother was shot by a poacher when he was young, so he is very protective and caring of his family, as well as the elephants and others animals of the kingdom in general.
Celeste: Babar's Wife and Queen of Celesteville. She has also traveled the world and has had many great adventures. She has a regal presence, an engaging manner and a gentle sense of humor.
Arthur: Babar's mischief-making brother-in-law. He often gets himself (and one or more of the children) involved with practical jokes and stunts. [Although the English and French versions of the official characters page lists him as a cousin, this goes against the canon of the show where he is clearly referred to as Celeste's brother, Babar's brother-in-law, and the uncle of Babar and Celeste's children. The Japanese version of the official Babar characters page also refers to him as Celeste�s younger brother. In addition, neither Celeste nor Arthur is ever referred to as a cousin of Babar, in the show. In the book, "The Story of Babar", Celeste and Arthur are shown to have two different mothers and we are told they are Babar's cousin and little cousin, respectively. This difference between the source material (the books) and adaptation (the animated television series) could explain the discrepancy between the English and French character pages and the show's own canon.
Pom: The oldest of the triplets and the leader of the children. He is the biggest of the bunch and protective of his brother and sisters though he will gladly join in with Alexander in playfully teasing his sisters, Flora and Isabelle.
Flora: Flora is fun-loving and strong-willed. She can more than hold her own with her two brothers. Whether building tree houses, sliding down the banister at the palace, or preparing a surprise breakfast for their parents, Flora is always immersed in the action.
Alexander: The smallest of the triplets, is a non-stop ball of entertainment who is into everything and disarmingly naive about the commotion he causes.
Isabelle: The youngest of the four children. Isabelle was an amazing baby, walking early and talking early. She is a baby at the beginning of the series and a toddler by the end of it.

Babar's close friends, and royal court
Madame (The Old Lady): From their first meeting in the city, the Old Lady and Babar shared a special friendship. She gave him a home and taught him about life in the city. Though she missed him greatly, she understood his decision to return to the forest. Babar built her a home in Celesteville, where she made the decision to stay and live with her friends, the elephants. In many ways, she's a surrogate mother to Babar.
Zephir: One of Babar's oldest friends, and is considered one of the family. He is the first to take off with Arthur and the kids on some crazy adventure. But Babar knows that Zephir can always be trusted to look after the children and bring them home safely.
Cornelius: The oldest and wisest elephant in Celesteville, and the Prime Minister, who takes his job as Babar's chief adviser very seriously, whether accompanying Babar on state visits or organizing numerous Celesteville parades. His catchphrase is "My tusks!"
Pompadour: Another adviser to Babar, often opposes radical ideas and very adherent to proper protocol. He also serves as the Finance Minister.
Troubadour: Pompadour's assistant, a smaller elephant who does not speak but is very dedicated to helping Babar and his family.
Truffles: The palace cook, often easily upset by various situations in the palace.

Rataxes' family
Lord Rataxes: The king of Rhinoland. He is sometimes an antagonist and sometimes an ally. At some point between the flashbacks and the present day events of the show, Rataxes signed a peace treaty with Babar. In the series he is seen as a bumbling and occasionally incompetent oaf, although he is seen in the film as an evil and menacing ruler.
Lady Rataxes: Rataxes' wife. She is very demanding of her husband, and is also on friendly terms with Babar, Celeste and the elephants, on most occasions. Her real name is Louise [see the episode "No Place Like Home"].
Victor: Rataxes' son. He is friends with Babar's three eldest children (the triplets). He is also in the same grade and class as them, in school.
Basil: Rataxes' adviser. He does most of the paperwork, is the Head of Security for the rhino palace, and has also served as Rataxes' travel agent and spy. He is also a self proclaimed fitness nut.
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An elephant goes like this and that,
He's terribly big,
And he's terribly fat;
He has no fingers,
And has no toes,
But goodness gracious,
What a long nose! Quote

And Teddy only you would know about Babar's long Nose... Quote

How can an elephant best avoid wrinkling?
He should avoid sleeping in his clothes. Quote

What do you do with a blue elephant?
Take him to the circus to cheer him up. Quote

What do you do with a horny Elephant?
Introduce him to G-Mann and let the both of them have fun Quote

What will be when Babar will meet Ozzie's sheep? Quote

What will be when Babar will meet Ozzie's sheep?


Messy

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Question: Why did the elephant cross the road?

Answer: Because it was the chickens day off




What do you call an angry elephant wearing pink ear muffs...

anything you like, he can't hear you




Where does an elephant keep his belongings...

in his trunk



How do you stop an elephant from charging?

Take away his credit cards



How can you tell when an elephant is under your bed?

Your nose is squashed against the ceiling

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I'm shocked LickaU ! You didn't post the classic joke

What should you do when an elephant comes in your window ?

The Breast Stroke !!

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What do you find between an elephant's toes?
Slow-moving pygmies.



What do you get if a herd of elephants tramples Batman and Robin?
Flatman and Ribbon.

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Why don't elephants ride 10 speed bikes?
no thumb to shift

How do you know if there is an elephant in the pub?
His bike is outside.

What do you call two elephants on a bicycle?
Optimistic.

How do you know if there are two elephants in the pub?
There's a dent in the cross-bar.

How do you know if there are three elephants in the pub?
Stand on the bike and look in the window.


How can you tell when an elephant is getting ready to charge?
He asks if you accept Visa


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Why did the elephant scratch himself?
Because he was the only one who knew where the itch was.

Why did the gardener put elephant manure on his garden?
Because he wanted to grow trees with bigger trunks.

Why did the elephant leave the circus?
Because it got tired of working for peanuts.

Why do elephants live in zoos?
They're cheaper than flats.

Why don't elephants have feathers?
If they did, you would confuse them with ducks.

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What did the grape say when the elephant stood on it?
Nothing, it just let out a little wine.

Why do elephants have wrinkles?
Ever tried to iron an elephant?

How do you run over an elephant?
Climb up its tail, dash to its head, and then slide down its trunk.

How do you get down off an elephant?
You don't. You get down off a duckling.


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Why is an elephant wrinkled, gray, and enormous?

Because if he were smooth, white, and tiny he'd be an aspirin.

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he is my elephant and i use it very often hahahahaha

Some people has babar fetish Quote

Why did the elephant cross the road?
To squash the chicken on the other side!

Q: How do elephants communicate?

A: They talk on the elephone.

Q: Why do elephants travel in herds?
A: Because if they traveled in flocks they might be mistaken for sheep. Quote

How do you catch an elephant?

You will need a jam-jar with a firm lid, a telescope, a black-board and a piece of chalk. And a jungle with elephants, of course.
Go to the jungle. Write 2+2=5 on the blackboard. All the elephants will come running and be paralyzed with laughter. While they are busy laughing, turn the telescope the wrong way around and use it to look at the elephants. As they are now very small, you can easily pick them up and put them in the glass and close the lid. Quote