He’s a giant elephant in a green suit. Honestly, when you step back and look at the adventures of babar, the whole premise is a bit surreal. A young elephant flees the jungle after a hunter kills his mother, wanders into a stylized version of Paris, discovers the joys of tailoring, and eventually returns home to bring "civilization" to his herd. It sounds like a fever dream. Yet, Jean de Brunhoff’s creation has persisted for nearly a century. Why?
Because it’s not just a kids' book. It’s a weirdly complex meditation on grief, progress, and the loss of innocence.
Most people remember the bright primary colors. They remember the crown. But if you actually sit down and read the original 1931 text, Histoire de Babar, things get dark fast. It doesn't shy away from the trauma of the hunter's bullet. It treats the death of the Old King—who dies from eating a bad mushroom—with a bluntness that would make a modern editor sweat. The adventures of babar are essentially about a refugee finding a way to survive in a world that wasn't built for him.
The Jean de Brunhoff Legacy: Where the Legend Started
The story didn't start in a publishing house. It started in a bedroom. Cécile de Brunhoff, Jean’s wife, made up a story about a little elephant to comfort their sick sons, Laurent and Mathieu. They loved it. Jean, who was a painter, saw something in it and started sketching. He wasn't a professional illustrator by trade, which is probably why the art feels so distinct—wide, sprawling landscapes and a deliberate use of white space that makes the world feel massive.
When the first book hit French shelves in 1931, it changed everything. Before Babar, children's books were often cramped, moralistic, and physically small. Brunhoff insisted on a large format. He wanted the reader to feel immersed in the adventures of babar, seeing every detail of the city streets and the sprawling palace of Celesteville.
Then, tragedy hit the family for real. Jean died of tuberculosis at only 37.
The series could have ended right there in 1937. But his son, Laurent de Brunhoff, who was just a teenager at the time, eventually picked up the brush. Laurent spent the next several decades expanding the universe. It’s one of the most successful hand-offs in literary history. Laurent kept the aesthetic alive while pushing Babar into more modern, sometimes even psychedelic, territory. He moved to New York, married an American writer, and kept the elephant king alive until his own passing in 2024.
📖 Related: Al Pacino Angels in America: Why His Roy Cohn Still Terrifies Us
Decolonization and the Big Green Suit Controversy
We have to talk about the elephant in the room. Literally.
For decades, scholars have picked apart the adventures of babar for their colonial undertones. It’s hard to miss. Babar goes to the city, puts on clothes, learns French customs, and then goes back to "civilize" the other elephants. Critics like Ariel Dorfman have argued that the books are a justification for French imperialism. Babar is the "good" colonial subject who adopts the ways of the West and brings them back to the jungle.
Is that a fair reading?
Kinda. It’s definitely a product of 1930s France. You can't scrub the historical context away. But fans and some historians argue it's more about the transition from childhood to adulthood. The suit isn't just a sign of "civilization"; it's a costume of responsibility. Babar is trying to build a utopia where everyone is safe from the hunters. Celesteville is a city of peace, even if the way it was built looks a lot like a European model.
Interestingly, Laurent de Brunhoff eventually acknowledged these criticisms. In his later years, he even expressed some regret over certain depictions in the earlier books, particularly Babar's Picnic, which contained caricatures that were undeniably racist. Many modern editions have actually pulled those specific titles from circulation or edited them heavily. It's a fascinating case of a legacy evolving in real-time.
Why the Art Style Works Even Now
Look at a panel from Babar the King. The lines are incredibly simple. There’s a flat, folk-art quality to the way the elephants are drawn. They shouldn't look elegant in tuxedos, but they do.
👉 See also: Adam Scott in Step Brothers: Why Derek is Still the Funniest Part of the Movie
Jean de Brunhoff used a technique that felt cinematic before picture books were really doing that. He used double-page spreads to show the scale of the Great Forest. When Babar travels, you feel the distance. When he’s in the department store, you feel the overwhelming sensory input of the city.
- The use of hand-written script in the original versions added a personal, intimate touch.
- The color palette stays consistent: that specific Babar green, the bright red of the car, and the royal gold.
- The architecture in the books is a mix of Art Deco and classic French styles.
It’s cozy. That’s the word people use. Even when the adventures of babar involve war with the rhinoceroses or getting lost in a desert, there is an underlying sense of order. The books promise that no matter how scary the world gets, you can always build a home. You can always put on a clean suit and start over.
The TV Show and the 90s Nostalgia Wave
If you grew up in the late 80s or 90s, your version of the adventures of babar probably wasn't a book. It was the animated series by Nelvana.
That show was surprisingly sophisticated. It used a framing device where an older King Babar tells stories of his youth to his children. It dealt with some heavy themes for a Saturday morning cartoon. It kept the "gentle" tone of the books but added a layer of emotional depth that made the characters feel like real people—well, real elephants.
The music was haunting. The stakes felt real. It didn't talk down to kids.
The Modern Value of Babar
In a world of high-octane, hyper-stimulating kids' media, Babar is a slow burn. It’s about the passage of time. One of the most touching things about the adventures of babar is that we see him grow up, get married to Celeste, have children (Pom, Flora, and Alexander), and even deal with the challenges of leadership.
✨ Don't miss: Actor Most Academy Awards: The Record Nobody Is Breaking Anytime Soon
It’s a life cycle.
It teaches kids that bad things happen—mothers die, homes are lost—but that life continues. You find friends like the Old Lady. You build cities. You learn.
How to Explore Babar Today
If you're looking to revisit the adventures of babar or introduce them to a new generation, don't just grab a random collection.
Start with the original Jean de Brunhoff trilogy: The Story of Babar, The Travels of Babar, and Babar the King. These are the foundation. They have the most "soul" and the most striking artwork.
Pay attention to the background details. Jean loved to hide little visual gags and intricate details in the city scenes. It’s a great way to practice "slow looking" with children.
If you're interested in the history, look up the work of Maurice Sendak (the creator of Where the Wild Things Are). He was a massive Babar fan and wrote extensively about why Jean de Brunhoff was a genius of the form. Sendak argued that Babar was a "masterpiece" because it captured the "bravery of daily life."
Actionable Steps for Collectors and Readers:
- Seek out the oversized editions. The small paperbacks lose the impact of the original scale. The large formats allow the "cinematic" feel of the illustrations to breathe.
- Compare the eras. Read a book by Jean and then one by Laurent (like Babar's Yoga for Elephants). It’s a lesson in how an art style evolves over 80 years.
- Discuss the "difficult" parts. If you’re reading with a child, don't skip the hunter scene. Use it as a way to talk about loss and resilience. It's what the books were designed for.
- Visit the Morgan Library in NYC if they have their Brunhoff archives on display. Seeing the original sketches and watercolors is a totally different experience than seeing a printed page.
The adventures of babar aren't perfect. They are messy, historically complicated, and sometimes baffling. But they are also deeply human. They represent our desire to find order in a chaotic world and to protect those we love, even when we’re just an elephant in a big green suit.