Another favourite book of my sister and I growing up were of Babar the elephant who lived with his tres charmant famille in Celesteville. On our first trip to Paris, my sister had a rather large stuffed toy of him which she took to the top of the Eiffel tower, just like in the story – needless to say it was the highlight of our trip and a very fond memory for both of us.
Here are some Babar facts:
With over 100 licensees worldwide, the Babar brand has a multi-generational following. There are even 12 dedicated Babar stores in Japan.
Babar has eight points to his crown.
A global cultural phenomenon, whose fans span generations, Babar stands along side Mickey as one of the most recognized children’s characters in the world.
Babar made his debut in “The Story of Babar” published in 1931 by Jean de Brunhoff. Jean created and illustrated seven Babar titles before dying in 1937. Laurent de Brunhoff, son of Jean, continues his father’s work and is still writing Babar books.
In 2006 Babar will celebrate being King of The Elephants for 75 years.
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 First Lady Laura Bush’s national reading initiative list. Babar has been a perennial favorite for years at the White House Easter Egg Roll.
Originally posted on August 27, 2006 @ 11:35 am
