Babar the Elephant is a popular French children's fictional character who first appeared in L'Histoire du Babar by Jean de Brunhoff in 1931 and enjoyed immediate success. English language versions entitled The Story of Babar, appeared in 1933 in Britain and the USA. The story is based on a tale de Brunhoff's wife, Cecile, had invented for their children. It tells of a young elephant called Babar who leaves the jungle, visits a big city, and returns to bring the benefits of civilization to his fellow elephants.
Jean de Brunhoff published six more stories before his early death in 1937 at the age of 37. His son Laurent de Brunhoff was also a talented writer and illustrator and he carried on the series from 1946 with Babar et Ce Coquin d'Arthur and many more.