Laurent de Brunhoff, the French artist who nurtured his father’s creation, a beloved, very Gallic and very civilized elephant named Babar, for nearly seven decades — sending him, among other places, into a haunted castle, to New York City and into outer space — died on Friday at his home in Key West, Fla.
Babar was born one night in 1930 in a leafy Paris suburb.
Laurent, then 5, and his brother, Mathieu, 4, were having trouble sleeping.
Their mother, Cécile de Brunhoff, a pianist and music teacher, began to spin a tale about an orphaned baby elephant who flees the jungle and runs to Paris, which is conveniently located nearby.
The boys were enthralled by the story, and in the morning they raced off to tell their father, Jean de Brunhoff, an artist; he embraced the tale and began to sketch the little elephant, whom he named Babar, and flesh out his adventures.
Persons:
Laurent de Brunhoff, Babar, Phyllis Rose, Mathieu, Cécile de, Jean de Brunhoff
Locations:
New York City, Key West, Fla, Paris, Laurent