For more than 60 years Babar the elephant has enchanted generations of children. The adventures of Babar the king and his family have endured and creator Jean de Brunhoff's characters have thrived in locales the world over. Now Babar's odyssey has brought him to Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. The Department of Special Collections and Archives in the University Libraries is the recipient of one of the largest Babar collections in the world. The gift by the late John L. Boonshaft of Las Vegas, Nev., is valued at over $200,000 and includes more than 3,600 items. The collection's inventory alone gives an idea of how complete and comprehensive this collection is -- it runs for 75 pages, mostly single-spaced in small type.
The collection is not just fun and games; it offers resources for serious research by scholars of literature, marketing, media, sociology, translation, linguistics and other disciplines, according to Jeanne Somers, curator of Special Collections and Archives at Kent.
Somers and her colleague, Dr. Ann Hildebrand, professor of English at Kent and a Babar scholar, traveled to Las Vegas in November just before the Thanksgiving holidays to arrange for the packing and transport of the collection to Kent. Boonshaft, who died in August at the age of 47, had named Kent as the recipient in his will in 1991.
The logistics of packing and moving the collection suggest the number and variety of items involved. Many were packed into 60 good-sized cartons and hundreds of smaller items made the trip in more than 30 of Boonshaft's own storage cabinets.
But larger items, like a 6-foot stuffed Babar, (smartly attired to travel as a true gentleman in trademark green three-piece suit, jaunty derby and traditional spats), bookcase, baby bed, and other Babar furniture were carefully shrink-wrapped and transported. The collection is housed in three different rooms in the Library. A Babar room for public view is in the planning stages, according to Somers.
The University's delight at receiving the Boonshaft-Babar collection is obvious when talking to Hildebrand and Somers. From first-edition books by Babar's creator, Jean de Brunhoff, to Babar and other books by Jean's son, Laurent, the collection is a "treasure trove," according to Hildebrand.
"Babar and the adventures of his family is the longest running saga in children's literature. For almost 70 years, the King of the Elephants has charmed children the world over. Babar has never been out of print and has been published in more than 20 languages and dialects," Hildebrand said.
The popularity of this Parisian pachyderm is due in large part to a constant theme of family. "These are stories about families and family life. The characters celebrate love, the arts and stylishness. Babar and his wife Celeste model disciplined civility and gentleness. The Babar stories show children how to behave well and the characters' reassuring consistency is a source of comfort in the often uncomfortable childhood world," Hildebrand said.
When Jean de Brunhoff, a professional artist, made the first Babar book in 1931, one might say Babar was born of fatherly devotion. In 1937 de Brunhoff died of tuberculosis but the Babar books were his way of remaining a constant role model for his -- and other -- children. He shared views on life, birth, death, war, love, courtship and marriage -- all in all an unsentimental view of living and dealing with subjects unusual for a picture book during the 1930s. Son Laurent, who now resides in the United States, continued the series.
Babar stories have evolved with the times. The early books undoubtedly reflected the French upper-middle class themes and attitudes of Jean's time, according to Hildebrand. Laurent's stories and illustrations reflect ideas more in keeping with cultural and social trends of the latter half of this century.
Boonshaft obtained many versions of Babar books and artifacts. As a result, researchers can trace how themes in children's literature, language and translation, sociology of the family, marketing, graphic design, publishing, craftsmanship of toys, international appeal of a product, and media representations of the character have evolved over the last six decades. From 6-foot stuffed Babars to delicate Limoges Haviland china to Arby's promotional items, if there was a way to market an item, the Boonshaft collection has a sample.
"Babar has endured -- beginning with his debut in the first children's book. Since then, Babar comes to us in every media form imaginable -- books, posters, audio tapes, records, television, videos, sheet music, theatrical productions, cartoons, compact discs and even the Internet," Hildebrand said.
Hildebrand has been interested in Babar for over 20 years. Research for her book Jean and Laurent de Brunhoff: The Legacy of Babar led her to Laurent de Brunhoff and then to John Boonshaft. De Brunhoff described the collection as "unique and exceptional" in terms of its quality and content, according to Hildebrand. Although she had corresponded with and talked to Boonshaft over the phone for nearly 10 years, she never met him. But his letters and conversations demonstrated an air of genteel civility reminiscent of Babar, according to Hildebrand. Boonshaft was a private, polite gentleman whose interest in Babar probably found its roots in childhood memories of Babar stories while summering with his grandparents in Dayton, Ohio.
Boonshaft could have designated much larger libraries than Kent -- including the Library of Congress -- as the recipient of his gift, according to Somers. "We assured him that this collection would have a good home at Kent, where it compliments other strong collections in children's literature including the papers and published work of such award-winning authors as Virginia Hamilton and Cynthia Rylant," Somers said.