#elmer the elephant

[kidcore-nostalgia]

Elmer the elephant by David McKee ♥️

[foxboy-96]

elmer!!!!

maud (my girlfriend) if u randomly open my blog and see this LOOK AWAY.!

so i have decided to make my own elmer pattern! i really hope he turns out as well as i think he will. my methodology is very uhm do what feels natural all my patterns look like this and would probably be very difficult to follow for anyone who isn’t me!

i cannot (like physically cannot) conjure images my mind so pattern making takes so much brain power and drawing and just actual crocheting and then re crocheting to figure out haha. my brain also cannot do the sort of maths this sort of thing requires so don’t suggest that hahaha

i will try to remember to update this again when he is finished <3 i plan to make a lining out of some old calico i have lying around so i can fill him with a blend of rice and plush stuffing so he can stand up! also thinking about using black buttons sewn on with white thread for the eyes? idk! but i’m having fun!

[raaorqtpbpdy]

I drew more Mokuba because I cannot stop myself. I don’t even like drawing but he’s just too damn cute 🥺

[tomoleary]

Charles Thorson “An early sketch of the character that Thorson would call Bugs Bunny from c. 1938. The character was named after fellow animator and co-worker Ben “Bugs” Hardaway” Great article.

Thorson also created Elmer the Safety Elephant.

That’s how the glue got into classrooms. Elmer the Safety Elephant nestles into our psyche then comes the glue. Merchandising.

Insidious. Let us tell you a story, children, then GLUE!

[disneyllect]

[happyfunf3tti]

[kennyroundpants1489]

Elephant - You do and I’ll give ya SUCH a pinch! (Slams Elmer on the gro...

[owlsandwich]

In honour of world book day, and the fact that one of my sons has gone to school dressed as Elmer the patchwork elephant, I want to post my slightly unhinged essay on how much I love his character.

I absolutely love Elmer's self-confidence as a character. He's represented as the most popular elephant in the herd. Never gets bullied or excluded for his patchworkness. The one time he has a crisis of confidence about looking different, he lasts about 30 minutes of trying to be 'normal' before he decides "nah, fuck it." and goes back (well, he technically gets rained on to get his colours back, but I'd argue Elmer is back to his old self as soon as he makes it a prank), and the heard makes the day of the event an annual day of celebration to appreciate him.

It's beautiful because his arc is all internal. He doesn't have a particular experience that causes his brief crisis of confidence — he was just over-thinking one day. And when he decides to turn it into a practical joke, it's not because another elephant says they miss him or any such external prompt. It's because he looks around and decides everything is too boring this way. As an audience, we get the message that Elmer's differences are a valuable asset to the herd, but it's not a lesson he as a character needs to be taught.

Elmer is never forced to learn a lesson about self acceptance, he just flawlessly demonstrates it.

[the-gershomite]

Walt Disney’s comics and stories #9 June 1941

Donald Duck shorts

Elmer Elephant and the Walt Disney Silly Symphony (short story)

[rainingincale]

@maingoes created a tag game, here is the description:

"Topic is covers of books that definitely changed your brain on some sort of minuscule but permanent level or that you think your childhood experience would’ve have been different without (longest title of a tag game ever I know) my only 2 rules are u should have read the book before age 10 and you cannot include the HP series"

Here are my books:

I shall tag @j-purplesunsets-rainydays @jesperfaheygf @cancara @mostlykind @captainjanegay @holdingontozouis and anyone else who sees this and wants to do this! Also pls do not do if you do not wanna ❤️❤️❤️

[restinpeaceporkins]

[sinnershavesoulstoo]

A series in which my bff has gifted me poorly drawn animals for which I am eternally grateful ✨️

[dreamingofacity]

This is Pūtaringamotu.

10 years of this blog, and counting. Today I feel moved to post! Hello to anybody still on Tumblr :)

[fuzzysparrow]

The Colourful World of David McKee

Until 16th April 2023, the Horniman Museum in London is holding a retrospective of the late David McKee’s colourful illustrations. Mckee was a British author of children’s books, most notably Elmer the Patchwork Elephant. Since its publication in 1968, the original Elmer book has sold over ten million copies worldwide, making it one of the most-read children’s books. McKee is also responsible for…

[xxgoblin-dumplingxx]

hey! hows secret!reader doing??

"I thought," your uncle said, proffering an envelope from a jacket pocket, "that you might want some of these."

"Ooo," Jason said, taking it before you could protest. "Blackmail pictures? Awkward kid pictures?"

"Not really," He said, chortling. "But she always was a cute little shit. And magazines and certain conservation and special interest groups liked an occasional kid picture- especially if that kid was beaming like she won the lottery because she got to feed fruit to a creature of some sort. Or play with a baby elephant."

"She still likes creatures. You should see how good she tamed my youngest brother," Jason said.

"Obviously," he said, proffering chicken to Elmer as a bribe. "I still want to know where you found this cat. I've met tigers that have better manners."

"A shelter," you snort. "Jason thought I needed socializing."

"You did," he protested, thumbing through the pictues. All are meticulously labeled and dated. Your sister conspicuously absent. Like you were absent from so many pictures in your parent's house. It was clear that while she built business connections, you hobnobbed with any critter you were allowed to pet or feed. Traipsing along with your father's brothers- the other spare.

You had been a cute little shit as a little girl. You'd been a pretty young lady. But now, even with your scars you were a beautiful woman. It was hard to even notice them.

"You always do better with a little friend," your uncle pointed out, his face warming as he watched Elmer make himself comfortable on your lap. Insolently demanding your attention back. "Remember Roscoe?"

"Aww he was sweet. Such a good boy-"

"Roscoe?" Jason asked interested.

"A white rat," you explain. "He was blind but. He liked to play fetch with jingle bells and would climb my hair like a rope."

"He had to live at my house," your uncle explained. "Laurel said he gave her nightmares. But- he knew who his buddy was. He always did a little dance in his cage as soon as he heard her come up the steps."

"Rats, Ugly cats, anything else?" Jason asked, curious.

"A goat," you add, "and a couple geckos."