Kabumpo, the Elegant Elephant of Pumperdink, is a fictional character in the ''Oz'' books of

Ruth Plumly Thompson Ruth Plumly Thompson (27 July 1891 – 6 April 1976) was an Americans, American writer of children's stories, best known for writing many novels placed in Land of Oz, Oz, the fictional land of L. Frank Baum's classic children's novel ''The Wonde ...

. Jack Snow, ''Who's Who in Oz'', Chicago, Reilly & Lee, 1954; New York, Peter Bedrick Books, 1988; p. 115.

History

Kabumpo first appears in ''

Kabumpo in Oz ''Kabumpo in Oz'' (1922) is the sixteenth book in the Oz series, and the second written by Ruth Plumly Thompson. It was the first Oz book fully credited to her. (Her first, ''The Royal Book of Oz'', was credited to L. Frank Baum on the cover.) ...

'', Thompson's second ''Oz'' book. He was originally a christening gift to the king of Pumperdink, Pompus. He reappears to play major roles in ''

The Lost King of Oz ''The Lost King of Oz'' (1925) is the nineteenth book in the Oz series created by L. Frank Baum and his successors, and the fifth written by Ruth Plumly Thompson. It was illustrated by John R. Neill. The novel was followed by '' The Hungry Tig ...

, The Purple Prince of Oz'', and '' The Silver Princess in Oz''. He had a less consequential role in '' The Wishing Horse of Oz''. Thompson's illustrator John R. Neill made Kabumpo a denizen of the

Emerald City The Emerald City (sometimes called the City of Emeralds) is the capital city of the fictional Land of Oz in L. Frank Baum's ''Oz'' books, first described in '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900). Fictional description Located in the center of ...

, attended by Ojo, in his contributions to the series. In 1980,

Eloise Jarvis McGraw Eloise Jarvis McGraw (December 9, 1915 – November 30, 2000) was an American author of children's books and young adult novels. Early life Eloise Jarvis McGraw was born on December 9, 1915 in Houston, Texas. At age 8 her family moved to Oklaho ...

and

Lauren Lynn McGraw Eloise Jarvis McGraw (December 9, 1915 – November 30, 2000) was an American author of children's books and young adult novels. Early life Eloise Jarvis McGraw was born on December 9, 1915 in Houston, Texas. At age 8 her family moved to Oklaho ...

borrowed the character for ''

The Forbidden Fountain of Oz ''The Forbidden Fountain of Oz'' is a 1980 children's novel written by Eloise Jarvis McGraw and her daughter Lauren Lynn Mcgraw (or McGraw Wagner), and illustrated by Dick Martin. The novel is in the long-running Oz series written by L. Frank ...

'', published by th
International Wizard of Oz Club.
Kabumpo is known for his wisdom in Pumperdink, but that might be because he shines in comparison with other members of the court. He is overbearing, sarcastic, and extremely vain, but good-hearted. Since the expiration of his first novel's copyright on 1 January 1998 (the last Thompson book to enter the public domain before the

Copyright Term Extension Act The Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act – also known as the Copyright Term Extension Act, Sonny Bono Act, or (derisively) the Mickey Mouse Protection Act – extended copyright terms in the United States in 1998. It is one of several ac ...

took hold), Kabumpo may be used freely by any author. Of his Thompsonian appearances, only ''Purple Prince'' remains under copyright, with the expiration date being 1 January 2028.

References

Literary characters introduced in 1922 Elephants in literature Kabumpo Animals of Oz Fictional elephants Anthropomorphic elephants Male characters in literature {{fantasy-char-stub