Elmer Elephant

Did You Know?

• From 1983 to 1997, this short was the featured subject of DTV's music video of Yes' Owner of a Lonely Heart.
• It was released on December 4, 2001, on Walt Disney Treasures: Silly Symphonies - The Historic Musical Animated Classics.
• The short was also released as a bonus feature on DVD and Blu-Ray releases of Dumbo, alongside The Flying Mouse.

Plot

Elmer Elephant arrives at Tillie Tiger's birthday party, bringing her a bouquet. Joey the Hippo blows out the candles too hard, spattering cake icing on Elmer's face. Tillie cleans him up and accepts the flowers, then goes into her treehouse, telling Elmer to enjoy the party until she returns. A jealous tiger boy leads the other children in teasing Elmer about his trunk, calling it a funny nose like a rubber hose. Elmer leaves to sulk at a pond, where he tries to fold his nose but fails. An elderly giraffe tells Elmer he was once teased about his neck and learned to ignore it, showing him pelicans that look like Jimmy Durante to cheer him up. A fire breaks out at Tillie's treehouse, trapping her. The monkey fire brigade and other children cannot stop the living fire. Elmer, helped by the giraffe and pelicans, uses his trunk like a fire hose to extinguish the blaze. He catches Tillie as she falls from the disintegrating house, earning the other children's respect and Tillie's love. They share a kiss, hiding behind Elmer's ear.

Later appearances

Elmer is seen as a precursor to Dumbo, as both characters are insecure about a body part they are ridiculed for and gain respect by using that part. Elmer later starred in a Silly Symphony comic strip serial, The Life and Adventures of Elmer Elephant, from October 27, 1935, to January 12, 1936, retelling the short's story. Three years later, he appeared in a continuity called Timid Elmer, based on an abandoned second short, published from December 4, 1938, to February 12, 1939. In that story, Tillie Tiger is tired of Elmer's cowardice and takes up with Gooch Gorilla; after talking to a wise giraffe, Elmer gains confidence to fight the bullies and win back Tillie's respect. Like the Three Little Pigs, Elmer became popular in merchandising but never made another theatrical appearance, except for crowd shots in Toby Tortoise Returns and a cameo in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Elmer and Tillie also briefly appeared in the Mickey Mouse episode Carried Away as tourists in Niagara Falls.