Kabumpo, the Elegant Elephant of Pumperdink, is a fictional character in the Oz books of Ruth Plumly Thompson

Ruth Plumly Thompson

Ruth Plumly Thompson was an American writer of children's stories.-Life and work:An avid reader of Baum's books and a lifelong children's writer, Thompson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and began her writing career in 1914 when she took a job with the Philadelphia Public Ledger; she wrote...

.

Kabumpo first appears in Kabumpo in Oz

Kabumpo in Oz

Kabumpo in Oz is the sixteenth Oz book, and the second written by Ruth Plumly Thompson. It was the first Oz book fully credited to her. Kabumpo in Oz (1922) is the sixteenth Oz book, and the second written by Ruth Plumly Thompson. It was the first Oz book fully credited to her. Kabumpo in Oz...

, Thompson's second Oz book. He was originally a christening

Infant baptism

Infant baptism is the practice of baptising infants or young children. In theological discussions, the practice is sometimes referred to as paedobaptism or pedobaptism from the Greek pais meaning "child." The practice is sometimes contrasted with what is called "believer's baptism", or...

 gift to the king of Pumperdink, Pompus. He reappears to play major roles in The Lost King of Oz

The Lost King of Oz

The Lost King of Oz is the nineteenth in the series of Oz books created by L. Frank Baum and his successors, and the fifth written by Ruth Plumly Thompson. It was Illustrated by John R. Neill.-Thompson's approach:...

, The Purple Prince of Oz

The Purple Prince of Oz

thumb|200px|Cover of The Purple Prince in Oz.The Purple Prince of Oz is the 26th in the series of Oz books created by L. Frank Baum and his successors, and the 12th written by Ruth Plumly Thompson. It was illustrated by John R...

, and The Silver Princess in Oz

The Silver Princess in Oz

thumb|200px|Cover of The Silver Princess in Oz.The Silver Princess in Oz is the thirty-second of the Oz books created by L. Frank Baum and his successors, and the eighteenth written by Ruth Plumly Thompson. It was illustrated by John R...

. Thompson's illustrator John R. Neill

John R. Neill

John Rea Neill was a magazine and children's book illustrator primarily known for illustrating more than forty stories set in the Land of Oz, including L. Frank Baum's, Ruth Plumly Thompson's, and three of his own. His pen-and-ink drawings have become identified almost exclusively with the Oz series...

 made Kabumpo a denizen of the Emerald City

Emerald City

The Emerald City is the fictional capital city of the Land of Oz in L. Frank Baum's Oz books, first described in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...

, attended by Ojo

Ojo the Lucky

Ojo is a character from the fictional Oz book series by L. Frank Baum.He first appeared in The Patchwork Girl of Oz. Ojo is a Munchkin who lived with his uncle, Unc Nunkie in the Blue Forest, a remote location in the north of the Munchkin Country. During a trip with his uncle to visit his uncle's...

, in his contributions to the series. In 1980 Eloise Jarvis McGraw and Lauren Lynn McGraw borrowed the character for The Forbidden Fountain of Oz

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 , and illustrated by Dick Martin. As its title indicates, the book is one entry in the long-running series of Oz books written by L...

, published by the International Wizard of Oz Club.

Kabumpo is known for his wisdom in Pumperdink, but that might be because he shines in comparison to King Pompus. In his adventures, he is usually portrayed as too sure about some conviction—who is a proper princess, who is the lost king, what is the best way to save the kingdom—and highly concerned with his elegant robes and jewels. However, Kabumpo is also able to learn from mistakes, and a traveling prince can have no bigger friend or protector.