The Elephant's Child

a shadow puppet show inspired by the Rudyard KIPLING's tale

created at the Théâtre National de Toulouse on June 17th

with Michaël LONSDALE as story teller

in the frame of the 3rd Marathon des Mots de Toulouse 2007

This delightful story which enjoys adults as well as children has been originally published as part of Just So Stories in 1902.

These stories have been written by Rudyard KIPLING for his daughter best beloved Joséphine.

The text of the Elephant's Child, as Kim or The Jungle book, is very well known all over the world.

Story : In the High and Far-Off Times the Elephant, had no trunk. He had only a blackish, bulgy nose, as big as a boot, that he could wriggle about from side to side; but he couldn't pick up things with it. But there was one Elephant — a new Elephant — an Elephant's Child — who was full of 'satiable curiosity, and that means he asked ever so many questions. And he lived in Africa, and he filled all Africa with his 'satiable curiosities. One fine morning in the middle of the Precession of the Equinoxes this 'satiable Elephant's Child asked a new fine question that he had never asked before. He asked, 'What does the Crocodile have for dinner?'

This will be the beginning of a delightful walk in the African savanna to find by him the answer. He will find much more than he could have imagined!

With this show we wanted to restitute the fine humor and the poetic imagination of Rudyard Kipling


A flower butterfly


This show is a creation of the
Théâtre des Ombres

with the kind participation of
Roshanak Roshan
an Iranian artist and puppet show director

This show can be easily performed in any country
as far as the story is said by a native actor
It is easy to find translation of the original text

Length of the show : 30 minutes

Return - Contact - To download the file of the show - To see videos of the show


Part of the text

In the High and Far-Off Times the Elephant, O Best Beloved, had no trunk. He had only a blackish, bulgy nose, as big as a boot, that he could wriggle about from side to side; but he couldn't pick up things with it. But there was one Elephant — a new Elephant — an Elephant's Child — who was full of 'satiable curiosity, and that means he asked ever so many questions. And he lived in Africa, and he filled all Africa with his 'satiable curiosities. He asked his tall aunt, the Ostrich, why her tail-feathers grew just so, and his tall aunt the Ostrich spanked him with her hard, hard claw. He asked his tall uncle, the Giraffe, what made his skin spotty, and his tall uncle, the Giraffe, spanked him with his hard, hard hoof. And still he was full of 'satiable curtiosity! He asked his broad aunt, the Hippopotamus, why her eyes were red, and his broad aunt, the Hippopotamus, spanked him with her broad, broad hoof; and he asked his hairy uncle, the Baboon, why melons tasted just so, and his hairy uncle, the Baboon, spanked him with his hairy, hairy paw. And still he was full of 'satiable curtiosity! He asked questions about everything that he saw, or heard, or felt, or smelt, or touched, and all his uncles and his aunts spanked him. And still he was full of 'satiable curtiosity!
One fine morning in the middle of the Precession of the Equinoxes this 'satiable Elephant's Child asked a new fine question that he had never asked before. He asked, 'What does the Crocodile have for dinner?' Then everybody said, 'Hush!' in a loud and dretful tone, and they spanked him immediately and directly, without stopping, for a long time.


Behind the screen


Musical parts file

Ravel – Daphnis et Chloé – Invocation of the Nynphs
Ravel – L’enfant et les sortilèges – Musiques d’insectes
Saint Saens – Le carnaval des animaux – Fossiles
Pascal Ayerbe – La tête en l’air – Archibald
Catherine Vaniscotte – Les animaux de personne – Le coati sociable
P.Shaw, R.Farnon – Monkey Business
R.Cassman – The frog song
P.Shaw, D.Rogers - Very funny
Swing Kids - Sing, sing, sing

Distribution the day of the first performance

june 17th  2007

Story teller :
Michaël LONSDALE assisted by Cécile BOURRIER
Pupetters :
 Roshanak ROSHAN, Marc ROSSI, Christophe BASTIEN-THIRY
Roshanak ROSHAN : Elephant's Child, green Butterflies
Marc ROSSI : Baboon, Hippopotamus, Serpent-Python, Kolokolo, yellow Butterflies
Christophe BASTIEN-THIRY : Ostrich, Giraffe, Spider, Elephant's Child, Dromadaire, red Butterflies

The compagny and Michaël Lonsdale at Toulouse


Some images of the show
clic on the images to get a better resolution


The Elephant's child with his family


The Elephant's child with the Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake


The tall aunt the Ostrich


The hairy uncle the Baboon


The broad aunt the Hippopotamus


The tall aunt Giraffe


The Kolokolo bird


The Elephant's Child is full of 'satiable curiosity


The Elephant's Child frisking and whisking his trunk



Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)

Photo found in the press- november 2010
Taken in the Kruger Park in South Africa.
The article said that the young elephant has been saved by its parents!
Return - Contact - To download the file of the show - To see a video of the show