Dumbo Jumbo?

My wife was reading a small book based on the Disney movie Dumbo to our two-year-old this evening, and she brought up a good point. If Dumbo's mother's name is "Mrs. Jumbo," then Dumbo's full name is Dumbo Jumbo.

At first I suggested that maybe she never took Dumbo's dad's name, or maybe they were never married. Forgetting the fact that this scenario would be pretty progressive for the story of a Disney movie from 1941, were any of that actually true she'd be "Ms. Jumbo." Nope. His full name is definitely Dumbo Jumbo.

Which leads me to wonder what kind of a mother would name her kid "Dumbo Jumbo?" It has to be at the top of the list of all time worst names. Don't you think a mother who loves her child as much as Mrs. Jumbo obviously does in the movie would have thought it through a little better?

Which further leads me to wonder if the actual writers of this whole Dumbo story even realized that they were naming their lead character "Dumbo Jumbo." I can only imagine they probably liked the name "Dumbo" and then wanted to name the mom something else kind of like it and came up "Mrs. Jumbo." But when you think it through, it's really a terrible choice.

I think I should probably stop thinking it through now.

Of course, if you're interested in watching the movie yourself, you can get Dumbo (Big Top Edition) for $16.49 from Amazon.com. But be forewarned. When Mrs. Jumbo tries to help her son and the animal trainers keep her caged up and tied down, it will probably get to you too.

Comments

[LANA]

Poor Dumbo; to think that a mother thought that Dumbo was a nice name. I wonder what other names she was pondering: illiterate, fatty, chubs. Not nice!

[Jon]

The type of parent who would name their child Dumbo Jumbo is the same type that let's their kids drink energy drinks at 8 and names their kid random words and such.

http://daddy-detective-jon.blogspot.com/

[LoveDaddy]

"Dumbo" is the nickname the other mean elephants coined when Dumbo's ears unfolded. It wasn't his birthname.

[Janine]

Whatever his name, this movie (and a portable DVD player) got me and my twins through a hellish day stranded on the NJ turnpike. They watched it on the side of the road, bouncing in the cab of the tow truck, and at the rental car office. The movie is THAT long and for once, that was a good thing.
PS - got to your blog from Patrick Eagan (a high school fried on facebook!)

[choosydad]

I think LoveDaddy nailed it in his comment - I also seem to remember the mean other elephants coming up with the name "Dumbo" for him.

[Chris OConnor]

I was reading BAMBI with our 3 year old - and he meets his cousin FALINE (young deer). Many years later - they become a couple, and have baby deer.

I pointed out to my wife that they're COUSINS...! (not that the kid/s realise or understand though !)

[Juliana]

Ms. Jumbo named her son Jumbo Jr.
(Barnum Bailey circus in the 1940's had a popular elephant named Jumbo. The writer's of the movie Dumbo capitalized on the Jumbo connection.)

It was the older elephants that gave Jumbo jr. the nickname Dumbo when he tripped on his ears. The name Dumbo stuck.

[babbo]

Hey, this is Mister Jumbo, texting you from my Blackberry.

You going to talk that way about my wife? What's up with that human dad? I'll kick your #@$! How bout I call your wife Jumbo, you freekin'human?

Mr. Jumbo
www.daddybrain.wordpress.com

[bri]

She didn't name him dumbo she named him jumbo after his dad, they have one name and everyone made fun of him and called him dumbo...his name is actually just jumbo...

[GrandpaJumbo]

Have you ever noticed that most of the Disney stories, the main character has only one or no parents? There are often many things that we deem improprieties now. The roustabouts in Dumbo are all dark skinned and faceless, and the way the crows are portrayed. The funny water that Dumbo and Timothy drink prior to ending up in a tree. And the dance of the pink elephants-we had to skip that part for quite some time. Different times, certainly. I wonder what future generations will judge and censor us on?