Fun Facts About Dumbo

The Adventures of Dumbo

The fundamental plot of “Dumbo” goes back to 1939, when it was conceived as a novelty item known as a Roll-A-Book—a box with little knobs that users rolled to read the tale through a window. 

The story "Dumbo the Flying Elephant" was written by Helen Abelson and Harold Pearl. It's unclear whether the Roll-A-Book was actually made—none have been found—but when Walt Disney bought the rights to the story, he published 1,430 copies of a standard book edition.