Helen Aberson-Mayer

Helen Aberson-Mayer
BornJune 16, 1907 (1907-06-16)
Syracuse, New York
DiedApril 3, 1999 (1999-04-04) (aged 91)
OccupationChildren's book author
EducationSyracuse University
Genrefantasy
Notable worksDumbo the Flying Elephant

Helen Aberson-Mayer (June 16, 1907 – April 3, 1999)[1][2] was an American children's book author.

Aberson-Mayer was best known for co-authoring the story that inspired Walt Disney's 1941 film Dumbo.[3] In collaboration with her then husband, Harold Pearl, Aberson-Mayer wrote Dumbo the Flying Elephant and sold it to Roll-A-Book, the publisher of a kind of novelty toy, although no copies of this original version have been found. The story was later published as a children's book.

Aberson-Mayer may have also authored several other children stories, but they were never published.[4][5]

  1. ^ "Obituary: Helen Aberson Mayer". The Independent. 1999-04-12. Archived from the original on 2022-05-09. Retrieved 2019-04-07.
  2. ^ Pace, Eric (1999-04-10). "Helen A. Mayer, Dumbo's Creator, Dies at 91". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-04-07.
  3. ^ Crowther, Bosley (1941-10-24). "Walt Disney's Cartoon, 'Dumbo,' a Fanciful Delight, Opens at the Broadway -- 'You'll Never Get Rich,' With Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth, Is Seen at the Music Hall -- New Film at Palace". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-04-07.
  4. ^ Kirst, Sean (2015-10-25). "The tale behind Dumbo, from Dick Case: How the little elephant took off in Syracuse". syracuse.com. Retrieved 2019-04-07.
  5. ^ "MichaelBarrier.com -- Essays: The Mysterious Dumbo Roll-A-Book". www.michaelbarrier.com. Retrieved 2019-04-07.