Babar Packs His Trunk for NY

Nelvana Enterprises and Manhattan’s Hôtel Plaza Athénée are teaming up to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Babar with a yearlong promotion.

Nelvana manages the Babar brand in collaboration with the Clifford Ross Company.

Beginning this summer, Hôtel Plaza Athénée will offer a range of branded entertainment and promotional items for its young guests.

“We’re delighted to establish Hôtel Plaza Athénée, a member of the Leading Hotels of the World, as Babar’s home away from home,” says Andrew Kerr, head of consumer products, the Americas and Australasia, Nelvana Enterprises. “The partnership provides a unique and memorable opportunity for the youngest set of travelers to be welcomed by the most famous and fashionable elephant when they visit the Big Apple this summer and throughout the year.” 

Guests who book the Hôtel Plaza Athénée children’s package will receive a special Babar gift basket that includes an 80th anniversary Babar plush and other exclusive Babar merchandise. In addition, the hotel will offer Babar DVDs for in-room entertainment and will be hosting a Babar-themed “green-carpet” event to celebrate the famous pachyderm’s birthday.

“At the Hotel Plaza Athénée, we have a long tradition of walking the extra mile to welcome families to make their stay not only enjoyable, but also memorable,” says Sebastian Wurst, hotel manager, Hôtel Plaza Athénée. “Welcoming Babar as a special ‘guest’ of the hotel will create an enhanced experience for the children and the parents alike.”

The partnership with Hôtel Plaza Athénée is the latest activity surrounding the brand’s 80^th anniversary.  Babar has recently been spotted at other New York City hotspots including the holiday windows and children’s department of Saks Fifth Avenue; New York City’s largest independent children’s bookstore, Books of Wonder; the New York Stock Exchange; and at Opening Ceremony, where he has a starring role in a menswear collaboration from the famous Danish fashion house Soulland.