In the 1939 story Disney bought, Dumbo’s sidekick was a bird named Red in a vest and derby. Disney’s story team swapped him for Timothy Q. Mouse, and the reason is kind of perfect.
Timothy Q. Mouse is the fast-talking little guy in a band uniform who believes in Dumbo when nobody else does. He almost didn’t exist.
In the story Disney based “Dumbo” on, the elephant’s helper was a robin.
The original was written by Helen Aberson, and it first came out in 1939 in an odd little format called a Roll-a-Book. Her husband at the time, Harold Pearl, was later credited on it too. The pictures and text were printed on a scroll, and readers turned a small wheel to move the story along, per Disney historian Jim Korkis at MousePlanet.
Who was Dumbo’s friend in the original book?
A bird named Red.
Korkis describes him as “a small red robin named Red in a red vest and a pearl-gray derby.” Red did the same job Timothy does in the movie. He stuck by Dumbo and helped him figure out what those giant ears were good for.
The book’s ending was almost the same, too. By the end, Dumbo and Red Robin both sign a movie contract and head to Hollywood, per Mental Floss.
Why did Disney replace the robin with a mouse?
Because elephants are supposed to be scared of mice.
Disney’s story artists “riffed on elephants’ fear of mice by replacing a wise robin named ‘Red’ found in the original story with the wisecracking mouse character, Timothy,” per Wikipedia’s history of the film.
It’s a great joke that also does real work in the story. The one animal in the circus that the elephants are afraid of turns out to be the one who’s kindest to the smallest elephant. Timothy even uses that fear on purpose, scaring off the gossiping elephants who pick on Dumbo.
Disney bought the rights to the story on June 14, 1939, per Korkis.
What does the Q in Timothy Q. Mouse stand for?
There’s no official answer. The movie never says.
He barely gets his name at all in the movie. Timothy is never called by name out loud, “save for a mention in a newspaper article near the end of the film,” per Wikipedia.
Actor Edward Brophy voiced him in the 1941 film.
What else changed from the original Dumbo story?
Quite a bit.
In the book, Dumbo wasn’t a baby. He was an elephant whose ears were “EXTRA BIG and EXTRA PINK,” per Korkis. There were no crows. Instead, the original had a character called Professor Hoot Owl, who didn’t help much at all.
The Disney version also added the famous “Pink Elephants on Parade” sequence and the song “Baby Mine,” which earned an Oscar nomination, per Mental Floss.
How long is Dumbo?
Just 64 minutes, one of the shortest Disney animated features ever made.
It was also cheap by Disney standards, finishing at about $812,000, per Mental Floss. Disney was watching money closely as World War II cut into overseas box office, and the studio was hit by an animators’ strike during production.
Walt didn’t want the story stretched. “You can stretch a story just so far and after that it won’t hold together,” he said, per Mental Floss.
Is Timothy Q. Mouse in the 2019 Dumbo remake?
No. Timothy and the crows were both left out of Tim Burton’s 2019 live-action remake.
He’s easier to find at the parks, though. Look up next time you’re in line for Dumbo the Flying Elephant. Timothy is usually right there at the top of the ride, still keeping an eye on his friend.
Not bad for a character who started out as a bird.
Article compiled with the help of the Pirates & Princesses newsroom.
Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
Hat Tips:
MousePlanet (Jim Korkis, March 6, 2019), the Roll-a-Book, Red the robin and the original story
Mental Floss, the Hollywood ending, budget, runtime, Oscar nomination and Walt’s quote
Wikipedia, why the robin became a mouse, Timothy’s name, Edward Brophy and the 2019 remake
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