48 Dumbo Quotes & Little Known Facts!
Ladies and Gentleman, I give you, Dumbo! Released in 1941, Dumbo is one of Disney’s shortest animated features. Despite being only 64 minutes long, it’s still full of good Dumbo quotes!
Dumbo is a film about self-love and embracing the things that make us different. It’s a story about confidence and self-assurance – Dumbo didn’t need the feather to fly, he just needed courage and to believe in himself!
Here are some of the best Dumbo quotes!
Dumbo Inspirational Quotes
Timothy Q. Mouse is Dumbo’s biggest champion! He immediately accepts Dumbo and his big ears, defending him against the cruel comments made by the other circus elephants.
1. Your ears. Just look at them, Dumbo. Why, they’re perfect wings! The very things that held you down are gonna carry you up and up and up! – Timothy Q. Mouse
2. Listen, little fella, we may have had a lot of hard luck up til now, but you and me is gonna do big things together. – Timothy Q. Mouse
3. Dumbo, you’re standing on the threshold of success! – Timothy Q. Mouse
4. Through the snow, and sleet, and hail. Through the blizzard, through the gale. Through the wind and through the rain. Over mountain, over plain. Through the blinding lightning flash, and the mighty thunder crash. Ever faithful, ever true, Nothing stops him, he’ll get through. – Narrator.
5. You oughta be proud. You’re a success! – Timothy Q. Mouse
6. Why, your mother’s gonna be so proud of you. I’m gonna be proud of you too. The circus is gonna be proud of you. – Timothy Q. Mouse
7. They can’t keep us down! – Timothy Q. Mouse
8. Don’t just fly, soar!
What does Dumbo say in the movie? Dumbo doesn’t say anything! Dumbo had no spoken dialogue and is silent throughout the 1941 and 2019 movies.
Short Dumbo Quotes
Dumbo might not say anything, but Timothy Q. Mouse has a lot to say! Here are some short Dumbo quotes.
1. What’s crying get you, anyway? Nothing but the hiccups. – Timothy Q. Mouse
2. After all, one mustn’t forget one is a lady. – Elephant Matriarch
3. A guy can’t eat in peace. – Timothy Q. Mouse
4. You’re making history! – Timothy Q. Mouse
5. Oops-a-daisy. We’ll have ya fixed up in a jiffy. – Timothy Q. Mouse
6. You’re terrific! Oh, you’re colossal, stupendous! – Timothy Q. Mouse
Funny Dumbo Quotes
Despite being a sad film at times, Dumbo does have some funny lines!
1. He never had an idea in his life. – Timothy Q. Mouse
2. Girls! Girls! Listen. Have I got a trunkful of dirt. – Catty
3. Overstuffed haybags! – Timothy Q. Mouse
4. I must have overdid it in there. I don’t know my own strength sometimes. – Timothy Q. Mouse
5. Oh, boy. All we gotta do is build an act. Make you a star! A headliner! Dumbo the Great! Oh-h…the great what? – Timothy Q. Mouse
6. Why you’re a pachyderm and pachyderms don’t cry. – Timothy Q. Mouse
7. To hear him talk, you’d think he was going to do it. – Prissy
Dumbo Quotes About Ears
Dumbo is all about the ears! They’re what makes Dumbo unique, and they help him to fly. Here are some Dumbo quotes about his ears!
1. Elephant Matriarch: Is it possible?
Prissy: Isn’t there some mistake?
Catty: Just look at those…those E-A-R-S.
Giddy: Those what? Oh, ears! These! Aren’t they funny?
2. Catty: It’s all the fault of that little F-R-E-A-K.
Prissy: Yes, him with those ears that only a mother could love.
3. What’s the matter with his ears? I don’t see nothin’ wrong with ‘em. I think they’re cute. – Timothy Q. Mouse
4. It ain’t nobody’s fault you got them big ears. – Timothy Q. Mouse
5. Oh, gee, Dumbo. I think your ears are beautiful. Sure. As a matter of fact, I think they’re very decorative. You know, lots of people with big ears are famous. – Timothy Q. Mouse
6. Boy 1: You can’t hide him from us!
Boy 2: Yeah, his ears are still sticking out!
7. Dumbo! Come on, fly! Open them ears! – Timothy Q. Mouse
How did Dumbo learn to fly? Timothy Q. Mouse discovers Dumbo can fly when they wake up in a tree after drinking champagne. Dumbo isn’t convinced, but the crows give him a “magic feather” to persuade Dumbo that he can. When it comes time for Dumbo to fly during his circus act, he drops the feather as he plummets to the ground. Timothy Q. Mouse tells Dumbo the feather was just a “gag” and begs him to open his ears. At the last minute, Dumbo soars through the big top.
Dumbo Mother Quotes
Dumbo’s mother only has one line in the entire film, and that’s when she gives Dumbo his name.
1. Stork: Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear…dear…dear me, what’s his name?
Mrs Jumbo: Jumbo…Junior.
Stork: Oh, Jumbo Junior huh? Jumbo Junior. Happy birthday, dear Jumbo Junior. Happy birthday to-o-o-o-o yooooou.
Dumbo Movie Quotes
Some more Dumbo quotes from the 1941 movie!
1. How do you like that? Given’ him the cold shoulder. Poor little guy. There he goes, without a friend in the world. Nobody to turn to. Oh…I’ll do something about this. – Timothy Q. Mouse
2. Maybe we flew up. Yeah maybe we…That’s it! Dumbo you flew! – Timothy Q. Mouse
3. And why? I ask you, why? Just because he’s got those big ears, they call him a freak. The laughing stock of the circus. – Timothy Q. Mouse
4. You oughtta be ashamed of yourselves! A bunch of big guys like you, picking on a poor little orphan like him. Suppose you was torn away from your mother when you was just a baby. Nobody to tuck you in at nights. No warm, soft, caressing trunk to snuggle into. How would you like being left out alone, in a cold, cruel, heartless world? – Timothy Q. Mouse
5. Don’t forget that we elephants have always walked with dignity. His disgrace is our own shame. – Elephant Matriarch
Dumbo Sayings
Some of the more popular Dumbo quotes, including how Dumbo got his name!
1. Dumbo! The ninth wonder of the universe! The world’s only flying elephant! – Timothy Q. Mouse
2. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can. I think I can I think I can, I think I can. I thought I could, I thought I could. I thought I could, I thought I could. Woo-hoo! – Casey Junior
3. Ladies and Gentleman, I give you…Dumbo! – Ringmaster
4. Look! Hot-diggity! You’re flying! You’re flying! – Timothy Q. Mouse
5. Giddy: After all, who cares about her precious little Jumbo?
Prissy: Jumbo? You mean Dumbo!
Why was Dumbo the elephant called Dumbo? Dumbo was originally named Jumbo Jr. by his mother, Mrs. Jumbo. However, the circus elephants meanly nickname him Dumbo after seeing his big ears.
Dumbo Baby Quotes
A large part of Dumbo is about the bond between a mother and her child. Here are some quotes about little baby Dumbo!
1. Here is a baby with eyes of blue, straight from heaven right to you. Or…straight from heaven, up above, here is a baby for you to love. Sign here please. – Mr. Stork
2. Giddy: Well, I suppose that’s mother love.
3. Baby mine, don’t you cry. Baby mine, dry your eye. Rest your head close to my heart, never to part, baby of mine. Little one, when you play. Don’t you mind what they say. Let those eyes sparkle and shine, never a tear, baby of mine. – Baby Mine song
Dumbo Fact: “Baby Mine” by Frank Churchill and Ned Washington was nominated for Best Song at the 1942 Academy Awards.
Quotes From the Live-Action Dumbo
In 2019 Dumbo got his own live-action movie. Here are some quotes from the newer version.
1. The very best journey, my friend, is the one that leads home. – Pramesh Singh
2. Your children don’t need you to be perfect. They just need you to believe in them. – Colette Marchant
3. Hi, baby Jumbo. Welcome to the circus. We’re all family here, no matter how small. – Milly Farrier
4. Nobody wants to be alone. – Milly Farrier
5. Fly, Dumbo. Fly! – Milly Farrier
6. Friends, young and old, you have a home at our circus, where anything is possible and miracles happen. Believe me, they do. – Max Medici
Was Dumbo a real elephant in the new movie? No. In the 2019 movie, Dumbo was created entirely with computer-generated imagery (CGI).
Dumbo Facts & FAQ
Is Dumbo a true story?
Dumbo was likely inspired by the true story of Jumbo, a male African Bush elephant captured in Sudan, Africa and sold to a Paris zoo. Zookeepers later transferred Jumbo to London Zoo, where they forced him to give rides to visitors, and guests threw coins and toys at him.
Jumbo’s conditions led to rage issues in the nighttime, where he would stomp and ram at zookeepers. They tried to solve this issue by giving him whiskey and champagne.
When the poor elephant became too much to handle, the zoo sold him to circus owner PT Barnum (yep, the one from The Greatest Showman!). Unfortunately for Jumbo, his quality of life didn’t improve as he performed for circusgoers and travelled around the US.
Sadly, Jumbo died aged 24 after being hit by a freight train when circus workers were loading him into his cage.
If you’re interested in learning more about Jumbo, there’s a great documentary about him – Attenborough and the Giant Elephant.
Does Dumbo ever see his mom again?
Yes! At the end of the movie, Dumbo is reunited with his mother, Mrs. Jumbo.
Is Dumbo a boy?
Yes. Dumbo is a boy and the son of Mrs. Jumbo.
What was Dumbo’s original name?
Dumbo’s mother named him Jumbo Junior.
Why did Dumbo have big ears?
He was just born that way! There’s also a fan theory that Dumbo is an African elephant (or a mix of African and Asian), while the circus elephants, including Mrs. Jumbo, are Asian elephants. Elephants have large ears to help cool them down, and since African elephants live in a hotter climate, they have bigger ears. So the theory is that Dumbo has the big ears of an African elephant, which is a surprise to the smaller-eared Asian elephants.
How many words does Dumbo speak?
Zero! Dumbo doesn’t say anything throughout the movie.
What is the name of the mouse in dumbo?
Dumbo’s biggest supporter is a mouse named Timothy Q. Mouse.
What is the saddest part of Dumbo?
There are a lot of heartbreaking moments in Dumbo, but one of the saddest scenes is when he visits his mother. Mrs. Jumbo is chained up inside a small cart, and all she can do is reach out for Dumbo with her trunk. As Mrs. Jumbo comforts and rocks her crying son through the bars, Baby Mine plays, highlighting a mother’s love for her child. (You can see the video above)
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Lindsey is the creator and writer for Mouse Trip Magic. When she’s not walking down Main Street, she likes to bring the Disney magic home with Disney movies, fun recipes and cute Disney finds. Her love of storytelling and cinematography led her to pursue a degree in film and media, which means she loves to research and take a deep dive into all things Disney!
