An Elephant Never Forgets: Elephants in Games

“World Elephant Day” was August 12th, and with a new elephant-themed power being teased in the upcoming Super Mario Bros Wonder game, I had to dedicate a post to other appearances of these iconic creatures. So, grab a bowl of peanuts, and enjoy my Top Ten instances of elephants in video games!

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10) The Manhole
(Mac OS, 1988)

Like Alice down the rabbit hole, young players in 1988 opened up a sewer to see the fantastical wonders of this pre-Myst point-and-click adventure. Sporting East Indian attire and an accent, the aptly named Rejan Elephant invites you aboard his canoe so you can navigate the waterways below the surface. If you try to pick a direction that you can’t go, Rejan will pipe up to explain your error.

“We cannot turn around! I mean it!”

At one point in the journey, it’s possible to find yourself out in the open where you can spot a giant rabbit who’s watching a scrambled TV. The rabbit turns around and notices you.

“Oh my! There’s a tiny boat in my teacup! And you, Mr. Elephant, you should know better!” he says while pointing his finger.

Yeah, this game is weird.

9) Wario World
(Gamecube, 2003)

Always on the hunt for treasure, Wario’s avarice gets the best of him when one of his riches, the evil “black jewel,” awakens and turns “all of this greedy sap’s jewels into evil spirits! Bwah ha ha ha ha!!!” Along with it, Wario’s newly constructed castle gets split into four distinct locations: Excitement Central, Spooktastic World, Thrillsville, and Sparkle Land (these names aren’t very menacing for an all-powerful evil black jewel).

The elephant enemy can be found in Spooktastic World, and they’re seemingly part of the “Wario Circus” (formally titled “Wonky Circus”) that is being advertised on posters throughout the stage. While they can show signs of aggression, they can easily be avoided. And, they’re no match for Wario who has enough strength to lift them straight into the air without a care in the world. Where was THAT show of power in Smash Bros??

8) Final Fantasy X
(Playstation 2, 2001) 

The Shoopuf is an elephant-like creature that shuttles citizens of Spira across the Moonflow. When Tidus meets this beast for the first time at the Shoopuf Station, Yuna tells him that she hadn’t ridden one in ten years. Kimahri chimes in to expand on the story and explains that after she fell off the ride by accident, she jumped off on purpose three more times because she loved being scooped up by the Shoopuf’s long trunk!

Can we get a Shoopuf Station in my town?

7) Age of Empires 2:
The Age of Kings
(PC, 1999)

War Elephants are some of the strongest units that can be produced by the Persians of Age of Empires 2. Though they are slow, they are quite deadly in packs if they can get close enough. When they emerge from the castle, they let out a mighty bellow. It’s so nice that they come with their own built-in trombone!

6) Rolo to the Rescue
(Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, 1992)

In this 1992 Electronic Arts game for a pair of Sega systems, our trusty elephant, Rolo, has been quested with freeing his animal friends who have been helplessly trapped in cages while on a journey to rescue his mother from the circus.

Once freed, players can swap between the different animals who all have their own unique abilities, leading to some interesting puzzle-like situations. Rolo’s unique ability, of course, is using his massive weight to leap high into the air so he can crush his enemies from above – just like a real elephant! 🤣

5) The Simpsons:
Bart’s Nightmare
(SNES, 1992)

When Bart falls asleep while doing his homework, he learns that he can still get a good grade if he conquers the crazy scenarios in his nightmare to retrieve the missing pages of his assignment (yeah, that’s not how that works).

In one part, Bart grabs a slingshot, dons his “Bart Man” superhero attire and flies through the radioactive skies above the Nuclear Plant. At the midpoint of the level, he must fight the local drunk, Barney, who is riding a floating, pink elephant that blasts peanuts from its trunk. At the same time, Bart has to avoid gaseous green clouds that emerge from the depths of Barney’s belches.

This game truly is a nightmare.

4) Diddy Kong Racing
(N64, 1997)

Taj is the resident elephant genie that lives on an island owned by Timber the Tiger’s family. Now separated from his lamp, he helps out a rowdy group of teenagers who have decided to host a racing tournament while the adults are out of town.

Taj can be found wondering about the central part of the island where he will award players with trinkets or allow them to switch their vehicles between a car, hovercraft, or plane (these kids are really taking the “no parents” thing to the extreme). Taj will also grab his trusty magic carpet and challenge racers to a few laps around the island one-on-one.

If Diddy Kong and his crew can best the evil Wizpig (who has tried to take over the island via racing, I guess), a golden carving of Taj’s head will be proudly displayed on the mountain in place of the porky wizard. Move over, Mt. Rushmore!

3) Donkey Kong Country 3:
Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble
(SNES, 1996)

Speaking of Diddy Kong… He’s been captured along with Donkey Kong himself! So it’s up to Dixie Kong and her cousin Kiddy (a name that will cause some regret when he grows up) to save the iconic duo.

Along for the ride is Ellie the Elephant, a new animal buddy that replaces Rambi the Rhino from the first two games. This merry mammoth has the abilities to spray water from her trunk and suck up barrels from afar that can then be carried and tossed at your enemies.

When I think of Donkey Kong Country 3, my mind goes straight to Ellie as she is involved in a few of the most memorable sections of the game for me. The first is when she is used to fight a giant slug head behind a waterfall in Cotton Top Cove by squirting water in his eyes – a positive experience. The second is when she gets frightened at the sight of a mouse in Murky Mill and runs uncontrollably in the opposite direction – a negative experience.

I’m glad that the folks who made the next few DKC games decided to bring back Rambi, but it was a nice change of pace to try out some new animal friends in this third adventure. Now, let’s get even more animal buddies in the next game!

2) Mega Man X
(SNES, 1993)

Flame Mammoth was one of the few Maverick Hunter’s who purposely joined the evil Sigma as an excuse to wreak some fiery havoc. He can be found guarding a captured factory. At first, he might be one of the trickier battles due to the conveyor belt on which he stands that can change direction when he trumpets a tremendous blast of sound. A heavy hitter, his powerful poundage can also temporarily stun X if he hits the floor while you’re grounded.

If X has Boomer Kuwanger’s weapon, there’s a chance that Flame’s trunk can be separated from his head, eliminating the ability to manipulate the conveyor belt. Oddly enough, his weakness is wind. A few shots from the Storm Tornado, and he’ll be taken down easily.

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Honorable Mentions:

Lulu
(Atari 800, 1984)

I don’t usually talk about honorable mentions but this find was an anomaly. Lulu was an unfinished Atari game from 1984 by Russ Wetmore. Describing the game, Russ wrote “Lulu was a dancing elephant in the jungle trying to fill up dry ponds for the other animals while other animals tried to take her out.” I checked out some footage on YouTube, and not only are the graphics pretty great, but the music is on point!

Animal Crossing
(Gamecube, 2001)

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1) The Legend of Zelda:
Breath of the Wild
(Wii U/Switch, 2017)

Divine Beast of the Zora Domain, Vah Ruta towers over the region from the comfy waters of the East Reservoir Lake.

When I played Breath of the Wild, this enormous elephant was one of my first stops. I loved every bit of it – having to sneak around a Lynel to collect shock arrows, riding on Prince Zidon’s back to neutralize the beast, and then discovering that there was an entire dungeon INSIDE the creature itself. I particularly enjoyed having to manipulate the trunk in order to solve puzzles based on where water would shoot out.

I’ll admit, the divine beast formula got a little old after discovering that they all operated relatively the same, but I’m glad that Vah Ruta was my introduction to this massive new approach to dungeons in a Zelda game.

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Bonus: We went to the zoo the other day, and I was happy to capture a picture of this fellow. He’s not real, but he’s real cool.

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