21x20 Media presents
The Elephant in the Room
A very polite elephant sits through a tea party, a museum and a board meeting. Nobody says a word.
He would like to be mentioned.
The idea goes back to an 1814 fable by the Russian writer Ivan Krylov, about a man who toured a museum, admired every insect in it and never noticed the elephant. By 1959 The New York Times was saying that paying for schools was like having an elephant in the living room, and the phrase has been turning up in meetings ever since.
Watch it here, then share this page so the title, artwork, and 21x20 Media credit travel with the film.
Studio21x20 Media
FormatAnimated short
Runtime1 minute, 12 seconds
Published
More from the studio
- Raining Cats and DogsWe asked a very dry cat whether cats fall from the sky. She sent us to the frogs.1 minute, 17 seconds
- A Bull in a China ShopWe asked the bull. He has never broken a teacup in his life, and history is on his side.1 minute, 10 seconds
- When Pigs FlyFour hundred years of "never", three failed prototypes, and one piglet in a wastepaper basket.1 minute, 14 seconds
- Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?A straight-faced investigation into the oldest joke in the book, and one very unimpressed hen.1 minute, 3 seconds
- Where Did OK Come From?A fussy 1830s editor explains how a Boston spelling joke became the word the whole world says.1 minute, 5 seconds
- How Much Wood?A paper-collage animated short that takes the classic woodchuck tongue twister very literally.1 minute, 4 seconds