Background
Winifred is a female Indian Elephant. She is Colonel Hathi's wife and a member of the jungle patrol. Unlike many mothers seen in Disney films, Winifred is snarky and sarcastic, never hesitating to remind Hathi of his faults. However, she is shown to be caring for others, caring enough for the lost Mowgli's welfare that she is willing to convince her husband to initiate a search party for the man-cub. Together, she and her husband have one son, Hathi, Jr., who comes to be friends with Mowgli.
Appearances
The Jungle Book
Winifred's appearances are during the two Jungle Patrol scenes in the film. In her first appearance, she is shown to march behind Hathi most of the time. However, upon stopping, she complains to a neighboring elephant about how her feet are aching due to her husband's constant marching. She participates in the inspection and is reprimanded for her back legs not being straight.
After the elephant herd leaves to resume their patrol, she asks Hathi if he's forgotten anything. Though the pompous Hathi insists he never forgets, Winifred notes that he's forgotten their son. Hathi orders an immediate about face and goes to scold his son for not leaving with the group. However, the rest of the herd, still marching, crashed into them.
Winifred appears later when Bagheera stops the herd in order to seek their help in finding Mowgli, who has run away. Hathi initially refuses, angering Winifred into breaking ranks in order to set him straight. She calls Hathi a "pompous old windbag", and compares Mowgli to their own son, whom Hathi would most certainly search for if lost. She threatens to overthrow Hathi and take over command if Hathi refuses to help in the search, much to Hathi's shock and disbelief. However, this, combined with an appeal from their son, convinces Hathi to help. Winifred is not seen individually after this, but it can be assumed she assisted the herd in the search.
Jungle Cubs
Winifred appears as a supporting character in the film's prequel series Jungle Cubs. In this series, Winifred is a young domesticated elephant who has been separated from her herd by a fire. Soon after, she meets Hathi. In a lead up to the first film, the young Hathi develops a crush on her. It is also shown that she used to have a mop of brown hair just like her son. She appears only twice in both seasons and in the second season, her hair is a darker brown color and more clean.
She also appears as an adult in the international VHS release of Jungle Cubs: Once Upon a Vine, recalling the events of her meeting with Hathi in "Hathi Meets His Match".
Cameos
In Fantasia 2000, an elephant that is believed to resemble Winifred makes a cameo along with another elephant that is believed to be Colonel Hathi during the "Pomp and Circumstance" segment of the film.
Gallery
Trivia
- Verna Felton, Winifred's original voice actress, also voiced The Elephant Matriarch and Mrs. Jumbo in Dumbo, which were her first two Disney roles. Ironically, Winifred was also Felton's final acting role ever due to her death before the film was released (a day before Walt Disney), therefore bringing her entire acting career full circle.
- Winifred is not present in the original Rudyard Kipling novel. The character was conceived entirely by Disney for the film.
- Winifred's threat of taking control of the herd is actually a legitimate claim, since in real life elephants have a matriarcal society.
