The Old Elephant King is one of the deceased characters in the series. He was the former king of the Old Kingdom and first appeared in Babar's First Step when he witnesses the birth of Babar. When the hunters were attacking and after the death of Babar's mother, he becomes serious about the attack and arranged everything to protect the elephants and survive the hunters' wrath.
He later on appeared in the third episode, Babar Returns where after Babar, Celeste, and Arthur returned to the jungle from the city, and at the time he was discussing a meeting for all the elephants to survive and escape the hunters, just like in the story, he ate poisonous mushrooms by mistake, leading to his sudden death. He was later on replaced by Babar himself.
He made his third appearance in The Elephant Express where he is seen in a flashback from "Babar's First Step" when Babar was born alongside Babar's mother.
He ended up making his fourth and final appearance in Ghost for a Day where he returns as a ghost. Babar is surprised to see his return in such a ghostly manner.