Vandot was the tenth child of a family in Kranjska Gora. The mountainous area would provide him with inspiration for the stories of Kekec. Although Vandot originally wanted to study medicine, by 1922 he had turned to writing full time. He died during a bombing raid in Croatia in July 1944. He wrote about 250 short stories and tales but remains famous for the story of Kekec, which also spawned popular movies in Slovenia.