The Oompa-Loompas are a fictional race of people in the ''

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' is a 1964 children's novel by British author Roald Dahl. The story features the adventures of young Charlie Bucket inside the chocolate factory of eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka. The story was origina ...

'' franchise based on the original book by

Roald Dahl Roald Dahl (13 September 1916 – 23 November 1990) was a British author of popular children's literature and short stories, a poet, screenwriter and a wartime Flying ace, fighter ace. His books have sold more than 300 million copies ...

. In all versions of the story, they are depicted as little people who form the workforce of

Willy Wonka Willy Wonka is a fictional character appearing in British author Roald Dahl's 1964 children's novel ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' and its 1972 sequel '' Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator''. He is the eccentric founder and proprieto ...

's chocolate factory, and are paid in

cocoa bean The cocoa bean, also known as cocoa () or cacao (), is the dried and fully fermented seed of ''Theobroma cacao'', the cacao tree, from which cocoa solids (a mixture of nonfat substances) and cocoa butter (the fat) can be extracted. Cacao tree ...

s. However, their appearance and backstory change depending on the version.

Design and characteristics

In the first edition of ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'', the Oompa-Loompas are depicted as dark-skinned

African pygmies The African Pygmies (or Congo Pygmies, variously also Central African foragers, African rainforest hunter-gatherers (RHG) or Forest People of Central Africa) are a group of ethnicities Indigenous peoples of Africa, native to Central Africa, ...

. This was a source of controversy, and in 1970 the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...

criticised the story and stated the Oompa-Loompas had overtones of slavery. Dahl insisted the Oompa-Loompas had no racist intent, and rewrote the book, changing the Oompa-Loompa's skin colour to white and changing the origin of the Oompa-Loompas from Africa to the made-up "Loompaland". The second design was drawn by British illustrator Faith Jaques. In the 1971 movie, the Oompa-Loompas are depicted as having orange skin, green pompadour-like hairstyles, and sporting brown shirts and white dungarees. They were portrayed by

dwarf Dwarf, dwarfs or dwarves may refer to: Common uses *Dwarf (folklore), a supernatural being from Germanic folklore * Dwarf, a human or animal with dwarfism Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * Dwarf (''Dungeons & Dragons''), a sh ...

actors Rudy Borgstaller,

George Claydon George Claydon (4 September 1933 – 4 October 2001) was a British actor notable for his dwarfism. His television roles included that of Photographer George in The Beatles' ''Magical Mystery Tour'', a television film that initially aired on BB ...

Malcolm Dixon Malcolm Dixon may refer to * Malcolm Dixon (biochemist) (1899–1985), English biochemist * Malcolm Dixon (actor) Malcolm Watson Dixon (1934 – 9 April 2020) was an English actor. He is known for having played the role of Strutter in the 198 ...

Rusty Goffe Rusty Goffe (born 30 October 1948) is an English actor. He is best known for his appearances in ''Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory'', '' Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope'', and the ''Harry Potter'' franchise. He played Goober on '' Stupid!' ...

, Ismed Hassan, Norman McGlen, Angelo Muscat, Pepe Poupee, Marcus Powell, and Albert Wilkinson. In the 2005 movie, the Oompa-Loompas are all identical, and they sport

space age The Space Age is a period encompassing the activities related to the space race, space exploration, space technology, and the cultural developments influenced by these events, beginning with the launch of Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957, and co ...

jumpsuits. They were all played by Kenyan-British actor Deep Roy. In the 2023 prequel '' Wonka'', the Oompa-Loompas are embodied by the solitary "Lofty", who was portrayed by

Hugh Grant Hugh John Mungo Grant (born 9 September 1960) is an English actor. He established himself early in his career as a charming and vulnerable romantic leading man, and has since transitioned into a character actor. He has received List of awards ...

. Grant's appearance matches that of the 1971 movie's Oompa-Loompas, although his character's shortness and orange complexion was made with digital effects.

Cultural impact

The Oompa-Loompas were one of the main inspirations for ''

Despicable Me ''Despicable Me'' is an American media franchise created by Sergio Pablos, Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio. It centers on a supervillain turned secret agent named Gru, his adoptive daughters, Margo, Edith, and Agnes, and his yellow-colored Minions ...

'''s Minions. In 2017, the spider species ''Myrmecium oompaloompa'' was named after the Oompa-Loompas. The name comes from the fact that they were first discovered on cocoa plantations in

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. In 2023, American musician Jagwar Twin released the single Bad Feeling (Oompa Loompa). The song utilises the lyrics and melody from the refrain of the Oompa-Loompa songs in the 1971 film. The song reached #36 on the US

Hot Rock & Alternative Songs Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (formerly known as Rock Songs and Hot Rock Songs) is a record chart published by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. From its debut on June 20, 2009, through October 13, 2012, the chart ranked the airplay of ...

and #33 on the

Pop Airplay Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/ CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played on a panel of Top 40 radio stations in the U ...

. In 2024, ''Willy's Chocolate Experience'', an unlicensed Charlie and the Chocolate Factory event, was held in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. An image of a disgruntled and weary-looking Oompa-Loompa played by actress Kirsty Paterson went viral and subsequently became an

internet meme An Internet meme, or meme (, Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''MEEM''), is a cultural item (such as an idea, behavior, or style) that spreads across the Internet, primarily through Social media, social media platforms. Internet memes manif ...

Notes

References

{{Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Fictional species and races Literary characters introduced in 1964 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory characters

Design and characteristics

Cultural impact

See also

Notes

References