Oompa-Loompa

Oompa-Loompas are fictional characters from Roald Dahl's books Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator.

History

In early editions of the novel, they are shown as African pygmies. Following growing controversy and criticism, in later editions of the book, they are white skinned and golden haired.

They come from Loompaland, which is a region of Loompa, a small isolated island in the Atlantic Ocean. The Oompa-Loompas would end up being preyed upon or attacked by Whangdoodles, Hornswogglers and Snozzwangers, which also lived there. Wonka ended up inviting them to work at his factory and get away from their natural predators. In the book, they are the only people Willy Wonka will allow to work in his factory, because of the risk of industrial espionage committed by his candy-making rivals. They are only knee-high, with astonishing haircuts, and are paid in their favourite food, cacao beans, which were extremely rare in their island. They insist on maintaining their native clothing: men wear skins, women wear leaves, and children wear nothing (In both movies, they wore typical factory worker uniforms). Only the male Oompa-Loompas are seen working in the factory, though in Quentin Blake's illustrations, both male and female Oompa-Loompas are shown rolling away Violet Beauregarde after her transformation into a blueberry. Presumably the females remain in the village seen briefly from the Great Glass Elevator.

They are also mischievous, love practical jokes, and singing. As each bad child makes his/her exit, they sing moralising songs accompanied by a drum beat, and tend to speak in rhyme.

Adaptations

• In the Anime series Ranma 1/2 Episode 9 Season 3 Ranma Saotome is seen calling Happosai an Oompa Loompa.

• In the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, they are portrayed as orange-skinned and were played by Rudy Borgstaller, George Claydon, John Cullum, Malcolm Dixon, Rusty Goffe, Ismed Hassan, Norman McGlen, Angelo Muscat, Pepe Poupee, Marcus Powell, Barry Rajchman and Albert Wilkinson. In the film, Vermicious Knids were also the enemies of the Oompa-Loompas alongside the Whangdoodles, Hornswogglers and Snozzwangers.

• In the 2005 film production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory starring Johnny Depp, Kenyan-Indian actor Deep Roy played all 165 Oompa Loompas. Deep Roy took pilates and dance classes to prepare for the role.

• In "The Big Bang Theory" , Sheldon Cooper refers to engineers as "The Oompa Loompas of science."

• Oompa Loompas are orange creatures who are fatt and short, another term for this is Brandon Royal.

EX) You look like a Brandon Royal today.

External links

• Oompa-Loompa Songs at the website of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
• Official Oompa–Loompa Songbook - Roalddahlfans.com
• Politically Correct Oompa–Loompa Evolution - Roalddahlfans.com