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Willy Wonka

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Willy Wonka is a character in the classic Roald Dahl children's book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and its sequel Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator. He is the founder of the Wonka Candy Company and the inventor of fictional candy, such as Wonka Bars and Everlasting Gobstoppers.

He proves an unparalleled genius in confectionery development, inventing seemingly impossible products that capture the world's imagination, like ice cream that never melts, and small candy eggs that hatch chocolate birds that move and chirp. From his factory, his products are shipped and sold worldwide. However, other chocolate makers become jealous and start sending spies to find out the Wonka's recipes. Nearly ruined, Wonka closes the factory and fires all of his workers. Years later, the factory once again starts running, secretly staffed exclusively by Oompa Loompas, a race of dwarves from Loompaland who relish the taste of cacao beans. His business resumes its dominance. Wonka's journey to Loompaland was for the purpose of finding new exotic flavors for his candy.

Eventually Wonka, getting old and not having any heirs, felt the need to arrange for a successor for his business, if only to provide a home and work for the Oompa Loompas. However, he wanted to groom one from childhood to guarantee they would keep with his methods and spirit. To that end, he announces a contest with five Golden Tickets randomly placed in his products promising a tour and a lifetime supply of his products to the winners for starters. Five children find the tickets, including Charlie Bucket, and they go on the tour of the bizarre factory. During the course of the tour all the children except Charlie misbehave, and find themselves in terrible predicaments that result in their being removed from the group. When only Charlie remains, the delighted Wonka reveals his plan and his offer, which Charlie eagerly accepts. He and his family move in to live and work in the factory.

Wonka's eccentric behavior, inventions, ignoring the rules of science and self imposed isolation and paranoia classify him as a Mad Scientist.

A musical film adaptation of Dahl's book Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, directed by Mel Stuart and starring Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka, was released in 1971. It was originally a box office flop, but has since become a cult classic, hailed a children's classic by critics and has attracted a worldwide audience.

Another film version of the tale was released in 2005. Titled Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, it was a comedy directed by Tim Burton and starred Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka (Blair Dunlop was a young Willy Wonka and Freddie Highmore was Charlie Bucket).

Tim Burton's 2005 version added a history of the character: Willy Wonka is the son of dentist Dr. Wilbur Wonka, D.D.S. (played by Christopher Lee). Wonka had a traumatic childhood: his father forbade him to eat candy and forced his son to wear large and unsightly orthodontic headgear. Eventually, he tastes chocolate and starts getting ideas for other candies. When he becomes an adult, Wonka opens a his own candy store (Side note: Grandpa Joe was one of Wonka's first employees; Mr. Teavee was hinted to be one as well). A number of movie critics, including one from the New York Times, criticized this Freudian backstory for being both unnecessary and out of the spirit of Dahl's original novel.[citation needed]

Additionally, in Burton's film Wonka initially refuses to allow Charlie to bring his family to his factory. An eventual reconciliation between Wonka and his father causes Wonka to change his mind and allow Charlie's family to move in with him as well.

Parodies

  • The character was spoofed as Pawtucket Pat in the Family Guy episode "Wasted Talent". Peter Griffin drinks even more Pawtucket beer than usual in an attempt to win a tour of the brewery. Almost ready to give up, he drinks one more beer, which turns out to have the silver scroll. Upon finding the winning scroll Peter is instructed by a stranger to run home as fast as he can to his house. Pawtucket Pat and his Chumba Wumbas are a parody of Willy Wonka and his Oompa Loompas. Peter Ostrum as Charlie Bucket and Jack Albertson as Grandpa Joe are depicted during the tour of the brewery. The music played when Peter finds his scroll is identical to the music played in Willy Wonka when Charlie finds his golden ticket. Peter and Brian go to the brewery tour, but split off from the group to try beer that never goes flat despite Pawtucket Pat’s (Michael McKean) warning that they haven’t worked out the kinks. When Pat finds Peter and Brian in the forbidden room, he ejects them from the brewery.
  • In Epic Movie, there was a parody of Wonka who kidnapped children to put in his Willy! candies.
  • In Futurama, the producers of the popular fictional soft drink Slurm advertise a contest in which whoever finds a bottlecap in his or her Slurm can wins a tour of the factory, followed by a party with the Slurm mascot, Slurms MacKenzie. Having found the golden bottlecap in his can of Slurm (by choking on it), Philip J. Fry wins the tour and brings along Dr. John Zoidberg, Amy Wong, Bender, and Turanga Leela. In a direct parody of the Chocolate factory, they are guided on their tour by a worm in a purple suit and tophat much like Wonka's, sung warnings by the Grunka-Lunkas--generally dealing with how they should not ask about the secret ingredient of Slurm, as the group may wind up with their legs broken, and even go on a boat ride in a river of Slurm, just as Wonka takes the tour group in the Chocolate Factory on a boat ride on his river of chocolate. However, due to some snooping, Fry, Leela and Bender discover that the secret ingredient--the only ingredient--in Slurm is the excretions from the tail-end of the worm queen.
  • In Dexters laboratory. A computer shop was selling floppy disk,which a few contained a golden floppy disk that would give the winners a tour of the factory that made the floppy disks.

Wonka's mascot, the animated Willy Wonka

Main article: The Willy Wonka Candy Company

An animated version of Willy Wonka, based on Gene Wilder's portrayal and Quentin Blake's illustrations, was featured as its mascot for Nestlé's Willy Wonka Candy Company brand. He appears on the packaging and marketing, and in the company's television commercials.

See also

External links

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