Characters / Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: Other Adult Characters

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory franchise character index
Willy Wonka | Bucket Family
The Four Bratty Kids | Other Adult Characters | Adaptation-Specific Characters

The Bratty Kids' Parents

Augustus's relatives are played by:

Ursula Reit (Mrs. Gloop, 1971 film)
Kurt Großkurth (Mr. Gloop, 1971 film)
Franziska Troegner (Mrs. Gloop, 2005 film)
Harry Taylor (Mr. Gloop, 2005 film)
Jasna Ivir (Mrs. Gloop, 2013 musical's Original London Cast Recording)
Joe Allen (Mr. Gloop, 2013 musical's Original London Cast Recording)
Kathy Fitzgerald (Mrs. Gloop, 2017 Broadway retool of the musical)
Audrey Wasilewski (Mrs. Gloop, Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory)

Veruca's relatives are played by:

Roy Kinnear (Mr. Salt, 1971 film)
Pat Coombs (Mrs. Salt, 1971 film)
James Fox (Mr. Salt, 2005 film)
Francesca Hunt (Mrs. Salt, 2005 film)
Clive Carter (Mr. Salt, 2013 musical's Original London Cast Recording)
Ben Crawford (Mr. Salt, 2017 Broadway retool of the musical)
Sean Schemmel (Mr. Salt, Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory)

Violet's relatives are played by:

Leonard Stone (Mr. Beauregarde, 1971 film)
N/A (Mrs. Beauregard, 1971 film)
Missi Pyle (Mrs. Beauregarde, 2005 film)
Paul J. Medford (Mr. Beauregarde, 2013 musical's Original London Cast Recording)
Alan H. Green (Mr. Beauregarde, 2017 Broadway retool of the musical)
Jess Harnell (Mr. Beauregarde, Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory)

Mike's relatives are played by:

Dodo Denney (Mrs. Teavee, 1971 film)
Michael Goodliffe (Mr. Teavee, 1971 film; disputed)
Adam Godley (Mr. Teavee, 2005 film)
Francesca Albini (Mrs. Teavee, 2005 film)
Iris Roberts (Mrs. Teavee, 2013 musical's Original London Cast Recording)
Jackie Hoffman (Mrs. Teavee, 2017 Broadway retool of the musical)
Lori Alan (Mrs. Teavee, Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory)

These parents are responsible for the poor behavior of the Bratty Kids, and one of them take part in the tour themselves- Augustus and Mike's mothers, and Veruca and Violet’s fathers usually go along for the trip, though the whole family may go depending on what the adapation feels like.

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General and book-specific tropes:

• Adaptational Attractiveness: Mr. and Mrs. Salt are rotund people in the book, with Mrs Salt's obesity being highlighted in particular. The 1971 adaption tones this down with Mr. Salt being a Fat Idiot and Mrs. Salt being a normal-looking middle-aged woman. The 2005 film portrays Mr. Salt as a handsome, sophisticated upperclassman, and Mrs. Salt as an elegant and beautiful blonde woman, courtesy of James Fox and Francesca Hunt respectively.
• Adaptational Karma: Mrs. Salt suffers her husband's and daughter's punishment as well in the book, while she gets off scot-free in the film adaptations due to not accompanying them to the factory tour, only being mentioned by the Oompa Loompas as a reason for Veruca's attitude.
• Adapted Out: The vast majority of adaptations do this, usually by reducing the number of adults who may accompany each child to the factory to one. See below for which characters are affected in which adaptations.
• Black Comedy: Seeing your children go through terrifying accidents or transformations. Topped off with this gem from the 1971 version, when Mike Teavee is shrunk.
  Mrs. Teavee: Uh, T-T-Taffy? Wh-What's he saying?
  [Oompa Loompa whispers to Wonka]
  Willy Wonka: No, no. I won't hold you responsible.
  [Mrs. Teavee suddenly passes out]
• Calling Your Nausea:
  • While riding the Great Glass Elevator, Mrs. Teavee exclaims that she's going to be sick so Wonka hands her his hat to catch the mess in. She ends up not needing it.
  • In Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory she says this during the boat ride.
• The Comically Serious: Mr. Salt is pleasant but all about business and pleasing his daughter, and he doesn't bat an eyelid at any of her demands (be it getting her a Golden Ticket or a pink sugar boat). And he isn't especially fazed by his daughter going down the Nut Room chute, with his reaction to the prospect of her being burned alive turning out to be That Makes Me Feel Angry. Adaptations usually present him as a frazzled, desperate-to-please guy instead, though the 2005 film goes with the novel's depiction and crosses it over with British Stuffiness.
• Composite Character: Mrs. Salt questions Loompaland's existence in the novel because she's a geography teacher and hasn't heard of it, cueing Mr. Wonka's explanation. In the film and 2013 musical adaptations she's Demoted to Extra or Adapted Out, and whichever Teavee parent accompanies Mike to the factory is given this career instead to retain some version of the dialogue.
• Doting Parent: All of them! A primary reason their children are so bratty is that the parents give them or let them do whatever they want. By and large the kids aren't embarrassed by this devotion but rather encouraged by it.
  • Played with in the book, however, with Mr. Gloop and Mr. Salt's all too calm and collected responses to Augustus and Veruca being in mortal danger, particularly Mr. Gloop's refusal to jump into the chocolate river to save his son because "I've got my best suit on!" The implication just might be that if they really loved their children, they wouldn't have spoiled them so rotten.
• Everyone Has Standards: While none of these parents are perfect and are why their children are so bratty, they at least are concerned for the welfare of not only their children, but also for the other kids, as shown when they look concerned at the punishments the bratty kids receive.
• Extreme Doormat: Again, all of them, but especially Veruca's father in all adaptations — though the ending of the 2005 film subverts this — and Mrs. Teavee in the 2013 musical - though that may change after Mike got shrunk.
• Fainting: Of the emotional kind. Mrs. Teavee does this in the 1971 version, and Mrs. Gloop briefly swoons after first seeing Augustus stuck in the pipe in the 2013 musical.
• Fat Bastard: Mrs. Salt is explicitly described as "a great fat creature with short legs" and comes off as the rudest of the parents, briefly arguing with Mr. Wonka over whether Loompaland exists or not (after all, she teaches geography and she's never heard of it). Later, when he insists to Veruca that the Square Sweets that Look Round are exactly what he says they are, Mrs. Salt tells her daughter that he's lying — and he tells her "My dear old fish, go and boil your head!" He usually is much stealthier with his insults, so he must be quite annoyed with her.
• Fat Idiot: Augustus' father in the book (see Skewed Priorities below) and possibly in the 1971 film (see Big Eater there). Mrs. Gloop isn't much better, given her reasoning as to why her boy eats so much: "And what I always say is, he wouldn't go on eating like he does unless he needed nourishment, would he? It's all vitamins, anyway."
• Flat Character: All of them in the novel. The ones who come along on the tour in adaptations are usually a little more rounded, as detailed below.
• Foil: To the Good Parents that are Charlie's parents (and grandparents). They all are implied to be at least middle-class or better, can and do give their children everything they want to keep them happy, and virtually never discipline them, with the result that their children are dreadful brats. Charlie's family can barely give him what he physically needs despite their best efforts, but partially compensate for this with their sheer love and care and have raised him to be sweet and virtuous.
• Four-Philosophy Ensemble: They form one of these in several adaptations, with Wonka himself providing the rare fifth philosophy.
• Hidden Depths: Mrs. Salt, in the novel. It's a throwaway line (and given to Mr. or Mrs. Teavee in both films and the 2013 musical), but she mentions that she is a geography teacher, despite having a rich husband and not having to work.
• Hysterical Woman: All four mothers, though Violet and Mike's fathers are also reduced to shouting and anxiety by their kids' misadventures. By comparison, Mr. Gloop and especially Mr. Salt are rather calm and collected. Of the mothers who aren't Adapted Out or Demoted to Extra, Mrs. Gloop remains this in all adaptations, as does Mrs. Teavee in the 1971 film and 2010 opera. In the 2005 film, Mrs. Beauregarde becomes an icy Stage Mom and averts this trope. In the 2013 musical, Mrs. Teavee's perpetually anxious nature is given motivation and depth (dealing with her Enfant Terrible son has broken her into a Stepford Smiler, so she's not in the best state of mind to travel through The Wonderland). Also, if it's a mother that gets demoted, rest assured the father will be plenty hysterical enough to compensate.
• Jerkass Has a Point: While being interviewed about how Augustus found his golden ticket, Mrs. Gloop points out that Augustus' main hobby is eating, which is far better than shooting at others with a compressed air shotgun. While eating too much is bad, it's fair to agree that she is indeed right that you can be more likable if you don't spend time making mischief.
• Mama Bear: Mrs. Gloop shows shades of this when she realizes Mr. Wonka finds her son's peril hilarious, "pointing her umbrella at Mr. Wonka as though she were going to run him through" as she berates him. While adaptations usually downplay/eliminate her fury in favor of despair, Douglas Hodge plays this up in the 2013 audiobook version by giving her a much harsher Germanic accent and bossier tone of voice than she's usually depicted as having.
• Meaningful Name: In the book, Mrs. Salt's first name is Angina, which goes well with her daughter's equally disgusting first name. (She's the only parent with a first name.)
• My Beloved Smother: Mrs. Gloop approves of and even encourages her son's gluttony partially because she regards it as better than making mischief the way other boys do.
• My God, What Have I Done?: After each of their children are put through a dangerous situation, it's possible that they realize the errors of their parenting methods. In the novel, Mr. Teavee declares that he's tossing out their TV set as soon as they get home, even as the shrunken Mike protests. Even Mr. Salt in the 2005 film adaptation puts his foot down when Veruca asks for a flying glass elevator as they leave the factory.
• Overly-Nervous Flop Sweat: Mr. Teavee breaks out in this as he and the others wait to see Mike re-materialize on the Television Chocolate monitor.
• Pretty in Mink: Mrs. Salt, like her daughter, wears a fur coat to the factory in Quentin Blake's illustrations.
• Pushover Parents: Veruca's parents, who have spoiled her rotten to the point that her father would rather just buy her whatever she wants no matter how outrageous just so he won't have to put up with her tantrums. It is shown in both the 2005 film adaptation and Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory that Mr. Salt does learn to say "no" to her though, subverting this ultimately.

• Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: Mr. Salt's primary means of dealing with obstacles is simply to steamroll it with money until it goes away, explaining in part why Veruca is so spoiled and constantly expects instant gratification. When she makes it clear that she wants a Golden Ticket, he does something that is completely within the rules yet neither ethical nor fair — he buys up a massive stock of Wonka products and has the workers at his factory unwrap them night and day until they find one. After Veruca immediately demands a trained squirrel (or goose), Mr. Salt approaches Wonka cash in hand, confident he'll agree to a high enough sum; Wonka refuses him outright, leaving Mr. Salt to weakly defend himself against his daughter's rage.
• Skewed Priorities: Augustus might have been saved from his Laser-Guided Karma fate had his father not initially refused to jump into the chocolate river because "I've got my best suit on!" He's taking the suit off just as the boy's being sucked into the pipe.
• Unnamed Parent: All of them save for Angina Salt. Several adaptations give a few of them first names, but never all of them.
• We Hardly Knew Ye: Mr. and Mrs. Gloop. In adaptations, Mrs. Gloop follows after her son in that she has virtually no personality to show, since she's gone so quickly that rounding out her character beyond that of a generic Doting Parent would violate The Law of Conservation of Detail. The 2013 musical manages to establish her as an optimistic example of My Beloved Smother in their "I Am" Song, though.
• You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: Mrs. Teavee has this reaction after Mike has been shrunk to an inch tall but Mr. Wonka describes him as "completely unharmed".

In the 1971 film:

• Adaptational Heroism: Attempted by Mr. Salt, who willingly goes down the garbage chute in hopes of saving his daughter. In the novel and other versions, the squirrels kick/force him down it when he tries to just pull her out of it/get her away from the squirrels.
• Adaptational Villainy: Mrs. Teavee. Towards the end of the movie we learn that both she and her son were looking for secrets to sell to Mr. Slugworth. She's the only parent who is confirmed to have taken the offer.
• Adaptation Name Change: In the novel, Mrs. Salt's first name is Angina. Here it is Henrietta.
• Adaptation Personality Change
  • Mr. Salt goes from The Comically Serious to frequently frazzled. He occasionally also tries to dissuade Veruca from wanting something, even if to no avail, instead of automatically getting her what she demands. This does make him somewhat more sympathetic, as does the fact that he jumps into the garbage chute to rescue Veruca.
  • The Demoted to Extra Mrs. Salt comes off as a complete bitch who enjoys watching her husband's life being made miserable by their daughter, rather than the Rich Bitch of the book in her one scene.
  • Mrs. Teavee is something of a Know-Nothing Know-It-All who isn't above stealing secrets for Wonka's rivals in this version.
• Alliterative Family: Henry and Henrietta Salt.
• Big Eater: Augustus's father, to the point that during the interview after Augustus finds his ticket, the man eats the microphone in passing!
• Bilingual Bonus: A bicultural version! When Mr. Beauregarde asks Mr. Salt what business he's in, he replies "Nuts." To a Brit, this may seem like a very straightforward answer, but in the US it's the equivalent of "Get stuffed." Mr. Beauregarde's reaction of awkwardly turning away works in both cases.
• Brick Joke: Early in the tour when Mr. Wonka speaks to the group in German, Mrs. Teavee notes that he isn't speaking French. In her final scene when she's being lead away after her son has been eliminated, Mr. Wonka bids her "Adieu!".
• Comically Missing the Point: Mr. Salt just laughs when Veruca falls down the garbage chute and Mr. Wonka says it leads to the furnace but jumps in to rescue her when Mr. Wonka speculates that she could just be stuck inside the chute. "Inside the — Hold on! Veruca! Sweetheart! Daddy's coming!"
• Demoted to Extra: Mr. Gloop (who has no dialogue), Mrs. Salt (who has two lines), Mrs. Beauregarde (she appears for a second and her voice is heard offscreen), and Mr. Teavee (who has only one line). None of their actors are credited.^note Only two have been identified with any certainty; Mr. Gloop is played by German comic actor/singer Kurt Grosskurth, while Mrs. Salt is played by British comic actress Pat Coombs. IMDb claims that Mr. Teavee is played by British actor Michael Goodliffe, but this is disputed.
• Extreme Omnivore: Augustus's father eating a microphone!
• Faint in Shock: When Mrs. Teavee learns that her miniaturized son will need to be stretched out with a taffy pulling machine, she faints and is last seen being carried away.
• Four-Philosophy Ensemble
  • The Cynic: Mrs. Teavee, a skeptical Know-Nothing Know-It-All who's quite willing to sell out Mr. Wonka's secrets.
  • The Optimist: Mrs. Gloop, who is a case of We Hardly Knew Ye but pleasant and foolishly unaware of how Augustus's habits aren't good for him.
  • The Realist: Mr. Beauregarde, a would-be leader who never misses an opportunity to get ahead in the world, but is also genial and genuinely cares for his daughter.
  • The Conflicted: Mr. Salt, who is so desperate to make his demanding, emotionally-manipulative daughter happy that he's become a Nervous Wreck.
  • The Apathetic: Mr. Willy Wonka, a charming, good-kind-of-crazy Consummate Liar who always holds all the cards.
• Honest John's Dealership: Sam Beauregarde, or "Square Deal" Sam to you. He's definitely implied to be this during the contract scene.
  "Don't tell me about contracts, Wonka. I use them myself. They're strictly for suckers."
• Know-Nothing Know-It-All: Mrs. Teavee mistakes Mozart for Rachmaninoff and hasn't heard of Loompaland despite being a geography teacher.
• Large Ham:
  • Mr. Beauregarde, which is fitting for a guy who's both a used-car salesman and a politician! He even uses the TV coverage of Violet getting her Golden Ticket to try and plug his lot, much to her annoyance.
  • Mrs. Teavee shouts half her lines and she goes as far as to Faint in Shock in her final scene.
• Motor Mouth: Mr. Beauregarde, unsurprisingly for a used car salesman.
• Laughing Mad: Already rather frazzled from being manipulated and berated by his own daughter (who he still loves despite everything), Mr. Salt can only start laughing when she goes down the garbage chute and Wonka mentions that it leads to the furnace.
• Mama Bear: Mrs. Gloop understandably gets mad at Wonka after her son falls into the chocolate.
• Named by the Adaptation: Henry and Henrietta Salt and "Square Deal Sam" Beauregarde.
• Nervous Wreck: Mr. Salt, after being put upon by his bratty daughter. His sanity is not exactly aided by the craziness in Mr. Wonka's factory, or when his daughter goes down a garbage chute.
• Nouveau Riche: Whilst Veruca speaks with an RP accent, both Mr & Mrs Salt have far more workaday northern English accents, and he especially is presented as bluff and crass, the implication being that the Salts come from humble beginnings and have made a colossal fortune in the nuts business in their own lifetimes.
• Papa Wolf: Mr. Beauregarde is the only parent who actually threatens legal retribution after what happens to his daughter.
  "I'll get even with you for this, Wonka, if it's the last thing I ever do!!"
  • Mr. Salt as well, for all his Extreme Doormat personality, doesn't hesitate to leap down the garbage chute after Veruca over the slightest chance that she could be just stuck in the chute instead of burning in the factory's furnace.
• Villainous Mother-Son Duo: Mrs. Teavee and her son, Mike, have taken up Slugworth's offer to procure an Everlasting Gobstopper for him. Not only that but that spend their tour looking for other secrets they can sell to him, like the Wonkamobile:

  Mike: Do you think Slugworth would pay more to know about this?

  Mrs. Teavee: Just keep your eyes open and your mouth shut.

In the 2005 film:

• Adapted Out: Mr. Beauregarde. Unlike the other children whose moms and dads are shown during their press interviews, Violet only has her mother with her.
• Adaptational Villainy: While all the other parents spoil their kids silly or just let them do what they want, Mrs. Beauregarde is a Competition Freak who has raised her daughter to be the same. She even encourages Violet to keep chewing Wonka's gum despite his protests and what happened to Augustus earlier. When Violet turns into a blueberry, her concern isn't that she's a blueberry, but how she will compete in contests. She even has a Gold Digger vibe going on with Mr. Wonka.

• British Stuffiness: Mr. Salt, as played by James Fox, who with one singular exception is the king of this type of role. Note that Mr. Salt is usually portrayed as British in adaptations, but this is the only one who can be called stuffy.
• Calling the Young Man Out: Towards the end of the film, Mr. Salt finally stands up to his Spoiled Brat of a daughter when she whines for her own flying glass elevator. He responds by ignoring her demands and ordering her to take a bath once they get home. (See Character Development below.)
• Character Development: Mr. Salt's last appearance, post-garbage chute, implies that he's finally resolved to stop spoiling Veruca.
• Composite Character: Mr. Salt's resolve to better discipline his daughter is similar to when Mr. Teavee in the book decides to throw out Mike's TV set, as both cases show the father realizing how harmful his child's lifestyle has become.
• Demoted to Extra: Mr. Gloop, Mrs. Salt, and Mrs. Teavee make appearances, but they don't get any dialogue.
• Disappeared Dad: While the other non-chaperone parents still make brief appearances in the interviews, Mr. Beauregarde is completely absent in this version.
• Extreme Doormat: Mr. Teavee is resigned to the fact that his son is a TV-obsessed, insufferable brat and is too timid to control him. He attempts to tell Mike to cool it, in the chocolate room, but it falls on deaf ears.
• Four-Philosophy Ensemble
  • The Cynic: Mrs. Beauregarde, who's cultivated her win-at-all-costs attitude in her daughter.
  • The Optimist: Mrs. Gloop, in a repeat of her situation in the '71 film.
  • The Realist: Mr. Salt, a stuffy Brit resigned to appeasing his daughter — though their experiences in the factory seem to spur him to taking a sterner hand in raising her in the end.
  • The Conflicted: Mr. Teavee, who is resigned to the knowledge that he can't relate to a son who's grown up too fast and is the quietest, most timid of the bunch.
  • The Apathetic: Mr. Willy Wonka, an eccentric with No Social Skills who doesn't care about his charges and just wants to find an heir.
• Gold Digger: Mrs. Beuregarde seems to be trying to pull this off with Mr. Willy Wonka.
• Grew a Spine: Mr. Salt, after being traumatized by the events in the factory. When Veruca sees the flying glass elevator as they're leaving and says she wants it, he stands up to her by saying she'll only be getting a bath and that's final.
• Lady Drunk: How Mrs. Salt is portrayed, complete with the obligatory martini glass.
• Nice Guy: Mr. Teavee is pleasant enough. You feel more sorry for him than you do his son after the transformation.
• Obnoxious Entitled Housewife: Mrs. Beauregarde is a smug, competitive Stage Mom who insists on perfection and pushes her daughter to be the best at everything, even at gum-chewing. Her main concern when Violet begins to turn blue and inflate is not her daughter's safety, but that she won't be able to compete anymore. She is also quite furious with her daughter after she is de-juiced because she is now blue, and therefore not perfect anymore.
• Parents as People: Mr. Teavee tries to be a good father to Mike, but he's resigned to the fact that he can't relate much to a son who watches too much television and plays too many violent video games. That being said, his still enables Mike's behavior by allowing him to be raised by technology.
• Politically Incorrect Villain: Overlapped with Insane Troll Logic and Blatant Lies. When Mr. Teavee tries to strike up a conversation with Mr. Salt, he dismissively replies that he doesn't speak American.
• Skewed Priorities: Mrs. Beauregarde is more concerned with how her daughter will be able "to compete" as a blueberry than the girl's actual transformation.
• Stage Mom: Mrs. Beauregarde is clearly pushing her daughter to succeed and exceed her own accomplishments.
• Stalker with a Crush: Mrs. Beauregarde shows shades of this towards Mr. Wonka, but she turns threatening after her daughter is turned into a blueberry.
• Theme Naming: If you look closely, you'll see that Violet's mother is named Scarlett (a shade of red, whereas violet is a shade of blue).

In the 2010 opera:

• Adaptational Villainy: Veruca's dad goes along with the plan to spy on/videotape the factory. It doesn't help that in this adaptation he runs a candy factory rather than a nut factory. Does he have an ulterior motive in agreeing to Candy Mallow's offer?
• Adapted Out: Mr. Gloop, Mrs. Salt, Mrs. Beauregarde, and Mr. Teavee.
• Affectionate Nickname: Lord Salt calls his daughter "lollipop," and Mrs. Gloop calls her son "My little egg-yolk." Call it Edible Theme Nicknaming.
• Aristocrats Are Evil: Given that he's subjected to Adaptational Villainy, it's telling that Veruca's dad is known as Lord Salt here.
• Ascended Extra: Again, Lord Salt, owing to his and Veruca's expanded roles.
• Composite Character: Lord Salt is a combination of his book counterpart and the rival candymakers who bedeviled Mr. Wonka in the Backstory, which isn't discussed in this adaptation.
• Corrupt Corporate Executive: Well, Lord Salt definitely isn't averse to spying on his competition...though see Informed Flaw below.
• Disappeared Dad: Mr. Gloop and Mr. Teavee.
• Informed Flaw: The Oompa-Loompas describe Lord Salt as "greedy, grasping, rotten" after he and Veruca are tossed down the garbage chute, but there's little reason to suspect he did anything out of his own self-interest aside from the detail that he runs a candy factory and thus might have an ulterior motive in going along with the plan to film it after Veruca accepts the offer from Candy Mallow. (That issue is never discussed.) Instead, most of his actions are motivated by a desperate need to keep his daughter happy, as the novel and other adaptations, which often treat the character with some sympathy, regarding him as misguided but not evil.
• Missing Mom: Mrs. Salt and Mrs. Beauregarde.

In the 2013 musical:

• Adapted Out: Mrs. Salt; the only reference to her is an easy-to-miss line in "Veruca's Nutcracker Sweet":
  Blame her father and her mother that Veruca will reside, With the rubbish and the other wasteful things she tossed aside!
• Ascended Extra: Mrs. Teavee. A Stepford Smiler Housewife and the Only Sane Adult amongst the tour group members here, she provides a great deal of comedy throughout the show.
• Bad Liar: Mrs. Teavee. She insists that her son is just a little high-strung rather than an Enfant Terrible, but just running down what he's already done proves he isn't (not to mention that his behavior throughout constantly contradicts her). She also claims to Mr. Wonka that it's "just allegations" that Teavee cheated to find his ticket, and that the flask in her purse contains "homemade lemonade".
  Mr. Wonka: You must give me the recipe.
• Big Fun: Mrs. Gloop is a jolly sort, as is her husband. She believes her son to be this as well, but while he is a Cheerful Child, his grotesque gluttony is less this trope and more Fat Bastard.
• Butt-Monkey: Poor Mrs. Teavee has utterly failed in getting a handle on her son, but is still determined to present herself as a happy Housewife and lives in perpetual anxiety as a result. Her husband seems either disengaged or completely incapable of helping, and legal and medical authorities have proven powerless as well (in fact, since "the authorities request/That little Mike not leave the house" they've effectively managed to make things even worse for her). And now this poor, broken soul is accompanying her son through a place she can't wrap her mind around and watching in horror as the other brats meet a variety of awful instant-karmic fates. The good news for her is that, perhaps because she did try to curb her child's behavior (which can't be said about Mrs. Gloop, Mr. Salt, or Mr. Beauregarde) and was beaten down into becoming an Extreme Doormat, and has suffered so unfairly, when Mike's comeuppance comes her initial anxiety is replaced with Infectious Enthusiasm and when faced with the prospect of a doll-sized son, she decides she doesn't need him to be restored.... Not for nothing does her exit regularly garner audience applause.
• Creative Sterility: When faced with the wonder that is the Chocolate Room, Mr. Salt thinks it's almost completely pointless (he grants that "the waterfall makes sense", as it doubles as a chocolate mixer) because "it isn't for anything and it doesn't make money". The other brats' guardians aren't much better: Mrs. Gloop thinks "It's a little cupboard of treats for a midnight feast", Mr. Beauregarde thinks it's a set for photoshoots, and Mrs. Teavee thinks "It's therapy." After all, why would anyone create something so elaborate without a "purpose" in mind?
• Demoted to Extra: Mr. Gloop, Mrs. Beauregarde, and Mr. Teavee.

• Four-Philosophy Ensemble
  • The Cynic: Sir Robert Salt is a businessman who sees things only in terms of a cost-benefit analysis and kowtows to his daughter because it will shut her up, at least temporarily.
  • The Optimist: Mrs. Gloop is a jolly Fraulein who brushes off concerns over Augustus's appearance/health by claiming it's just "more of him to love".
  • The Realist: Eugene Beauregarde is a savvy agent whose eye for new opportunities for his daughter goes awry when he focuses on that over her safety when she's transformed.
  • The Conflicted: Doris Teavee is a helpless Stepford Smiler who just wants a happy home, and thus is under her son's thumb.
  • The Apathetic: Mr. Willy Wonka is eccentric, mysterious, wacky, and aloof, with goals and motivations the other four do not understand.
• House Wife: While she is a geography teacher, Mrs. Teavee has all the trappings of the classical stereotype of this trope to the point that (as Mr. Wonka puts it) she's "dressed for 1958!" From the beginning, however, it's clear that she's a Stepford Smiler broken by her son's Enfant Terrible "hijinks".
• Large Ham: Although this adaptation is set in a World of Ham, Mr. Beauregarde is notable as the second-largest ham amongst the adult characters after Mr. Wonka himself, which makes sense given the former's showbusiness background.
• Lazy Husband: Possibly Mr. Teavee; he seems (depending on how the actor delivers his one line — "What?") either unwilling, unable, or just plain clueless to do anything to help his wife get a handle on Mike and spends his one scene reading the newspaper while the press conference is going on.
• My Beloved Smother: Mrs. Gloop is this even more than in other versions — she loves to prepare goodies for her son and thinks he's more adorable the fatter he gets! Mrs. Teavee also has shades of this after Mike has shrunk, stating that now she can look after him all day. "Just like I did when you were a tiny little baby!"
• Named by the Adaptation: Sir Robert Salt, Eugene Beauregarde, and Doris Teavee and Norman Teavee.
• Nervous Wreck: Poor Mrs. Teavee, for reasons that should be obvious considering the other tropes she falls under.
• Never My Fault: When Mr. Wonka — who's already noted that the gum Violet starts chewing as soon as it's within her reach before he can even explain what it is, has "a problem with the dessert" course — warns her to stop chewing it before she hits blueberry pudding, Mr. Beauregarde tells her "Ignore him, Vi! You chew, girl. Do it!" As her transformation into a blueberry begins, the appalled father shouts to Mr. Wonka "What have you done to her?"
• Only Sane Man: Mrs. Teavee is truly intimidated and scared by The Wonderland that is the factory and the fates of the others throughout (though Mr. Salt qualifies as this during "Juicy!" as well, when even Violet's own dad ignores the danger she's in), while the others are unnerved but still willing to go on with the tour even as catastrophes mount. Ironically, she's the parent who winds up making a Heel–Face Turn of a sort when she gets swept up in "Vidiots", "The Villain Sucks" Song for Mike.
• Pushover Parents: Mr. Salt and Mrs. Teavee both qualify. The former loves his daughter too much to deny her anything, and the latter only makes token attempts to discipline her son (partially out of fear), though she's proud to say that he only smokes two packs of cigarettes a day now.
• Skewed Priorities: The ever-moneymaking Eugene Beauregarde, who uses Violet for his own gain and is far more concerned about her marketability than her welfare when she undergoes her transformation. While "Juicy!" is primarily "The Villain Sucks" Song for Violet's undoing, the Oompa-Loompas point out his part in making her a spoiled, mindless brat: "Daddy wanted her to be the main attraction/Now everybody's talkin' 'bout 'Juicy'!"
• Stepford Smiler: Mrs. Teavee tries to be the perfect House Wife as a way of dealing with/denying her Enfant Terrible son. In fact, she's on even more medication than he is, and has a drinking problem.

In the 2017 Broadway Retool:

• Adapted Out: Mr. Gloop, Mrs. Salt, Mrs. Beauregarde, and Mr. Teavee.
• Affectionate Nickname: Mr. Salt calls his daughter "Verooshka" and Mrs. Gloop calls her son "my tiny little pickle."
• Named by the Adaptation: Oleg Salt and Ethel Teavee. Mr. Beauregarde keeps his first name from London.

The Oompa-Loompas

Played by:

Rudy Borgstaller, George Claydon, Malcolm Dixon, Rusty Goffe, Ismed Hassan, Norman McGlen, Angelo Muscat, Pepe Poupee, Marcus Powell, Albert Wilkinson (1971 film)
Deep Roy (2005 film)
Hugh Grant (Wonka)

So how does Willy Wonka's factory produce sweets when no one is seen entering or leaving it? Well, during the time his factory was closed, he discovered a tribe of doll-sized people in faraway Loompaland, a Death World of carnivorous beasts. When he learned that the Oompa-Loompas loved cacao beans (the basis of chocolate), he offered them jobs in his factory with payment in the form of said beans, and they all took him up on it. The loyal little workers are fond of making music and singing, and serve as a Greek Chorus as the Golden Ticket finders tour the factory.

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In the books and most adaptations

• Blatant Lies: The Oompa-Loompas assure everyone "Augustus Gloop will not be harmed", and then the song changes that "We must admit he will be altered quite a bit" as they detail all the machinery processes that will turn him into fudge. Sure he won't be harmed!
• Bowdlerise: The original book's description of the Oompa-Loompas was altered in the early 1970s to make the general concept less overtly racist. In the original 1964 edition, they were black African pygmies rather than Caucasian, golden-brown-haired inhabitants of Loompaland.

• Crowd Song: Their specialty is performing this, and said songs usually count as Morality Ballad and "The Villain Sucks" Song. Between the novels and adaptations, it's exceedingly rare to hear them speak.
• Greek Chorus: They're probably the most famous modern example of this trope, closing out chapters with their songs commenting on the bad kids' (and Grandma Georgina's in the sequel) fates.
• Happiness in Slavery: The Oompa-Loompas work and live in Mr. Wonka's factory for cacao beans, and are apparently thrilled with the arrangement. This could also have something to do with the value of the beans in their native culture where they are extremely scarce. To put it in perspective: imagine being paid in personal love slave services, recreational drugs, video games, or your favourite vice. Another part of the reason why they may be so happy working for Mr. Wonka is that, while they do now have to work for their cacao beans, they are also allowed to live in comfortable housings in the factory, which is a fairly safe working environment. Back in Loompaland, they lived in rickety treehouses, survived primarily on mashed caterpillars, and spent their lives trying to hide from the variety of terrible monsters that also lived in Loompaland and which would devour Oompa-Loompas by the dozens if they could. Having to make chocolate in a strange land isn't much sacrifice when you didn't like your homeland in the first place and it means you don't have to worry about being eaten for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a between-meals snack. That said, there is the fact that he uses them for testing the side effects of his confectionery, sometimes with (it's implied) FATAL results.
• The Hyena: In the book, they laugh at everything. Completely eliminated in both movies — in the 1971 movie they never so much as smile, much less laugh, and in the 2005 movie they're a little more emotive but have one very brief giggle fit. On the other hand, in The Golden Ticket their (sung) laughter is a recurring melody. And while they don't laugh much in the 2013 musical, they're terribly gleeful and fun-loving all the same.
• The Illegal: Technically they're all this! Mr. Wonka explains "I smuggled them over in large packing cases with holes in them, and they all got here safely." Of course, they're generally better off than most examples of this trope, but still, this detail is startling to modern readers.
• Lilliputians: Dahl describes the adults as having the stature of "medium-sized dolls", with one coming up to about Mr. Wonka's knee. Oompa-Loompa children (the tour group sees some during their first trip via the Great Glass Elevator) are "no more than four inches high". Adaptations usually go with the stature of Real Life little people instead; the 2005 film is closest to the original description but winds up subject to Your Size May Vary (see below).
• Little People: As mentioned above, Roald Dahl describes them as doll-sized, with adults reaching Wonka's knee and children only a few inches high. Adaptations tend to depict them as regular humans with dwarfism, though.
• Nightmare Fetishist: Mr. Wonka notes "I must warn you, though, that they are rather mischievous. They like jokes" in the early going. Their sense of humor turns out to be extremely dark, given that between both books many of their songs lovingly detail horrible things (the fates of the brats, Plot Parallel stories related to vices, what they worried happened to their boss while he was away for the first half of Great Glass Elevator). Given that their boss fits both tropes, this isn't exactly surprising. This is eliminated in the 1971 film, where the book's songs are replaced with a boilerplate Morality Ballad that's based on just delivering the Aesop of the moment, and slightly downplayed in the 2005 film owing to them being The Comically Serious rather than The Hyena.
• No Name Given: None of them are referred to by names of any kind in the novels and most adaptations. The two exceptions are the 2005 film (the one female Oompa-Loompa seen is named "Doris") and the 2013 stage musical (in which Mr. Wonka apparently knows all their names).
• Obsessed with Food: Cacao beans were incredibly rare in Loompaland, yet were "The one food they longed for more than any other" according to Mr. Wonka. This was the primary reason why they were willing to become his workers — they can enjoy all the cacao beans they want in his factory.
• Race Lift: Very early illustrations of the first iterations of the novel, depicted The Oompa-Loompas being nearly identical to African Pygmy peoples. For obvious reasons, this drew heavy criticism towards Dahl. Which resulted in all later adaptions depicting them as white skinned with golden hair.
• The Singing Mute: Played straight in most versions where they sing but don't talk apart from the 2005 movie where one is revealed to be the Narrator All Along.
• Suddenly Voiced: In the tie-in prequel app Wonkas World Of Candy, the Oompa-Loompas are all capable of talking in complete sentences.
• Talking Is a Free Action: Everything stops for the Oompa-Loompas to sing the moral, even when Veruca falls down a chute that leads to an incinerator. (It's only lit every OTHER day. They've got time. And if she's cooked... well, nothing to be done and they STILL have time! Or she could just be stuck in the chute, so they've got time in that case as well.)
• Trademark Favorite Food: Cacao beans, to the point that said beans and/or chocolate are what they're paid in as employees of Mr. Wonka.
• Worthless Yellow Rocks: The Oompa-Loompas highly value the cacao bean, something Willy Wonka happens to have plenty of.

In the 1971 film

"Oompa-Loompa, doopity-do, I've got a perfect puzzle for you..."

• Adaptation Dye-Job: Orange skin and green hair in the movie, both of those were black in the novel.
• Amazing Technicolor Population: They have bright orange skin and green hair. The book hadn't yet been Bowdlerised when it was made, and the filmmakers didn't want to use the African pygmy description, so they went with a look that was "exotic" yet avoided the political incorrectness of the original.
• The Comically Serious: They never laugh, giggle, or even smile.
• Lost in Imitation: In the novels (and illustrations for them) the Oompa-Loompas are simply unusually small Caucasian people who wear deerskins (men) or garments of leaves (women). Other adaptations go in their own directions with regards to their wardrobes. But most people think of them as an Amazing Technicolor Population clad in white overalls thanks to this film.
• Number Two: Rusty Goffe was designated "head Oompa-Loompa." He's the one who receives instructions from Wonka throughout the film.
• Perpetual Frowner: Despite claiming in their songs that they "live in happiness," they have semi-permanent scowls on their faces.

In the 2005 film

"Augustus Gloop, Augustus Gloop, the great big greedy nincompoop..."

• Adaptation Personality Change: From The Hyena to The Comically Serious, effectively turning them into the straight men to Willy Wonka.
• Busby Berkeley Number: The Oompa-Loompas do one during the Augustus Gloop song.
• The Comically Serious: Aside from the aforementioned giggle fit, they are absolutely deadpan and quiet throughout the movie (though it turns out one of them is the Narrator All Along) when they're not in the midst of musical numbers — and even those they take quite seriously.
• Freudian Couch: One of them serves as a therapist for Willy Wonka near the end!
• Hair Metal: Some appear as a band of long-haired rockers during Mike Teavee's song.
• Hollywood Natives: Before Wonka took them to his factory, they were a jungle-dwelling tribe dressed in grass skirts and primitive jewelry.
• Kent Brockman News: One of them dresses as a newsreader during Mike Teavee's song.
• Narrator All Along: The ending reveals that it was one of them narrating the whole time.
• Race Lift: Because all of them are played by one Indian actor, they get a minority-to-minority race lift by default.
• Raised Lighter Tribute: The Loomoas do one while watching the Sgt. Pepper's Shout-Out.
• Sgt. Pepper's Shout-Out: They don't parody the album cover but four of them parody The Beatles in the outfits during Mike Teavee's song.
• The Smurfette Principle: Out of the hundreds upon hundreds of Oompa-Loompas in this version, only one female — a secretary named Doris — is seen onscreen! This is actually an improvement on most illustrations and adaptations, which don't depict any Oompa-Loompa women even though the novel makes it clear that they exist. (The only version with an about-even ratio of male to female Oompa-Loompas is the 2013 stage musical.)
• Strange Salute: They salute by crossing their arms over their chests — this may be a Shout-Out to Plan 9 from Outer Space.
• Vocal Dissonance: Their size gives them high-pitched and squeaky voices, but some of them go the opposite way, having very deep voices.
• Your Size May Vary: They vary in size from about 18 inches (46 cm) tall to Deep Roy's actual size.

In the 2013 musical:

• Adaptational Villainy: They gleefully sing about the fates of each children. Particularly with Augustus, where they can't wait for him to turn into fudge. Taken even further in the Broadway staging, where they cheerfully sing that "[Veruca's] ballet career is looking grim/As we tear her apart from limb to limb."
• I'm a Humanitarian: They're disturbingly eager to eat the "candied pork" that Augustus Gloop will be turned into.

In the 2023 film:

"Allow me to refresh your memory in the form of a song so ruinously catchy that it may never leave your mind."

• Adaptational Location Change: In the first edition of the book, Loompaland was described as being "in the darkest corner of Africa where no white man had ever roamed," before this was changed to a generic jungle in later editions and the 2005 film. In this film, Loompaland is a tropical island.
• Adaptational Relationship Overhaul: In the book and previous films, Wonka met the Oompa-Loompas while traveling the world and invited them to his factory to give them a better life. In this film, Wonka unknowingly entered Loompaland and stole the cocoa beans that Lofty had been guarding. Lofty then spent years stealing Wonka's chocolates in order to have him repay his debt. Once he had done so, Wonka invites Lofty to serve as a taster and the rest of the Oompa-Loompas as his workers.
• Composite Character: The Oompa-Loompas retain their iconic appearance in the 1971 film, but are about 18 inches tall as they were described in the book.
• Gentleman Snarker: Lofty is incredibly mannered and elegant even when he threatens to poke Wonka with a cocktail stick. Given he's Wonka's first hire for the factory (as a taster) in the denouement, it's possible that the gift for snark Wonka has in the novel and adaptations is courtesy of his and, eventually, the other Oompa-Loompas' influence.
• Sophisticated as Hell: Lofty speaks in a very high-brow way, and even expects to travel in first class.
• Suddenly Voiced: While the Oompa-Loompas had always sung, this is the first time one of them has a normal conversation with Wonka.

Prince Pondicherry

Played by:

Nitin Ganatra (2005)

An Indian prince who asked Willy Wonka to build a palace for him entirely out of chocolate. Wonka did as he asked and advised him to eat as soon as possible before it melted. The prince refused, saying he intended to live in it. As Wonka warned, the palace did melt.

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• Adaptation Expansion: The 2005 film gives him a wife, who was not mentioned in the book. She also features in the London version of the musical, in which she is the main reason for the palace being built, and drowns alongside her husband.
• Adapted Out: Does not appear in the 1971 version, likely due to the lack of required effects to create a chocolate palace at the time the film was made. The Broadway version of the musical also removes his story.
• Big Eater: Subverted. Wonka built him a palace made of chocolate believing that he planned to eat it, but he actually wanted to live in it.
• Conspicuous Consumption: Well, what else would you call commissioning a palace made of chocolate without intending to eat any of it?^note Funnily enough, this averts one literal meaning of the word "consumption".
• Death by Adaptation: In the London version of the musical, he, along with his wife, drowned when the palace melted.
• The Ditz: He sends Willy Wonka a telegram to build a palace in chocolate despite the hot climate in India. As expected, and what Willy Wonka warned him about, the palace eventually starts to collapse which could have had him killed. What does he do then? Tells Mr. Wonka to build another palace made of chocolate.
• I Warned You: He dismissed Wonka's warning. As Wonka said, the palace eventually melted.
• Karmic Death: In the London version, Charlie's grandparents all agree that he and his wife brought about their death by being greedy.
• Rich in Dollars, Poor in Sense: While he's wealthy enough to pay for the construction of a chocolate palace, he fails to realize that a building made of chocolate in India will inevitably melt until it's too late.
• Too Dumb to Live: His decision to live in the palace instead of eating it nearly got him killed when it melted on him. He only narrowly escaped, and even died in the London musical. The 2005 film ups his stupidity by requesting a second palace afterward.
• Upper-Class Twit: He's a rich prince, but not a particularly sensible one.
• Vague Age: The book never actually says how old he is, so while adaptations have made him an adult, some book illustrations have made him young enough to be a Royal Brat.

The Shopkeeper

Played by:

Aubrey Woods (1971 movie)

Oscar James (2005 movie)

The owner of a candy shop in Charlie's town, and the one who ends up selling him the candy bar with the Golden Ticket inside.

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• Adaptational Job Change: While he is still a shopkeeper in the 2005 film, he just seems to run a regular corner shop that just happens to sell Wonka Bars, while in the book and 1971 film, he seems to exclusively sell chocolate, candy and other sweets.
• Big Fun: The book describes him as "fat and well-fed", and he's a generally pleasant fellow.
• Decomposite Character: In the 1971 film, his role as the one who stops bystanders from going after Charlie's ticket is given to Mr. Jopeck.
• Minor Character, Major Song: He sings the opening song in the 1971 movie.
• Named by the Adaptation: He gets named Bill in the 1971 movie.
• Nice Guy: He rebuffs any attempts by his customers to buy the Golden Ticket off of Charlie and tells the kid to run straight home with it before wishing him good luck.
• Race Lift: Caucasian in the books and the 1971 movie, black in the 2005 one.
• Small Role, Big Impact: He only gets one scene (two in the 1971 movie), but he's the one who sells Charlie the candy bar with the Golden Ticket inside.

President Lancelot Gilligrass

The President of the United States.

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• Bunny-Ears Lawyer: The US president still keeps his childhood nanny around, and even calls her 'Nanny', as well as a cat with a very frou-frou name.
• Manchild: President Gilligrass spends most of his time coming up with utterly useless inventions and letting his former Nanny (who still acts as though she's his current nanny) run the country.
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: The President of the United States was Richard Nixon at the time of this book's writing, but here he is called "Lancelot Gilligrass".
• Our Presidents Are Different: Lancelot R. Gilligrass may be the arch-typical President Buffoon. (In Quentin Blake's illustrations, he bears a strong resemblance to a similarly incompetent fictional president, Merkin Muffley.^note Interestingly, in the book's original illustrations by Joseph Schindelman, Gilligrass has a full head of hair, but still bears a resemblance to Muffley's portrayer Peter Sellers.)

Chief of the Army

The Chief General of the Army.

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• Chest of Medals: "The Chief of the Army was wearing so many medal-ribbons they covered the entire front of his tunic on both sides and spread down on to his trousers as well."
• Psycho Supporter: The President's chief general is a Psychopathic Manchild. ("Let's blow everybody up! Bam bam boom blam blam!") The President and the Vice President have to constantly keep him from going rogue...and he does respectfully, if unhappily, defer to them, thus fitting this trope.

Vermicious Knids

A race of Aliens.

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• Aliens Are Bastards: The Vermicious Knids are a hostile race that travels the universe consuming all life they come in contact with.
  • Ur-Example of Horde of Alien Locusts, and likely an inspiration of Tyranids of Warhammer 40K.
• Eldritch Abomination: The Vermicious Knids. They look completely innocuous at first - just a furry egg-shaped blob with eyes. But them they reveal themselves as sadistic predators - those Michael Foreman illustrations are Nightmare Fuel incarnate - and eat people. Exactly how is apparently too awful to describe, but the radio feed from a Knid attack is just as horrifying as they are. ("They have other things to bite with.") They don't just eat people, either. They deliberately provoke their would-be prey to run (by spelling "SCRAM") so they can give chase and prolong their suffering. They've (apparently) wiped out all living things on three planets already and can't reach Earth only because they burn up in our atmosphere. Lovecraft would be proud.
• Vile Villain, Saccharine Show: The whole outer space escapade is quite whimsical until the man-eating Vermicious Knids show up. They're notable as the only out-and-out villains that appear and affect the action between the two novels (the invisible Gnoolies of Minusland are mentioned as a threat but don't actually cause trouble).

Phineous Trout

A reporter who exists in some theatre productions covering the Golden Ticket craze sweeping the world.

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• Composite Character: All the nameless reporters in most adaptations are wrapped up into one person.
• Mr. Exposition: Serves to update the audience on who's found which Golden Tickets as they happen.
• Press Hat: Often wears one, depending on the production.
• This Just In!: Usually able to pivot to a new story (and teleport across the world) the moment the news breaks that another ticket has been found.

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