The Oompa-Loompas Character Analysis in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

The Oompa-Loompas are the knee-high people who work in Mr. Wonka’s factory. They have “rosy-white” skin and flowing brown hair. They act as a sort of moral authority, imparting some of the novel’s most overt lessons about virtue and vice to readers. It seems like only the men work, while women Oompa-Loompas tend to their children. Mr. Wonka explains that Oompa-Loompas come from Loompaland, a country that’s overgrown with vegetation and infested with dangerous, fantastical creatures that prey on Oompa-Loompas. The Oompa-Loompas had little to eat aside from unappetizing green caterpillars when they lived there, but what they truly craved were cacao beans. Mr. Wonka convinced the Oompa-Loompas to come work in his chocolate factory by promising them unlimited access to cacao beans—and by offering to pay their wages in cacao beans. At the factory, the Oompa-Loompas perform most of the difficult work. They also act as test subjects for Mr. Wonka’s more fantastical candies, such as those that make a person’s hair grow or provide a three-course meal. As Mr. Wonka ushers Charlie, Augustus, Veruca, Violet, Mike, and their guardians on a tour of the chocolate factory, the Oompa-Loompas regularly laugh for no apparent reason at the children. Whenever a child succumbs to their vices and ends up in trouble, the Oompa-Loompas sing songs to the remaining children about why the child’s vice is so bad, and how to correct or avoid it. But despite being so moral, the Oompa-Loompas have little agency and receive little or no respect from the children or Mr. Wonka—Veruca Salt even asks for an Oompa-Loompa as one might ask for a pet.

The Oompa-Loompas Quotes in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

The Charlie and the Chocolate Factory quotes below are all either spoken by The Oompa-Loompas or refer to The Oompa-Loompas. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

“Daddy!” shouted Veruca Salt (the girl who got everything she wanted). “Daddy! I want an Oompa-Loompa! I want you to get me an Oompa-Loompa! I want an Oompa-Loompa right away! I want to take it home with me! Go on, Daddy! Get me an Oompa-Loompa!”

“Now, now, my pet!” Her father said to her, “we mustn’t interrupt Mr. Wonka.”

“But I want an Oompa-Loompa!” screamed Veruca.

“All right, Veruca, all right. But I can’t get it for you this second. Please be patient. I’ll see you have one before the day is out.”

Related Characters: Veruca Salt (speaker), Mr. Salt (speaker), The Oompa-Loompas, Mr. Willy Wonka

Page Number and Citation: 71

Explanation and Analysis:

After Mr. Wonka finishes explaining how the Oompa-Loompas came to work in his factory, Veruca Salt demands that her father, Mr. Salt, get her an Oompa-Loompa to take home with her. This illustrates how entitled Veruca is. She only has to learn of something (or someone’s) existence to decide that she wants it and demand that her father get it for her. She’s also interrupting Mr. Wonka and making this moment about her and what she wants—even though she’s in the middle of a group tour. So, in addition to showing that she’s entitled and selfish, she also shows here Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut maxime. Adipisci voluptate et. Voluptas suscipit alias. In et eveniet. Eaque

Augustus Gloop, as you might have guessed, had quietly sneaked down to the edge of the river, and he was now kneeling on the riverbank, scooping hot melted chocolate into his mouth as fast as he could.

Related Characters: Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt, The Oompa-Loompas, Mrs. Gloop, Charlie Bucket

Related Symbols: Chocolate

Page Number and Citation: 72

Explanation and Analysis:

Everyone’s attention suddenly shifts away from Veruca’s demands for an Oompa-Loompa when Mrs. Gloop notices that Augustus has snuck away to drink from the factory’s chocolate river. This, at first reads, as another (and perhaps not unexpected) indicator of how greedy Augustus is. The novel has already established that out of the four misbehaved children, Augustus’s vice is greed. This is presumably what the novel means when the narrator says that the reader “might have guessed” that Augustus would do such a thing. However, it’s also possible to read this another way: Augustus may be greedy, but the novel also Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaq

Charlie was holding tightly onto his grandfather’s bony old hand. He was in a whirl of excitement. Everything that he had seen so far—the great chocolate river, the waterfall, the huge sucking pipes, the candy meadows, the Oompa-Loompas, the beautiful pink boat, and most of all, Mr. Willy Wonka himself—had been so astonishing that he began to wonder whether there were could possibly be any more astonishments left. Where were they going now? What were they going to see? And what in the world was going to happen in the next room?

Related Characters: Charlie Bucket, Grandpa Joe, Mr. Willy Wonka, The Oompa-Loompas, Augustus Gloop

Related Symbols: Chocolate

Page Number and Citation: 83

Explanation and Analysis:

When it’s time to leave the chocolate room, Mr. Wonka ushers the tour group onto a pink candy boat that Oompa-Loompas row down the chocolate river into a tunnel. Charlie is sitting in the back of the boat with Grandpa Joe, totally in awe of everything he’s seen. It’s significant that this passage begins with Charlie, once again, clinging tightly to Grandpa Joe’s hand. With this, Charlie continues to show readers that he respects and relies on Grandpa Joe to keep him safe and show him how to behave. Broadly speaking, this shows that Charlie respects authority, both his grandfather’s Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque pla

Her body was swelling up and changing shape at such a rate that within a minute it had turned into nothing less than an enormous round blue ball—a gigantic blueberry, in fact—and all that remained of Violet Beauregarde herself was a tiny pair of legs and a tiny pair of arms sticking out of the great round fruit and a little head on top.

“It always happens like that,” sighed Mr. Wonka. “I’ve tried it twenty times in the Testing Room on twenty Oompa-Loompas, and every one of them finished up as a blueberry. It’s most annoying. I just can’t understand it.”

Related Characters: Mr. Willy Wonka (speaker), The Oompa-Loompas, Violet Beauregarde

Page Number and Citation: 99-100

Explanation and Analysis:

When Violet gets to the dessert course of the three-course meal chewing gum, she turns into a blueberry. The novel intends for this to act as a lesson as to why chewing gum is rude and a vice, while also punishing Violet for her greed and selfishness. It’s a play on the saying “you are what you eat”—in this case, Violet literally turns into a version of the blueberry pie she was eating through the gum. But while Violet turning into a blueberry might provide a cautionary tale as to why chewing gum and being greedy is bad (per the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut max

For though she’s spoiled, and dreadfully so,
A girl can’t spoil herself, you know.
Who spoiled her, then? Ah, who indeed?
Who pandered to her every need?
Who turned her into such a brat?
Who are the culprits? Who did that?
Alas! You needn’t look so far
To find out who these sinners are.
They are (and this is very sad)
Her loving parents, MUM and DAD.
And that is why we’re glad they fell
Into the garbage chute as well.

Related Characters: The Oompa-Loompas (speaker), Veruca Salt, Mr. Salt, Mrs. Salt, Charlie Bucket

Page Number and Citation: 117-118

Explanation and Analysis:

After Mr. Wonka’s trained squirrels throw Veruca and her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Salt, down the garbage chute, the Oompa-Loompas sing another song detailing what readers and the remaining children should learn from Veruca’s fate. Through their song, the Oompa-Loompas back up what Charlie’s grandparents have been saying all along: that spoiled kids are no fun to be around, but it’s not entirely their fault that they’re spoiled. Rather, it was their parents’ mistakes that turned them into “brats,” and in turn, it’s a parent’s responsibility to keep their children from becoming as spoiled as Veruca. Throughout the novel, Charlie’s Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus c

They leave you free to cook the lunch
And wash the dishes in the sink—
But did you ever stop to think,
To wonder just exactly what
This does to your beloved tot?
IT ROTS THE SENSES IN THE HEAD!
IT KILLS IMAGINATION DEAD!
IT CLOGS AND CLUTTERS UP THE MIND!
IT MAKES A CHILD SO DULL AND BLIND
HE CAN NO LONGER UNDERSTAND
A FANTASY, A FAIRYLAND!
HIS BRAIN BECOMES AS SOFT AS CHEESE!
HIS POWERS OF THINKING RUST AND FREEZE!
HE CANNOT THINK—HE ONLY SEES!

Related Characters: The Oompa-Loompas (speaker), Mike Teavee, Mrs. Teavee, Mr. Teavee

Related Symbols: Chocolate

Page Number and Citation: 139

Explanation and Analysis:

After Mike Teavee is reduced to being only an inch tall after transporting himself through Mr. Wonka’s special movie camera, the Oompa-Loompas explain why television on the whole is so bad. Notably, they begin by acknowledging that television—which was gaining in popularity during the 1960s, when Roald Dahl wrote Charlie and the Chocolate Factory—is fast becoming an integral part of people’s lives. It engrosses children, allowing parents to accomplish household tasks without worrying about whether their kids are getting in trouble. In this way, the Oompa-Loompas frame television as a sort of surrogate parent. In a household where parents are Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut maxime. Adipisci voluptate et. Voluptas suscipit alias. In et eveniet. Eaque et repellendus. Dolores aut voluptatibus. Voluptatem qui voluptatum. Voluptatibus sed placeat. Aut tenetur autem. Fugit voluptates in. Quidem impedit sunt. Excepturi ullam nobis. Ducimus odio quo. Ut autem harum. Omnis vel voluptatum. Assumenda officia maiores. Voluptatem sint velit. Quod quia sapi

‘All right!’ you’ll cry. ‘All right!’ you’ll say,
‘But if we take the set away,
What shall we do to entertain
Our darling children? Please explain!’
We’ll answer this by asking you,
‘What used the darling ones to do?
‘How used they keep themselves contented
Before this monster was invented?’
Have you forgotten? Don’t you know?
We’ll say it very loud and slow:
THEY…USED…TO…READ!

Related Characters: The Oompa-Loompas (speaker), Mike Teavee, Mr. Willy Wonka

Page Number and Citation: 139-140

Explanation and Analysis:

As the Oompa-Loompas continue their song after Mike Teavee’s disastrous trip through Mr. Wonka’s magical television, they offer parents an alternative to television: books. The Oompa-Loompas again acknowledge that television is a convenient invention for parents, as it allows them to leave their children in front of a babysitter of sorts while they perform other tasks. Parents, the Oompa-Loompas note, need something to give their kids to keep them entertained; this is to be expected. But the Oompa-Loompas also suggest that parents have forgotten a way of life that, at the time of the novel’s publication in 1964, wasn’t that Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibu

The Oompa-Loompas Character Timeline in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

The timeline below shows where the character The Oompa-Loompas appears in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...and they all laugh. Mr. Wonka says that the tiny men are real people called Oompa-Loompas. (full context)

Proudly, Mr. Wonka says the Oompa-Loompas have been imported from Loompaland. Mrs. Salt insists there’s no such place; she’s a geography... (full context)

What the Oompa-Loompas really wanted, Mr. Wonka says, was cacao beans—but those were hard to find. Cacao beans,... (full context)

Veruca Salt interrupts Mr. Wonka’s explanation to shout that she wants an Oompa-Loompa. Mr. Salt first tells Veruca not to interrupt, but then promises that he’ll get her... (full context)

...take her to Augustus straight away. Mr. Wonka snaps his fingers three times, and an Oompa-Loompa appears beside him. Mr. Wonka asks the tiny man to take the Gloops to find... (full context)

Five Oompa-Loompas on the other side of the river start to beat drums and chant “Augustus Gloop!”... (full context)

The Oompa-Loompas warn the other children that Augustus will be fine, though he’ll be changed by the... (full context)

...the river, a pink boat appears. It looks like it’s made of pink glass, and Oompa-Loompas sit at the oars. Mr. Wonka explains he hollowed out a huge hard candy to... (full context)

Veruca Salt tells Mr. Salt that she wants a boat just like this and Oompa-Loompas to row her around. Grandpa Joe whispers to Charlie that Veruca “wants a good kick... (full context)

...continues down the river into a tunnel, going faster and faster. Violet asks how the Oompa-Loompas know where they’re going, and Mr. Wonka says there’s no way to tell. He sings... (full context)

The Oompa-Loompas guide the boat to the red door, which is labeled “Inventing Room—Private—Keep Out.” Mr. Wonka... (full context)

...break one’s teeth. He assures the children that the Gobstoppers do last forever; there’s an Oompa-Loompa who’s been sucking on one for a year. (full context)

...He explains that the recipe isn’t right yet; yesterday when he tried it on an Oompa-Loompa, the Oompa-Loompa’s beard grew faster than they could keep it in check, and they had... (full context)

Mr. Wonka sighs that he keeps trying this one on Oompa-Loompas, and they all turn into blueberries. He doesn’t understand it. Mrs. Beauregarde commands Mr. Wonka... (full context)

Charlie whispers that the Oompa-Loompas are singing again. They sing about how there’s nothing worse than “some repulsive little bum”... (full context)

...must burp to come down again). Once, Mr. Wonka says, he gave some to an Oompa-Loompa outside, and the Oompa-Loompa floated away. Perhaps he was too polite to burp. Mr. Wonka... (full context)

...table with white square candies on it. They all have little faces on them, and Oompa-Loompas sit at one end painting the faces. Mike Teavee says that the candies don’t look... (full context)

...past a room labeled with Butterscotch and Buttergin. Mr. Wonka says these things make the Oompa-Loompas “tiddly.” The group can hear laughter and singing from within. Mr. Wonka says that the... (full context)

...big table and shelling walnuts. Mike Teavee asks why Mr. Wonka uses squirrels instead of Oompa-Loompas. Mr. Wonka explains that Oompa-Loompas can’t get walnuts out in one piece; it’s a difficult... (full context)

...the incinerator. Mrs. Salt screams as Mr. Wonka assures her that there’s a chance the Oompa-Loompas won’t light it today. Mrs. Salt yells that this has gone too far, and Mr.... (full context)

...incinerator might not be lit today. They could get lucky. Grandpa Joe shushes everyone; the Oompa-Loompas are singing again. They sing about all the new “friends” that Veruca will meet in... (full context)

...At one end of the room is a huge camera, manned by an army of Oompa-Loompas who all wear red outfits that look like space suits. Charlie suddenly feels like he’s... (full context)

...TV, ready to eat. Mike says this is impossible, but Mr. Wonka shouts for the Oompa-Loompas to bring in the chocolate. Six enter the room, carrying a mattress-sized bar of chocolate.... (full context)

...camera and isn’t wearing a protective suit. When Mike is at a safe distance, the Oompa-Loompas pull a switch, and the chocolate bar disappears with a flash. Mr. Wonka leads Charlie,... (full context)

...enabling him to play piano with his feet. He snaps his fingers and hands an Oompa-Loompa a paper of directions. The Teavees follow the Oompa-Loompas out of the room. (full context)

The remaining Oompa-Loompas start to drum and sing again. This time, they sing that children shouldn’t be allowed... (full context)

...doesn’t have any family. Someone needs to keep the factory going and look after the Oompa-Loompas. But though Mr. Wonka knows that lots of grownups would happily take it over, he... (full context)

The Oompa-Loompas Character Analysis

The Oompa-Loompas Quotes in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Chapter 16 Quotes

Chapter 18 Quotes

Chapter 21 Quotes

Chapter 24 Quotes

Chapter 27 Quotes

The Oompa-Loompas Character Timeline in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory