Candlehead

**Candlehead** is a minor character in Disney's 2012 animated feature film, *Wreck-It Ralph* and its 2018 sequel. She is one of the racers in *Sugar Rush* and appears to be themed around birthday cake and ice cream. Along with Rancis Fluggerbutter, she is one of Taffyta Muttonfudge’s cronies.

## Background

### Official Disney Bio

*Candlehead: Happy Hot Head*

*Candlehead is a riot who's able to laugh at herself—even when she's the butt of the joke. Hypnotized by the flame atop her own head, she gets lost in a haze of Happy Birthdays.* Sugar Rush *and its daily races wouldn't be complete without Candlehead, but she's a few scoops short of a sundae.*
### Development

Concept art and other material suggest that Candlehead was originally named Minty Zaki, thought the name was given to a different racer, with her cake kart being a mint chocolate chip cake and ice cream theme. Her jacket was originally a minty green with chocolate chips in her hair. Somewhere in development, the name was given to a separate character and Candlehead gained her new name.

### Personality

Candlehead is one of the most cheerful of all the racers and is also one of the kindest, if not somewhat ditzy. However, she will do whatever Taffyta tells her to do, even bullying Vanellope and was one of the racers manipulated by King Candy (though Taffyta was more manipulated). Candlehead likes candles, most notably the one on her head, and is horrified when it gets blown out. She is implied to be either weak-willed or unaccountable, as she attempts to blame Taffyta for making her bully Vanellope under threat of death though she likely does feel bad for her actions.

### Physical Appearance

Candlehead is a pretty young girl with Chibi-like proportions. She has fair skin, a small nose, and large animesque green eyes. Her hair is short and deep mint green in color with front bangs and stubby pigtails tied in the back with pinkish-red hair ties. One of her defining characteristics is her brown-and-pink cupcake beanie topped with a lit candle; the flame on the candle seems to react according to her mood. She additionally wears a shiny pink jacket and skirt over a brown striped shirt, matching brown leggings with pink polka dots, and black boots decorated with pink icing.

## Appearances

### *Wreck-It Ralph*

One of the regular racers in *Sugar Rush*, Candlehead is one of Taffyta's close friends and with Rancis, helps her out when tormenting Vanellope, participating in destroying the girl's racer, the Likkity-Split. After being scared off by Ralph, she and the other racers appear later in the Random Roster Race. When seeing Vanellope coming up the race track, she uses her kart to light the cherry bombs on the side of the track, ordered by Taffyta. However, Vanellope maneuvers around them and glitches in front of them while in a cannon. This spooks Candlehead, Rancis, and Taffyta into spinning out, causing the three to miss a higher part of the course when shot out of the cannon. Candlehead, Rancis, and Taffyta plummet into a red velvet cupcake below, eliminating them from the race, which snaps and puts out Candlehead's candle, much to her distress.

When the Cy-Bugs attack, she evacuates with the rest of *Sugar Rush* citizens, and when the game is restored and Vanellope takes her rightful place as ruler (a princess), she is one of the first to apologize, blaming Taffyta for putting her up to becoming a bully. However, Vanellope decrees that she will have everyone who has bullied her executed, driving Candlehead and the other *Sugar Rush* racers into panic and causing them to cry about their impending death. After Vanellope reveals she is only joking and forgives the racers, Candlehead reconciles with her and welcomes her into their group of friends. Candlehead makes a final appearance with the rest of the film's characters at the wedding of Fix-It Felix Jr. and Sergeant Calhoun.

### *Ralph Breaks the Internet*

Candlehead reappears in the sequel, with Katie Lowes reprising her role. She is first seen racing alongside Taffyta and Vanellope. She is then seen when Sugar Rush is unplugged and her, along with the other racers run. Then Candlehead along with the other racers are adopted by Fix-It Felix Jr. and Sergeant Calhoun.

She is then seen at the end of the film when Ralph comes back from the Internet, Candlehead, along with the other racers think Vanellope retired and they made Taffyta their new president.

## Printed Media

### *One Sweet Race*

Candlehead appears in the tie-in book, taking place after the movie. It was mentioned that the racers teased Rancis Fluggerbutter, though it is unknown if Candlehead did it too. In her main appearance in the book, Rancis accidentally crashes into her with his kart. She is notably referred to by her original name, Minty Zaki (which was instead given to one of the other racers), in the book.

## Disney Parks

 File:Candlehead in the Parks .jpg
A face character of Candlehead was introduced in 2016 along with other Sugar Rush Racers as part of Mickey's Boo-to-You Halloween Parade, acting as baton twirlers ahead of Vanellope's float.

## Trivia

* Candlehead was originally going to be named Minty Zaki, but the name was given to a different character. However, Candlehead does seem to resemble Minty's Japanese design, having green hair and being dressed in pink and brown.
* An earlier concept art of Candlehead revealed that she originally had chocolate chips sprinkled throughout her hair.
* Candlehead is the only *Sugar Rush* racer who does not have a last name. It is possible she does, and that her name in the film is just a nickname due to her appearance.
* Her go-kart is named the *Ice Screamer*.
* Candlehead seems to be overly protective of her candle, as is evident in the scene where her candle breaks in the Random Roster Race. She appears to be much more concerned with its well-being than the fact she has been disqualified from the race or that "the glitch" has beaten her.
* The Candlehead plush doll has a mint chocolate chip scent.
* In the scene where Candlehead lights up the cherries during the race and they explode is a reference to the Cherry Bomb in the game *Plants vs. Zombies*.

## External links

* Candlehead at Wreck-It Ralph Wiki

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