Violet Beauregarde

**Violet Beauregarde** is one of five children who enter's Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. In the 1971 version, she is played Denise Nickerson but in the 2005 version she is played by AnnaSophia Robb.

Violet was born in Atlanta Georgia in the 2005 version and Miles City Montana in the 1971 version.

## Intro

In the original book, Violet Beauregarde is the third of the five children to find one of the Golden Tickets and the second to be expelled from the tour. She exhibits a more competitive personality than the five other ticket winners, particularly in the 2005 movie, in which her ambitious behavior is greatly expanded to include her participation in sports and martial arts. Violet is also a notoriously relentless and competitive gum chewer (holding the record for chewing gum), although she temporarily curbed her habit in order to focus on Wonka Bars and search for the ticket. Most versions have Violet calling her mother simply "Mother," out of arrogance, but in some adaptations she just calls her mother "Mom" instead. In the book she is called Miss Violet Beauregarde and is considered a lady in spite of her bad manners.

## Appearances

### Role in the Novel

Violet is described in the original novel as having a "great big mop of curly hair" and as someone who talks "very fast and very loudly." Like Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt, and Mike Teavee her nationality is not mentioned (she hails from America in the films). Both her parents accompany her to the factory. During her press interview she talks more about her gum-chewing habit than the ticket. However, she does show off the ticket, described as "waving it around as if she was attempting to flag down a taxicabs", and says that when she learned of the Golden Ticket contest, she put a moratorium on her gum-chewing, buying Wonka bars instead as a means to test herself.

She is depicted from illustrator to illustrator wearing jeans and a T-shirt, as a reflection of her tomboyish ways. She loves gum, although more to see how long she can chew it than to enjoy its flavor or to freshen breath. She claims to be a gum-chewing champion and that she had worked on one wad of gum for three consecutive months, sticking it to her bedknob while asleep and behind her ear while eating

### Role in the 1971 film

In the 1971 film *Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory,* Violet was depicted as a preteen girl from Miles City, Montana, and was played by Denise Nickerson and was a girly girl. Her father, Sam Beauregarde, is a "prominent" local politician, civic leader and a used car salesman who uses Violet's television interview for free advertising of his car dealership. Violet uses her television interview to demean Cornelia Prinzmetel far more than she does in the novel. There is no interaction between Violet and Veruca Salt (or unused character Miranda Piker) in the novel, but in the film, both girls are seen pushing and shoving each other when walking down the Chocolate Room stairs. Violet thinks Veruca is stupid and annoying, calling her a nit in the 1971 film when she begs her father for an Oompa Loompa and also calls her a twit when Veruca says she (Violet) got two everlasting gobstoppers. Like Mike Teavee, Augustus Gloop and Veruca Salt, Violet gets along fairly well with Charlie Bucket. She seems less rude in this film than in the 2005 film and, as the Oompa Loompas say in her departure song, she just needs to improve on her manners.

### Role in the 2005 film

In the 2005 film adaptation, Violet (played by AnnaSophia Robb) is again a preteen, but her hometown has been changed to Atlanta, Georgia. However, unlike the novel and 1971 film, she’s mean to Charlie (more than Augustus was), and goes so far as to call him a "loser". She and Veruca also don't seem to get along, despite the two of them agreeing to be 'best friends'. The two glance at each other in a way that implies some animosity and that they both intend to outlast the other in the bid to win the special prize. When Violet inflates into a blueberry, Veruca is shown smirking, pleased that her opposing female competition has been eliminated.

She’s athletic and has a vicious competitive streak, having won 263 trophies and medals in various events ranging from martial arts competitions, to gymnastics, to swimming and to gum-chewing contests; she’s a junior champion and world-record holder in the latter. She‘s also shown to be a sore winner. Violet and her mother wear matching outfits and have the same hairstyles. Violet had been working on the same piece of gum for three months straight at the time that she had found her Golden Ticket. During the ticket search, she temporarily laid off gum and switched to Wonka Bars, keeping the aforementioned wad stored behind her ear in the meantime. Violet's mother Scarlett Beauregarde (played by Missi Pyle), a former baton champion herself, initially encourages her daughter's unladylike behavior and rude attitude, acting in a true soccer mom fashion; however, her approval and pride of her daughter turns into disapproval and embarrassment when they leave the factory and head back to Atlanta, because she had encouraged Violet's act of disobedience to Wonka's commands. However, she also seemed to be worried that her daughter couldn't "compete" anymore in the state she was in. Violet is claimed to have only one parent, because her dad isn't mentioned or noticed in the film.

In the 2013 Sam Mendes London musical, Violet Beauregarde is (instead of being portrayed as white) portrayed as an African-American fame-hungry wannabe from California, with her agent/father Eugene Beauregarde parlaying her mundane talent of gum chewing into celebrity status, with a multitude of endorsements and accomplishments in

In theatrical adaptations, Violet's role was originally identical to her role in the 1970s film. However, unlike that film but like the 2005 film, Violet was accompanied by her mother. In response to the 2005 film, Violet now tends to be a combination of the two versions (with her mother both hushing her gum chewing habit while secretly encouraging it).

### In the Video Game

In the 1985 video game based off of the book, a level involves the avoiding of blueberries thrown by Violet. The 2005 film's game requires Charlie to escort Violet (by rolling her around) to the Juicing Room, where he must take her to Wonka's juicer to squeeze her back to normal. Violet seems much slimmer than in the movie and her blueberry form is much smaller and similar to the 1971 movie.

## Violet's Endgame

### In the Novel

Wonka has invented a gum that contains an entire three-course dinner: tomato soup, roast beef with baked potato and blueberry pie with ice cream (pea soup, roast beef and blueberry ice cream in the theatrical shows), but forbids Violet to chew it as it is not ready for human consumption just yet. Violet rudely snaps that she holds the world record in chewing gum and begins anyway, ignoring Wonka's protests. However, the blueberry pie stage is defective, which causes Violet to turn blue, inflate, and expand into a giant blueberry. She is only able to waddle a little bit due to her girth, and Wonka tells the Oompa Loompas to roll her to the juicing room to extract the blueberry juice immediately, implying that she will explode if nothing is done about the problem.

### 1971 Film

In the **1971** version, Violet starts to inflate; her belt blocks some of the swelling. Once the belt pops off, her mid-section is instantly filled with juice. Mike pokes at her inflated stomach, causing her to step back a bit. As her mid-section keeps growing, her arms and legs swell into it, creating a rounded out blueberry. We can see a representation of a blueberry by Violet's collar. Only Violet's head, shoes, and hands are still in contact. But everyone (including her father) is still surprised; due to her girth, and before she can waddle too far, she‘s lowered to the ground by the watchful Oompa-Loompas. She’s rolled to the juicing room by a team of Oompa-Loompas but isn’t seen again, and there is a twist as Mr. Wonka said she might explode. Violet isn’t seen again after being rolled away, but Wonka simply assures Charlie that all the other children will be returned to their normal "*terrible*" selves, but also says that "Maybe they will be a little wiser for the ware." She with the Oompa Loompas is also the only one present during her song in the 1971 film.

## 2005 film

In the **2005** version, Violet grows more than just a few centimeters, instead swelling to an exponentially higher rate than the novel, almost reaching the Inventing Room's catwalks at three meters. Her inflation is noticeably more terrifying then the '71 version with blue starting on her nose and creeping over her body. Her clothes are also seen to turn the colour of her blue skin as they become saturated with juice before she starts to swell. Her cheeks also swell at bit along with her growing body. Once she is in her finished blueberry form, Violet's head, feet, and hands are sucked into her. Also her eyes had turned the colour of blueberry. Her mother does not seem to care about this predicament happening to Violet herself, but that her daughter can no longer compete, and asks Wonka about the subject. Veruca responds, "You could put her in a county fair," and by the look on her face, Scarlett is both offended and considering the idea. In this film, it is never stated that Violet might explode, although it is heavily implied due to her massive size that she will.

She’s also seen exiting the factory with her mother after the tour. She has been deflated back to normal size, but rather than just walking, she somersaults, cartwheels and backflips down the stairs and the front walk, apparently becoming more flexible (implying that the swelling must have stretched her body out) and her skin, hair and clothes are now a seemingly-permanent shade of indigo. She’s actually pleased with her new appearance, and has matured into a nicer person than she was before she took the incomplete gum. However, her mother is very angry with her daughter for disobeying Wonka's orders (and embarrassed that she encouraged Violet to do so), and judging by the look on her face and the tone of her voice in her final line ("*Yes, but you're blue*"), she’s fed up with coaching her daughter and treating her like an overconfident athlete, her exceeding pride in her entirely gone. In the novel, Violet ends up with purple skin but there is no mention of increased dexterity.

## In the Musical

In the **2013** musical, Violet meets a far stickier version of herself in blueberry form.

After the group enters Wonka's Inventing Room, Violet proclaims that Wonka's Everlasting Gobstopper "sucks" and that she wants to chew. Wonka has produced a sample of one of his latest inventions, Gastromolecular Unicellulose Mouthmosh (AKA G.U.M.), which contains all of the flavoring sensations of a full three-course dinner (from 1979)! Unable to resist, Violet pops the strip of gum in to her mouth and begins to chew.

She tastes such flavors as tomato soup, roast chicken, potatoes, and gravy, fizzy orange, and cheese and crackers. All the while, Wonka warns Violet that the gum is not ready yet and that she must spit it out before it gets to the pudding. Violet does not listen and reaches the pudding, which turns out to be blueberry pie.

At that moment, Wonka explains that she has hit "pudding" as her Violet's hips and thighs slowly grow outwards. Violet takes a few seconds to realise that something is happening to her and begins to panic as her father grabs Wonka, demanding to know what is happening to Violet. Wonka cryptically explains that violet has excesses fructose in her fluid sacks which when prompted he revels means she is literally turning into a blueberry. Immediately the Oompa Loompas begin a 70's roller disco routine and nickname her 'Juicy' in reference to the substance filling her up. They declare that even though she has no talent she has now achieved her dream of becoming the biggest celebrity of all time and that now she is blue everyone will know who she is. Violet meanwhile makes a pathetic attempt to waddle as the skinny Veruca mocks Violet's new size. She disappears behind a large mixing vat while her unconcerned father simply complains that he cannot put a blueberry on the cover of vogue and tries to call his lawyer but before he can, the Oompa Loompas raise Violet into the air who is now swollen into an enormous ball And blue From head to toe. Violet is then spun around while lights are flashed on her like a giant disco ball for the Oompa Loompas to dance to. After seeing his daughter's new body, a still unconcerned Mr. Beauregarde begins to make plans to put Violet on the cover of Fruit Monthly much to Violet's protest but he takes no heed and greedily calls his lawyer to make the arrangements. As Violet spins, she appears upset as the Oompas mock her inevitable demise by joking about selling off her body parts. The song builds to a climax and Violet eventually reaches her limits, ending the song with a wet splat as purple goo and confetti rain down, imitating Violet's exploding body and insides raining down.

In an surprising act of concern, Mr. Beauregarde begins to scream that his daughter has exploded while an unconcerned Wonka assures him she has simply burst her bubble. He then orders Oompa Loompas to take Mr. Beauregarde to the Juicing Vat to retrieve Violet's pieces and repair her before she ferments. Veruca is visibly happy at Violet's disgusting death.

In contrast to both films and the novel Violet sings a song before becoming a blueberry, The song aptly named "Chew it" is basically just a monologue about Violet's obsession with chewing after which Violet grabs the three course dinner gum from Wonka and chews leading to the second verse where the others gawk at her and she swells into a blueberry after which she is carried off by Oompa Loompas however, in some versions, the song builds to Violet's sticky doom, ending with her being dragged of stage and exploding as a popping sound is heard and in some version confetti is thrown to simulate parts of Violet. In some versions Violet is carried back on stage to sing a humiliating song whilst in others the Oompas and her mother sing whilst Violet is absent, having exploded into goo only moments ago. Some versions even go so far as to have the Oompa Loompas come on stage covered in blue paint! She is later seen leaving the factory with the other kids and their parents fully restored to her former self, however some versions have Violet leaving the Factory as a blueberry, never to be fixed.

## About Violet

Violet obtains a monomaniacal connection with chewing gum. She even tries to break the world record on how long she chews the gum, which she boasts to have beaten her very best friend. In the book, little of her personality is revealed. However, in the 1971 film her personality is extremely talkative, brash, cynical and sometimes hot-headed. She unleashes her temper on her unseen mother, her father and twice on Veruca Salt. She has little degree of bearability, and becomes annoyed with Veruca's constant demanding to her father. Her personality in the modern adaption is more detailed. She is just as arrogant as Veruca Salt (and her mother), and also overcompetitive. She shows incredible reflexes in martial arts and almost inhuman speed. Her brash, vicious personality is thickened by her mother's exceeding vanity and unhealthily strong praise of her daughter. Violet also shows nihilism and extreme cynicism towards other people, such as Veruca Salt and Charlie Bucket. She is just as callous as her mother, labelling everyone else as losers and non-entities. However, this callousness is immediately disapproved of by her mother when they exit the factory.

Because of Violet's transformation, her body is now part blueberry, and she is a blueberry-human hybrid; as a result her skin color is blue and, in the 2005 version, she is unnaturally flexible.

## Trivia

* In real life, Denise Nickerson and Julie Dawn Cole (Violet and Veruca's respective actresses from the 1971 film) both had crushes on Peter Ostrum (Charlie's actor in the 1971 film) and both took turns in spending time with him.
* Sometimes during filming of the 70's version of Violet becoming a blueberry, the Oompa Loompas would (by accident and not meaning to) lose control of Denise Nickerson and she would roll and bang against the metal archway of the doors that lead to the juicing room.
* Violet's father does *NOT* appear at all in the 2005 film.