Veruca Salt is a character from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. She is the second Golden Ticket winner (even though she doesn’t actually find it herself), and the third child to meet her endgame in the factory.
Veruca is depicted as an immature, over-indulged and manipulative young girl. She has very rich parents and lives in a mansion. Her affluent parents treat her like a princess and give her anything she wants, no matter how ridiculous the price. She is also shown to express no gratitude at all for what she is given. Each version implies that Veruca's parents have spoiled her and raised her in full luxury since the day she was born. When Veruca doesn't get what she wants immediately, she screams, shouts, kicks, stomps, jumps up and down, and takes extreme measures until she finally has her way. In other words, she has absolutely no regard, nor consideration for her family's countless emotional and financial needs. Also, she constantly bullies them without any remorse.
In the book, she is described as "the daughter of rich parents" and the "heiress to the Salt fortune." Her father is the CEO of a large legume conglomerate, while her mother is said to be a geography teacher. (Mrs. Teavee in the 1971 film and musical, Mr. Teavee in the 2005 film, Mrs. Beauregarde in the play); all four people ask about the existence of Loompaland). She is the 2nd Golden Ticket Finder.
Both the 1971 and 2005 films do not mention what her mother's job is, although it is implied her mother is a socialite or taking advantage of her wealth to aid others in need. In the 1971 film, Mrs. Salt is shown doing needlepoint, which was a pastime for many women at the time the film was in production. However, in the 2005 film, she is shown markedly more as a playgirl. She makes no remark to either Veruca's outbursts or how her husband obliges their daughter. Instead, she was found quietly sipping martinis.
Veruca's age is never explicitly given in the book nor the 1971 version, but in the 2005 version, Veruca is 9 years old (not mentioned in the movie but seen in the script). Similarly, her nationality is English in the films but is not stated in the book, again leading to creative leeway (see "theatrical adaptations" section below). The only mention of Veruca's residence in the book is that she and her parents lived "in a great city" far away from the Bucket residence.
Before the tour with her parents to Wonka's chocolate factory, Veruca's parents (especially her father in the films and theatrical adaptations) seem to view her as a sweet, innocent "precious little princess."
Charlie's view of Veruca in the films seems jaded in that the employees of the Salt Corporation did the work thus the lady who actually found the ticket deserves the tour, not Veruca (as well as shown to be a tad naiver in the novel). In the 2005 version, Charlie expresses his concerns, saying he didn't think it was really fair as Veruca didn't find the ticket herself. Grandpa Joe tells Charlie not to worry about, saying that Mr. Salt spoils her and no good ever comes from spoiling a child like that. However, after Veruca was ambushed and dirtied in the Nut Sorting Room by Wonka's squirrels (one of which she demanded her parents buy for her), her parents' opinions of her shift more toward reality, and they act in a manner that's far less lenient and stricter. They both learned their lesson about over-indulging children. Charlie is grateful for the rare occasions when his parents or grandparents can pamper him with small gifts because he realizes they do it out of their love for him. As such, Charlie believes that Mr. Salt must really love his daughter in suspending business to have all of his employee's shell wrappers on Wonka bars to get her a Golden Ticket. While that may actually be true in some respects (as shown by the thoughts of the grandparents on Charlie's birthday that they scrimped and saved for that present and no matter how small a chance, they hope Charlie finds a Golden Ticket), Grandpa Joe rightfully points out that Mr. and Mrs. Salt go too far and spoil their daughter.
Veruca was usually the third child to leave the factory tour, by getting attacked by the squirrels. All versions of the story, except some theatrical adaptations, depict her wearing a mink fur coat over her clothes. Mink coats were almost never made for girls and women at the time that the book was written, no matter how wealthy the family was (as these coats were actually made of rabbit fur). In some theatrical shows, Veruca may have siblings that are either just as spoiled as she is, or are more sensible, as well as disgusted by her immature behavior.
In the films and theatrical versions, Mr. Salt is the only parent to suffer the same fate as his child. In the book, both Mr. and Mrs. Salt fall down the chute.
Appearance
In the original 1971 ‘Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory’ portrayed by Julie Dawn Cole, Veruca is a preteen girl with chest-length wavy long brown auburn hair, which is let loose, sapphire blue eyes and fair skin.
For most of the movie, Veruca wears her long-sleeved red button-up mini dress of black buttons on the bodice, a Peter Pan white collar, a black broad band around the waist, and white fold-up cuffs with lace lining, white long tights and black patent leather Mary Jane shoes.
When she receives the golden ticket, she wears a canary yellow long-sleeved shirt, a golden-bronze necklace with a golden-bronze sphere charm on it, a deep red knee-length pencil skirt, canary yellow knee-high socks and black patent leather Mary Jane shoes.
In the 2005 remake ‘Charlie and The Chocolate Factory’ portrayed by Julia Winter, Veruca is a preteen girl with creamy-pale skin, wavy dark chest-length dark chocolate brown hair and light sky-blue eyes. (In various scenes for hairstyles)
For most of the movie, she wears a silver mink coat (as she did in the novel) and she wears a knee-length pale pink dress with clear buttons with a furry white long sleeved sweater underneath it along with a pale pink purse with golden buttons hanging from her shoulder. she also wears white stockings with dark pink polka-dots and double-strap Mary Jane shoes, her hair is consisting of having a middle part with large over-sized ringlets being pushed back by two sparkly pink hair clips into a form of a half up half down hairstyle.
When receiving the golden ticket by her father, she wears a long-sleeved navy-blue blazer over a sky blue button up shirt with a navy-blue necktie attached to the collar, beige leggings, white ankle-length socks, and black patent leather casual shoes with black soles. Her hair is tied in a low ponytail with her hair in a middle part.
In another scene, she wears a white blouse with short, puffed sleeves and a Peter Pan collar, a bow with maroon, red, white and festive red squares attached to the collar, a knee-length velvet maroon dress with white tights and black patent leather Mary Janes with black soles. Her hair is in soft waves and is in a middle part along with two, cherry-print bows pushing back her hair in a form of a half down half up hairstyle with a matching cherry-print headband.
When Veruca is having a tantrum (in the flashback sequence) she could be seen wearing a furry white long-sleeved sweater with a yellow plaid dress over it (although it's not known what she wears underneath since the camera shots focus more on her upper half of her body) and her hair is in a side part with her over-sized ringlets pushed back by matching yellow plaid bows into a form of a half down half up hairstyle with a yellow plaid headband on top.
Storyboard (2005), Veruca salts storyboard design is way different than she looked in the final version, Veruca has neck length platinum blonde that is straight and flicks upwards at the bottom along with her hair in a middle part with a lavender coloured hair bow on top. She wears a lavender coloured dress that is to the same length of a 1960s miniskirt with short puffy sleeves with lacy cuffs. She also wears a silver mink coat over it with a v neck furry collar that is still open to see her lavender coloured dress and the mink coat is long sleeved with loose, furry cuffs and the coat is the same length as her dress.
Concept art (2005), Veruca looks a bit similar to the final version but with some changes, Veruca doesn't have ringlets but is in soft waves with smalls flicks at the end along with her hair in a middle part with hot pink bows that push her hair back into a half down half up hairstyle. She now has a white button up shirt with a flat collar with a hot pink button-up sleeveless vest over it along with a matching hot pink knee-length skirt. She has her signature silver mink coat along with grey white stockings with hot pink polka dots and black Mary Jane shoes (with one strap).In the 2013 musical, Veruca is a preteen girl with fair skin straight shoulder-length blonde hair with straight bangs held place by a fuchsia headband and deep sky-blue eyes. She wears a baby pink and white ballet tutu and white tights, with peach leather point shoes with diamonds and peach Santon laces wrapped around her ankles. She has a fuchsia ballet sweater that she wears over her tutu, and a diamond necklace. In the factory, she wears white gloves and pink mink coat.
In the 2017 live show portrayed by Emma Pfaeffle, Veruca is a preteen girl with fair skin, wavy and curly chest-length light brown hair with the flanks tied back in a half ponytail and sapphire blue eyes. She wears a white Santin bow with a black-and-white striped underside, a white silk knee-high dress with a white stripe on the edge over the dress skirt, short, wide, puffed sleeves, a white band around the waist, white ruffles on the bodice and sleeves, beige tights and white patent leather Mary Jane shoes.
In the 2017 live show portrayed by Jessica Cohen, Veruca is a teenage girl (instead of her usual age ‘10–12’) with fair skin, wavy chest-length blonde hair and light blue eyes. She wears a light pink headband with a bow on it, a gold necklace with a charm, a white blouse with a thick white fur neckline, long sleeves puffed at the shoulders, a light pink knee-high pencil skirt with a thick deeper pink band with a giant bow on it, white tights and light pink high heel boots.
Biography
Veruca Salt regularly exerts loud and petulant behavior in order to get what she desires, and even her parents are not immune to her countless loud screaming outbursts. She shamelessly browbeats her parents over material things. When Veruca demands that she must have a Golden Ticket, her father buys numerous cases of Wonka Bars. Then, he orders his factory workers to put aside their regular duties of peanut-shelling and unwrap the bars, although stopping regular work in his factory would cost him three things: business, stock price and revenue. The process lasts three days, all of which Veruca spends complaining and screaming that she doesn't have her ticket. Eventually, her father vows to keep up the search until he finds one for her. On the fourth day the ticket is finally found, Veruca is "all smiles again."
Her home is located in "a great city, far away" from the Bucket residence. Unlike the two movie adaptations, Veruca's hair is curly and blonde (with a pink bow at the top of her hair), and her dress resembles a ballet tutu. She is described as very pretty by Mr. Wonka when he first meets her and her parents at the factory gates. Wonka also comments "I always thought a Veruca was a wart you got on the bottom of your foot, but how wrong I was after seeing you!".
She may be similar in character to Miranda Piker, an unused fellow tour group member early on in the novel's drafts. She is the second person to find a Golden Ticket, and the third to be kicked out of the tour. Charlie Bucket comments that he doesn't think her father played it fair, while his grandmothers say that Veruca is worse than "the fat boy" (Augustus Gloop) and deserves "a good spanking." On the tour, Veruca demands her father to get her an Oompa-Loompa, then a chocolate river and a pink paddle boat like Wonka's, and finally, the demand that proves her undoing - one of Wonka's nut-sorting squirrels. Unlike the two film adaptations and most of the theatrical shows, Mr. Salt later confesses to Wonka that he knows his daughter is "a bit of a frump," and that he doesn't mind admitting it. Yet, Mr. Salt says that it is no reason for his daughter to be "roasted to a crisp," on the grounds that he and his wife love their daughter very much and just simply want to make her happy and provide for her needs.
Differences Between the Book and the Movies
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
1971 Veruca
The 1971 film shows that Veruca Salt is from England, and her parents are renamed, Henry and Henrietta. Henry is weak-willed and easily dominated by his severely spoiled daughter, and Mrs. Salt's attitude is almost pessimistic. Extraordinarily, Veruca's mother manages to stay calm during Veruca's multiple vicious outbursts.
Veruca's tantrum (1971)
Veruca finds her ticket (1971)
The salts (1971)
Throughout the film, Veruca humiliates her father both beratingly and with malicious intent. It’s shown that she doesn't emotionally care about her parents, just that they give her whatever she wants (Veruca's most distinguishing and contributing factor). Veruca also complains about her father's staff's inability to find the Golden Ticket "the very first day." She even refuses to go to school until the ticket is found. She also tearfully laments that the workers may be jealous of her for wanting the Ticket. He pleads with her to give him time and that his staff has been working from dawn until dusk for five days straight. Unfortunately, Veruca bellows in response, "Make ’em work nights!" In order to expedite the process, Mr. Salt offers a £1 bonus to the first employee who finds the ticket, which happens a few minutes later. Veruca wants to be the first to enter while waiting with the tour group outside Wonka's factory, during which she is wearing one of her personal collections of four mink coats.
Veruca goes down the rubbish chute (1971)
She is violent, obnoxious, disrespectful, and aggressive, as depicted in the novel, in addition to resorting to various threats and even physical violence. She shoves, pushes, and hits her father, and does likewise to Violet Beauregarde, while both girls are descending the Chocolate Room stairs in the Pure Imagination number. In fact, there is tangible friction between the two girls throughout. At one point, Violet even silences Veruca's whining with "Can it, you nit!" and later with "Stop squawking, you twit!" This incident aside, she is not completely indifferent, though not entirely amiable, to the other children. However, she does confide to Charlie, "He [Wonka] is absolutely bonkers!" and expresses concern over Violet and Augustus' separate punishments for disobeying Wonka's countless orders during the tour.
Veruca's final scene is the Golden Egg Room, where she wants her father to buy her one of Wonka's golden egg-laying geese. After Wonka naturally refuses her father's offer (as he is taking out his checkbook), Veruca goes on a tirade by breaking into song ("I Want it Now"), trashing the room, and disturbing the Oompa Loompas' work in the process. She then climbs onto a white box with a purple trap door and is promptly dropped down into the garbage chute which leads to the furnace after being rejected as a "bad egg" by the machine. Her father, too, is deemed a "bad egg" after falling into the chute in an attempt to rescue her. After both of them have gone down the chute. Grandpa Joe declares that Mr. Salt finally got what he wanted. Veruca went first.
Veruca Salt is never seen again in the movie (heavily implying she got burnt alive in the furnace)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
Veruca's tantrum (2005)
Veruca finds her ticket (2005)
The salts (2005)
The 2005 film shows that she resides in a palatial mansion in Buckinghamshire, again revealing that Veruca is from England. Although her spoiled personality is still intact, it’s expressed in a cold, direct, manipulative, egocentric, arrogant, and snobby manner, rather than aggressive and boisterous. Only either when she’s denied something or when the ticket search is taking too long, Veruca does lose her temper. However, she can appear to be very sweet and charming when she feels that things will go her way. Her father does the talking in her interview (though she does spell out her first name to the BBC reporters), and the interview is conducted in one of the mansion's halls. (The exterior of the mansion was Wrotham Park in Barnet, Hertfordshire while the interior shots were filmed in Hatfield House in Hertfordshire.) Additionally, her mother, Angina, says absolutely nothing (in the final cut of the film). Her father is renamed Rupert, as revealed on one of his business cards. Her 21 "marvelous pets" are one pony, two dogs, four cats, six rabbits, two parakeets, three canaries, a green parrot, a turtle and a very old hamster (the bowl of goldfish and cage of white mice are absent), all of which are earlier gifts from her parents.
Veruca's primary parental figure and factory tour chaperone is once again her father (portrayed by James Fox). Mr. Salt is here depicted as a middle-aged but somewhat snobbish British gentleman. Even when her indulgent parents satisfy her incessant desires, Veruca lacks any sense of gratitude in return. This results in her being removed from the tour and for her father's epiphany about her. When Mr. Salt proudly presents to her the long-awaited Golden Ticket that took three days for his staff to find, she seems on the verge of thanking him. Unfortunately, she instead says, "Daddy, I want another pony."
Veruca is deemed a "bad nut"
She’s dressed in a typical English girls' school uniform as she is saying this, returning home from her unnamed school. Meanwhile, her mother (played by Francesca Hunt in a silent role, at least in the final cut of the movie) sips martinis in lieu of reacting to her daughter's various bratty outbursts. In an earlier draft of the film, and in a deleted scene, her mother was going to be the one accompanying her to the factory instead of her father.
When the tour of the chocolate factory almost begins, Veruca demands her Daddy that she wants to go in there. This makes her father laugh and looks at his watch, saying that one minute before, 9:59, calling her sweetheart. However, her father's response causes her to yell at him in a disrespectful manner to make time go faster.
Veruca goes down the rubbish chute (2005)
During the tour, she’s the first to spot the Oompa Loompas when the group visits the Chocolate Room (and, in a deleted scene, she again demands one from her father). Veruca, like the 1971 film, isn't mean to Charlie Bucket, despite the kids' separate economic classes, though she instead appears indifferent. Unlike the 1971 film, Veruca is a little nicer to Violet and even says they should be friends. Violet agrees but then makes a disgusted face when Veruca's back is turned to show she really doesn't like her. However, it’s also implied that Veruca doesn't like Violet either.
Violet is eliminated from the tour before Veruca, meaning Veruca was there to witness Violet's humiliating demise. Violet transforms into a giant blueberry after chewing on Wonka's unfinished gum. During Violet's inflation, Veruca is seen smirking in victory. When Mrs. Beauregarde wonders what she'll do with a super-sized blueberry for a daughter, Veruca replies with, "You could put her in a county fair." At this, Wonka smiles and makes a noise of agreement. Later on, she asks Wonka if Violet will always be a blueberry, meaning she could be concerned about her deep down, though it's more likely she wanted to know if Violet's life was ruined forever.
Veruca's insatiable greed finally takes a toll when she and the others visit the Nut Sorting Room, where an army of trained worker squirrels are shelling walnuts, about which her father seems to know quite a bit. Veruca demands a squirrel, to which her father finally puts up some resistance. He tries to talk her out of it, saying she already has multiple pets. When Veruca recites her entire menagerie, Mr. Salt relents and says he will find a squirrel for her after the tour is over. When Veruca says one of the squirrels at work (accompanied by a bright smile to Mr. Wonka), Mr. Salt sighs and offers any amount of money to Mr. Wonka. Wonka politely refuses, stating that the squirrels aren’t for sale. Refusing to oblige to both her father's and Wonka's orders, Veruca then enters the work area to take one for herself (choosing the apparent leader). However, she’s immediately attacked by all of the squirrels when they soon overpower, restrain and toss her into the rubbish chute (a round hole located in the centre of the floor). Veruca screams and plummets, which in turn leads down to an incinerator, because she’s described as a "bad nut," according to Mr. Wonka's claiming mentions. He assures her father that she "may be stuck in the chute" and all her father has to do is "just reach in and pull her out". Mr. Salt looks down the pit for any sign of her and, at the same time, feels guilty for doing the one thing that led to this fate, spoiling her. As he does so, the Oompa Loompas break into the Veruca Salt song. They use it to personally admonish him for spoiling Veruca in the first place, and it clearly makes a mark on him. He’s then pushed in by one of the squirrels, screaming from behind. Beforehand, the Oompa Loompas throw in a portrait of Veruca's mother as a symbolic homage to her fate in the book.
However, since the incinerator is conveniently broken at the time, Veruca and her father are spared immolation. Instead, both father and daughter leave the factory covered in three weeks' worth of rotten garbage, with flies surrounding the two as they step out of the factory's entrance. Her final demand is a facsimile of flying glass elevator, after seeing Wonka's contraption soaring in the sky, high above the building. However, instead of giving in to Veruca's demand in a cheerful and obedient manner like before, Rupert reprimands her sternly that the only thing she’ll be getting that day "is a bath, and that's final." Not only has Mr. Salt's opinion of Veruca changed, but he also changes his ways of raising his daughter, having realized how much he and his wife have spoilt her. This emotionally shocks Veruca, who flat out refuses to take her father's new attitude, and angrily talks back to her father, insisting that she wants one anyway. This prompts Rupert to shoot a fierce glare at his daughter. Although Rupert knows that Veruca wants a flying glass elevator, he proves that his new opinion of his daughter is serious.
Earlier in the film, before the tour begins, Veruca cuts in front of Wonka to introduce herself with a curtsy as he leads the tour group through the factory entrance, during which Wonka replies, "I always thought a verruca was a type of wart you got on the bottom of your foot." Indeed, the term verruca plantaris is Latin for "plantar wart," and is a common British English phrase, hence the decision in both films to make the girl come from England. Her name was conceived from a wart medication called "Verruca Salt" that Dahl claimed he once had in his medicine cabinet.
Veruca in the video games
Veruca salt getting restrained by squirrels (2005 video game)
Veruca salt (with Oompa Loompas by her side leading out of the incineration room) along with Willy Wonka and Grandpa Joe and Charlie Bucket(2005 video game)
In the 1985 arcade game based on the book, the player must control Veruca in a certain level that requires dodging the squirrels from the Nut Sorting Room. In the 2005 film's video game, after Veruca is shoved into the rubbish chute, the squirrels get out of control and leave their "seats", which causes the nuts to constantly fall out of the containers and block the rubbish chute (which makes Veruca stop halfway in the chute). Charlie and the Oompa Loompas must go through the room's outer divisions and bring the squirrels back to work (this then flushes out all of the wasted walnuts in the rubbish chute). Charlie then jumps into the rubbish chute to rescue Veruca from the incinerator, this includes sliding through different swirly tunnels and catching up to Veruca, one of these tunnels has a bright red light (which obviously implied leads to the incinerator). He manages to throw her through a tunnel that leads her to a garbage dump where the Oompa Loompas help her out of the factory.
Veruca in theatrical adaptations
In theatrical adaptations, Veruca is a combination of the two English girls from the films, but Veruca and her family can be from anywhere in the world. Her father/mother is in the nut business as in all other versions, but the main focus of the business is now mainly Brazilian nuts rather than peanuts. She is also implied to have siblings, and she threatens her accompanying parent to fire new character Phineas Trout when he calls her "Veronica Salt" during her interview. She is often depicted, from actress to actress, wearing a skirt or dress, but a director can choose more modern clothing if necessary. She retains her "I Want it Now" song from the 1971 film, but the opening spoken lyrics are slightly modified to accommodate the fact that the animals in the scene are squirrels like in the book and 2005 film. In most high school versions of the play, the song is extended to include such desires as wanting the stars and "Venus and Saturn arranged in a pattern". In some plays, her mother is her tour chaperone instead of her father, but in other plays, both of her parents come with her and go down into the chute in an attempt to rescue her. She sings most of her lyrics in her "Oompa Loompa" song, and on the verse "The mother and the father", the actors playing Veruca, her parents, and the Oompa Loompas point to the parents in the audience. Also, at the near-end of the play, all of the "bratty" kids (including Veruca and her optional siblings) and the Oompa-Loompas sing a fifth Oompa-Loompa song, talking about all of the "bratty" kids in general; their parents then give them a hug after the song ends and they walk offstage, instead of punishing them for their misbehavior.
Veruca in the 2013 West End Musical
As with the film adaptations, Veruca comes from England, and her father owns a peanut business-like in the book and films. However, her personality returns to that of the original novel, switching rapidly between moods; appearing to be sweet, pleasant, cute, and adorable one minute, and the next devolving into a screaming spoiled brat the moment she doesn't get her way. Her design is also reminiscent of the book, as in the musical Veruca is depicted with blonde curly hair and her outfit resembles that of a ballerina's tutu - although her fur coat in this version is not mink, but is said to be 'baby seal, clubbed and tickled pink'.
In the musical, Veruca is shown to have a keen interest in ballet as she is always seen in a tutu and ballet slippers, and there is rarely a moment when she isn’t doing some kind of ballet pose. She has a rivalry with Violet due to her also being uber-wealthy. Veruca's voice sounds very cute but is still spoiled because of her desire for more.
In the 2013 Sam Mendes London musical, Veruca Salt is a British billionaire's daughter, dressed in a pink ballerina tutu and baby seal fur coat—"clubbed and tickled pink". Her father, Sir Robert Salt, is portrayed as a spineless dolt for giving his daughter her wishes. In the Nut Sorting Room, like in the book and 2005 film, Veruca runs afoul of the nut-testing squirrels who deem her a 'bad nut' when she tries to steal one. This summonses oversized squirrels with Oompa Loompas riding on their backs. They sing a nightmarish ballet, "Veruca's Nutcracker Sweet", that concludes with Veruca, and her father being sent down the garbage chute. Veruca's fate is left ambiguous, seeing how you never see what happens afterward.
Veruca in the Broadway Reboot
Just like the other 4 bratty children in this iteration, Veruca is actually played by a young adult. Although most adoptions make Veruca English, the 2017 Broadway Retool changes Mr. Salt's and Veruca's nationalities to Russian this time around. Veruca being the prima ballerina she is, this was probably done to expand on the ballet motif of Veruca's character as seen in the original book. Nicknamed "Verushka" by her spineless father, Veruca meets a far worse demise in this incarnation. While oversized squirrels dance with Veruca in a ballet sequence, Veruca runs up a conveyor belt (the place the squirrels do the sorting) and the squirrels deem her a "bad nut," and literally tear her apart from limb to limb. Although Veruca's fate is left ambiguous, she yells for Mr. Salt offstage.
Veruca's endgame
In the novel, Veruca's comeuppance takes place in Wonka's Nut Sorting Room, where she is denied a squirrel of her own by both Wonka and her mother. After Wonka refuses to sell one of his worker squirrels to her father, Veruca brazenly enters the premises and attempts to take a squirrel anyway. She is immediately engulfed by the creatures, pinned to the floor, rejected as a "bad nut," and hauled into the garbage chute. Both her parents quickly suffer the same fate afterward when they go into the work area in an attempt to rescue her. They leave the factory covered in garbage, and Mr. Salt has a look of extreme anger on his face.
Veruca salt (concept art) covered in slimy rubbish
Her predicament and exit of the factory are both similar in the 2005 version, minus her mother; the Oompa Loompas instead throw a painting of her mother into the chute in order to emphasize that both of Veruca's parents have indulged her too much, and they sing their reproachful song about spoiling children to Mr. Salt before he goes down the chute. Mr. Salt, hovering over the chute opening in vain attempt to spot his daughter, is then knocked in from behind by one of the squirrels. Both Veruca and her father are spared immolation and end up leaving the factory, covered with three weeks' worth of foul-smelling trash on the weekly burning day only because the incinerator is broken at the time. In the end, Mr. Salt says that his severely spoiled 'lots of pets & presents' daughter is only getting a bath when they get home. Veruca says, "But I want it!" in an angry tone, and Mr. Salt is a bit surprised but is still cross of what had happened.
It's unknown, in the 2005 movie, how Veruca and her father got out of the incinerator after falling into the hole in the middle of the floor.
Having learned what, he now believes to be a good parenting lesson because of the humiliating ordeal he suffered from his daughter in the chocolate factory, he finally had enough of wasting both his hard-earned money and his time on his daughter and her countless copious demands. Since Mr. Salt was being chastised by the Oompa Loompas for overindulging her in the first place, Rupert angrily refuses his daughter's demand for a flying glass elevator. He says that she will only be getting a bath that day instead. He crossly glares at her after she objects with her last line "But I WANT it!". What becomes of Veruca after this is unknown. Mr. and/or Mrs. Salt scolding and/or punishing their child(ren) may be used in the theatrical shows if a director wants to show them realizing they are responsible for overindulging their children.
In the 2005 movie, Veruca ends up being the only one of the four rotten children not to be present during her song of morality as she is thrown down the chute beforehand, but her father is instead there to hear every word of it. In the 1971 movie, the squirrels are replaced with geese laying golden eggs. Wonka denies a sale of one of the birds to Veruca, after which she sings her musical solo, "I Want It Now." After then making a mess of the room, she stands atop the exicator, which judges her a "bad egg," and sends her plummeting down the garbage chute En route to the furnace. Mr. Salt jumps down into the chute a moment later to try to rescue her, where he too is deemed a "bad egg". Their ultimate fate is only mentioned at the end of the movie when Wonka assures Charlie that Veruca will continue to be a spoiled brat, but maybe she will be a bit wiser for the wear.
In the West End musical, when Veruca grabs one of the squirrels, she’s attacked by a horde of giant squirrels rode by Oompa Loompas who begins a nightmare ballet, Veruca's Nutcracker Sweet, in which they sing how she was the most wasteful and spoiled little girl in the world and how she would meet a rotten fate in the garbage chute. Her father then attempts a rescue, but he too is grabbed and is told how his daughter's behavior is his fault and how he will share her fate. They are then both thrown down the rubbish chute that apparently leads to a sewer, but then Wonka remembers that on Tuesdays the chute is redirected to the incinerator, meaning Veruca and her father most likely met a fiery death.
In the 2017 Broadway adaptation, Veruca runs into the nut sorting room despite Wonka's warnings. She tries to catch a squirrel and gets them all to follow her lead in ballet dance. As the song escalates, the squirrels start pushing, grabbing and dragging Veruca around, causing her to realize they aren’t "cutesy rootsy" squirrels and are extremely violent. She tries to escape, and her father enters the room to try to save her, but when she runs up a conveyor belt and is cornered by the squirrels, they grab her and tear apart her limbs. As the squirrels take her severed body parts and push them down the bad nut chute, she screams for her father. It’s unknown if she survives or not.
Veruca Salt song
Veruca's impending doom in the chute is the subject of the novel's poem and the 2005 lyrics, as is the Salts' blame for turning their daughter into a "spoiled brat". In the novel and first film, the song is performed after Veruca, and her parents go into the chute. The 1971 lyrics (also used in the theatrical shows) centered on who is to blame for Veruca's avarice and what can be done to prevent children from suffering a similar fate, during which several rhyming words ("brat" and "cat", "shame" and "blame") were individually displayed onscreen in Scanimate style. (It’s very interesting to note that the 1971 lyrics and musical lyrics use harpsichord notes in their music.) In the 2005 version, the track was sung to a sweet and opera-classical style melody; Mr. Salt is pushed into the chute after the song ends.
Song Lyrics
| 1971 lyrics | 2005 lyrics |
|---|---|
| Oompa, Loompa, Dompa-dee, doo!
I’ve got another puzzle for you, Oompa, Loompa, Dompa-dee, dee, If you are wise you’ll listen to me! Who do you blame when your kid is a brat? Pampered and spoiled like a Siamese cat! Blaming the kid is a lie and shame, you know exactly who’s to blame! The mother and the father! Oompa, Loompa, Dompa-dee, dah! If you’re not spoiled, then you will go far, you will live in happiness, too. Like the Oompa-Loompa, Dompa-dee, doo! |
Veruca Salt The little brute
Has just gone down the garbage chute. And she will meet as she descends A rather different set of friends A rather different set of friends A rather different set of friends A fish head for example cut This morning from a halibut. An oyster from an oyster stew A steak that no one else would chew. And lots of other things as well each With its rather horrid smell Horrid smell These are Veruca's new found friends That she will meet as she descends These are Veruca's new found friends Who went and spoiled her, who indeed? Who pandered to her every need? Who turned her into such a brat? Who are the culprits? Who did that? The guilty ones Now this is sad Are dear old mum, and loving dad |
Personality
Veruca with her Golden Ticket
Veruca's personality throughout the adaptations depicts her as being demanding, arrogant, mean, spoiled, unpleasant, callous, and extremely entitled. She is seen fiercely demanding almost anything she sees out of a misplaced, if not overdeveloped sense of self-righteousness and right of possession. She cares only about herself, her image, and her compulsive need to have everything that she wants at the exact moment she wants it.
Veruca puts all of her arrogance behind a milky, sweet voice and a pretty face, but her attitude often turns sour when she is denied something she wants right away. Her being spoiled by her parents all of her life makes her self-righteous, as shown in the 1970s adaption where she demands that she goes first, then coldly demands 'before everybody else'. Veruca also boasts about her wealth quite frequently. She callously treats her parents as obstacles and servants, and constantly demands things of them, from the smallest things to an Oompa Loompa or a squirrel.
She also has a vicious temper, which she reveals when she doesn't get what she wants. In the 1971 adaption, she is seen as extremely aggressive and blatantly snobbish and even declares that she wouldn't go to school until she received a Golden Ticket from the chocolate factory. Veruca's temper is shown to be insurmountable to her father, who spinelessly indulges her every whim if he is capable of it. She is also shown to have extensive delusions of grandeur, starting off with desire for a golden goose and then contemplating having an outrageous feast and everything within reach, to the point that she didn't realize she was standing right over the garbage chute. Her recurring catchphrase is whining "I want it now!"
Relationships
These are some of the relationships she has throughout the factory tour (1964 novel and 1971 movie and 2005 movie only)
Veruca and Violet can be seen making disgusted faces after they became friends (or really?)
Veruca and Violet having a argument, as usual.
Violet Beauregarde: Though the girls never interacted with each other in the book, they have a toxic relationship with each other in both the 1971 version and the 2005 version. In the 1971 version, the two girls can be seen pushing each other while they go down the steps of the chocolate room while Willy Wonka is singing Pure Imagination . When Veruca demands her father for a Oompa Loompa, Violet silences her and says "can it you nit!" as she is clearly bothered by Veruca outbursts, the bickering also happens when they are in the inventing room, for example: after Veruca promised she wouldn't show her gobstopper to anyone outside of the factory. Veruca points out that Violet has another everlasting gobstopper when really, She doesn't have one. But unlike the 2005 version, Veruca shows empathy for violet when she is turning violet by making scared facial expressions. Though in the 2005 version, Violet and Veruca HATED each other such as making a fake friendship for example when Veruca brutally roasts violet when she turns into a blueberry and even in a deleted scene, after Willy Wonka tells Violet not to chew the Everlasting Gobstopper, Veruca says to violet that she thinks Mr Wonka wants to be friends with Violet which Violet actually thought it was true but Veruca blatantly says no and dumps her hand in a pot of goo. Veruca can be also seen giving Violet the stink eye (along with Mike) while they are waiting at the factory. This makes them Enemies (in both the 1971 and 2005 version).
He is absolutely bonkers!
Can be seen in the script
Charlie Bucket: Veruca interacts with Charlie ONCE in the inventing room (1971 version) where she thinks that Willy wonka is "bonkers" but Charlie says that is not a bad thing and Veruca walks away annoyed that Charlie didn't agree with her negative opinion. In the 2005 version, they never interact in the Final Cut but in a deleted scene, it can be obviously seen that Veruca doesn't take off her coat like the others when they go through the factory entrance (even though Mr wonka tells them to) Charlie walks up to Veruca and says "Why aren't you taking you're coat off" and Veruca flexes on him saying "it's RARE Brazilian mink!" This makes them rivals that pretend they don't exist (because they never interact in the final version of the film).
The deleted scene can be seen in the script
Mike can be seen looking at Veruca flirtatiously
Veruca cries because of Mike
Mike Teavee: just like Charlie, they never interacted with each other (in both movie adaptations and the book) but they did interacted in a deleted scene (2005) in which Veruca demands for a Oompa Loompa from her father that tells her that she shouldn't interrupt Mr wonka but Veruca shoots back at him by shouting "But I want a Oompa Loompa!" Mike is really annoyed by her shenanigans and makes fun of her by saying "I want a Oompa Loompa!" Veruca then glares at him which makes Mike "startled" as described in the script, also, Mikes mockery of Veruca even causes her to cry but no one notices her (also a deleted scene) . Though it's not classified if they are enemies (even though Veruca pushed Mike out of her way when she asks Willy Wonka if violet will be a blueberry forever) but when Veruca goes down the stairs to get herself a squirrel in the nut room, it could be seen that Mike cares for her by showing clear empathy when she gets attacked by the squirrels. Veruca can be seen giving Mike the stink eye (along with Violet) while waiting at the factory entrance. This makes them rivals that pretend they don't exist (in the Final Cut of the film).
Angina Salt (Aka Mrs salt) (Book) Veruca rarely demands things from her mother, though she did demanded a squirrel from her mother (otherwise known as "mummy" according to Veruca) and Mrs Salt says no and tells her those are Mr Wonka's squirrels but Veruca (being the spoiled brat she is) shouts at her mother and list all the pets she have at home and Mrs Salt is startled by her antics and she then promises her to get a squirrel just as soon as she possibly can but Veruca won't listen and continue to rave about her demands for a squirrel. In the 2005 version (though not saying a single line) , when Veruca is having an epic fit, Mrs salt sips away her martini glass looking at her in shock. This makes Mrs salt Veruca's mind slave.
Rupert Salt (aka Mr salt): Mr salt is the character that Veruca interacts with the most, in both the book and the 1971 version and the 2005 version, Mr salt buys Veruca "hundreds of thousands" of wonka bars for his factory workers to shell until they founded the ticket and it is seen that Veruca goes from crying to actual lying on the floor and kicks and screams. To make it worse, in the 1971 version Veruca can be seen screaming at Mr salt telling him that his workers are jealous of her for wanting the ticket and Mr salt is getting stressed over it and tries to calm her down that the whole entire looking for them. In the 2005 version, when Mr salt hands her the ticket, Veruca looks at her father straight in the eye and says "Daddy, I want another pony". When they are at the factory, in the 1972 version, Veruca says she wants the first one to get into the factory and Mr salt is used to her demands and says "anything you say sweetheart" Veruca then smiles in victory. In the 2005 version, Veruca berates at her father saying she wants to go into the factory while Mr salt says "it's 9:59 sweetheart" and Veruca shoots back with "make time go FASTER!". When Mr wonka tells the kids to sign the contract (1971 version) Sam Beauregarde tells Mr wonka that he won't let his child to sign the contract in which Mr Salt agrees to and Veruca shouts she want to go in and Mr salt wouldn't stop her, Mr salt tries to comfort her but Veruca shoves her father out of her way and snatches pen out of violets hands and replies with "your always making things difficult". Veruca demands her father for something from time to time (in the book and the 1971 version and the 2005 version) such as a Oompa Loompa (Book, 1971 and in a 2005 deleted scene) and a chocolate river (book) and a pink candy boat (book and 1971) and a squirrel (2005). When Veruca goes down to the stairs of the nut sorting room, Mr salt tells her come back to the railing at once but she wouldn't listen, when Veruca gets pounced by the squirrels and dragged across the floor she yells out "daddy" over and over. When the two walk out of the factory (book and 2005) Veruca demands her father for a Great Glass Elevator (2005) in which Mr salt stands up for himself and replies with "Veruca the only thing you're getting today is a bath and that's final" Veruca squeals and keeps demanding for one but Mr salt glares at her prompting her to be quiet, this makes Veruca walk away from him in anger. This makes Mr salt Veruca's mind slave.
A verruca is a wart you get on the bottom of your foot!
Willy Wonka: In the book and 1971 and 2005 version, Veruca greets Mr wonka (book,1971,2005) and curtseys (2005) and says her name, Mr wonka gives her a honouring welcome (book and 1971) and thought a Veruca (Verruca) was a wart you get on the bottom of your foot (book and 2005) and comments on how lovely her mink coat is (book and 1971). In a deleted scene (2005) Veruca comments on how beautiful mr wonkas chocolate room is in which Mr wonka tells her he can't abide ugliness in factories though the line was later given to Charlie and kept in the film. in the 2005 version, Veruca says that whipping cows to make whipped cream doesn't make sense in which Mr wonka tells her that everybody knows about that impossible thought, in the book, Veruca says what does he use whips for and Mr wonka explains to her all the things he does with the whips and tells her not to ask silly questions. When Mr wonka is presenting his hair toffee and tells everyone that you could grow hair and a moustache and a beard (book), Veruca says why would anyone would want a beard (in the book but the line was later given to Mike Teavee in the 2005 version) and Mr wonka says it would suit her very well. When Veruca asks Mr wonka if violet will always be a blueberry (book) Mr wonka says that he doesn't know but that's what get for chewing gum all day. When Mr wonka is presenting his square candies that look round (book), Veruca tells him that they look square not round and Mr wonka informs that they look round but Veruca doesn't believe it in which the two would have a little quarrel that if it is square or round but Mr wonka corrects her and opens the door to the room which makes all of the square candies that look round look at him in which Veruca finally believes. When Veruca demands for a squirrel (book and 2005) Mr wonka says they are not for sale but Veruca yells "Who says I can't!" (Book and 1971 but the 1971 version had gooses instead of squirrels) when Veruca is on her way to get a squirrel, Mr wonka tells her not to (book and 2005). This makes them enemies.
Veruca can be seen glaring angrily at Augustus after he pushed her
Augustus Gloop: Never had a interaction in the book and 1971 but when Veruca gets roasted by Mr wonka (2005) that Veruca (Verruca) is a wart, Augustus pushes her out of his way and greedily introduces himself which makes Veruca give him the stink eye. This makes them enemies
Veruca Salt's team (2005-2006)
Veruca's team promotion picture
Back in 2005, the official Charlie and the chocolate factory page on Warner brothers site (got removed in 2006 and got replaced by the movies trailer and reviews) had a option called "teams" (along with some games on flash) Each team had a competition that ends in 2006 in which the most followers in each golden ticket winners teams would be the favourited character out of society. Veruca's team design is Veruca crossing her arms with a purple button up shirt with white buttons and a white mink boa (not the snake but the scarf) along with purple hair, purple eyes and purple eyebrows and purple lips etc. and Veruca skin colour is a plain white. Veruca had 442,806 followers in her team in late 2006 until the Charlie and the chocolate factory page got taken down. This is what her welcome page says:
"Veruca wants you to join her team NOOOOOOOOOW! Even Violet has a team, and Veruca must have one too. Only this one will be prettier. And smell nicer. And have golden bells and whistles for everyone and all the other teams will want to be on Veruca's team because she is the BEST! Her daddy said that she would have the best team and he's willing to pay dearly...". Veruca won 4th place in the competition which makes her the 2nd least favourited Charlie and the chocolate factory character out of society.
Trivia
- Veruca Salt is portrayed by Julie Dawn Cole in the 1971 film and by Julia Winter in the 2005 film.
- Veruca is the only character that Mike Teavee ever cared about (in 2005 version).
- The 2020 adaptation of the story depicts her as being born in and residing in Paris, France, making her similar to Sissi Delmas from Code Lyoko.
- Julie Dawn Cole (1971 Veruca) had an aversion to chocolate.
- Veruca's bratty behavior is used for many other spoiled and/or rich characters in fiction, such as Nanette Manoir from the Angela Anaconda animated series and Darla Dimple from the 1997 classic, cats don't dance.
- Although their friendly attitudes were not entirely transferred to their characters in the film, both Julie Dawn Cole (1971 Veruca) along with the late Denise Nickerson (1971 Violet) had crushes on Peter Ostrum (1971 Charlie) and would take turns in spending time with him.
- The "I Want it Now" scene in the 1971 film was shot on Julie Dawn Cole's thirteenth birthday (October 26, 1970), and one of the eggs used in the Golden Egg Room scene was given to her as a birthday present after filming.
- It is unknown where the egg is located today. However, in addition to the egg, Cole's other gifts were the golden ticket and everlasting gobstopper, which were supposed to be returned after filming.
- As part of the birthday surprise, a birthday cake with lit candles was placed in a room under the Golden Egg Room set. After Cole slid down the chute, she discovered the cake and the entire cast and crew entered seconds later and sang the birthday song.
- Veruca's trashing of the Golden Egg Room required a total of 36 takes.
- Julie Dawn Cole actually sang the lyrics of "I Want It Now", which was recorded in a studio during a separate session prior to the shoot. For the filming of the sequence, she actually mimed/lip synced to her vocals, which is what viewers see.
- In the original novel, Veruca is blonde and small-sized while in the movies she is brunette and 9-years old. The only adaptions that depict her as bright blonde are the Broadway and West End adaptions.
- In an early version of the novel, she was originally going to be named "Elvira Entwistle" and "Veruca Cruz".
- Salt is actually a very common treatment for warts and or "verruca." It is believed Dahl had given the character the name after a medication in his cabinet called "Verruca Salt."
- Roald Dahl had told Julie Dawn Cole (the original Veruca Salt) he had named her Veruca, because in his own words, "she was a wart of a child."
- As the four rotten children are inspired by the Seven Deadly Sins in Christian teachings, Veruca represents wrath due to her vile nature along with her extremely blood curdling tantrums.
- Julie Dawn Cole (1971 Veruca) can be seen with a cut on her knee during the egg-breaking scene in the original film, as evidenced by blood on her stockings. She injured her knee on the sharp edge of a rock which she used to break open a giant chocolate egg, as the rock was a real one and not a made up prop. This cut was in fact real, and Cole still has the scar left from the injury to this day.
- Julie Dawn Cole's hair shrunken throughout the 1971 version due to a popular trend at the time of burning the split end in which a hair stylist on set tied Julie's hair with a rope and burned her split ends.
- The Broadway retool is the first adaption to portray Veruca's nationality as something other than English; this time around, she is Russian.
- Veruca's name was also used for an alt-rock band that started in the 90s.
External links
- Veruca Salt (1971) on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Wiki
- Veruca Salt (2005) on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Wiki
- Veruca Salt (musical) on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Wiki
Gallery
Julia Winter dubbing Veruca salt (Erika salt in Sweden) in the Swedish dub
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