The Names Of The Seven Dwarfs - Entertainism

Beautiful princesses, prince charmings, evil queens, treacherous witches – what would fairy tales be without these characters? But there are also some others that stay with you long after the fairy tale ends. The seven dwarfs from Snow White are one of the most famous bunch of supporting characters of a fairy tale. But do you know their names? Introduce yourself to the eponymous characters from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

WHAT’S IN A NAME

Originally the seven dwarfs in Snow White were unnamed. Their names have changed in different versions of the story. The most popular names of the dwarfs are from the 1937 Disney movie. They are Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, and Sneezy.

Once upon a time, in a land we call Germany today, there lived two brothers, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. They were so fascinated by the tales of the times gone by that they spent their lives collecting folklore from all over the world. During their literary adventures, they heard a story about a young, beautiful princess, her evil stepmother (the Queen), the jealousy the Queen felt towards the princess, the princess’ poisoning and apparent death, and her revival (by means of a kiss) by a prince who fell in love with her. This story was eventually published by the brothers as Little Snow White in their book Kinder- und Hausmärchen.

Franz Jüttner [artist]/via Wikimedia Commons (PD)

The story of Snow White is one that we are all familiar with. But what we don’t know is that the popular story that we heard as kids has undergone several transformations in the past two hundred years or so. The version that the Brothers Grimm published in their book was inspired by the Bavarian version that featured the magic mirror, the poisoned apple, the coffin made of glass, and of course, the seven dwarfs.

Naming the Dwarfs: The Saga

Imagine Snow White without the seven dwarfs. Impossible, isn’t it? And to think that in the original version of the tale the dwarfs had no names. The dwarfs were first given names in the 1912 Broadway play, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Of course, they are most well-known by the names that the Disney movie gave them. What is astonishing though is that the dwarfs have had different names in as many as eleven versions of the story.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Broadway PlayYear of Debut: 1912

BlickFlickGlickSnickPlickWhickQuee

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Animated FilmYear of Release: 1937

BashfulDocDopeyGrumpyHappySleepySneezy

Schneewittchen (German)

Live Action FilmYear of Release: 1961

HuckepackNaseweisPackePickPuckPurzelbaumRumpelbold

Little Snow White

Animated Television EpisodeYear of Telecast: 1965

AxlerodBartholomewCorneliusDexterEustaceFerdinandGeorge

Snow White

Musical Feature FilmYear of Release: 1987

BiddyDiddyFiddyGiddyIddyKiddyLiddy

Snow White*

Direct to VideoYear of Release: 1991

GrouchyKlutzyLazySloopySmileyTubby*There were only six dwarfs

Happily Ever After

Animated FilmYear of Release: 1993

BlossomCritterinaMarinaMoonbeamMuddySunburnThunderella

Snow White

Feature FilmYear of Release: 2001

FridayMondaySaturdaySundayThursdayTuesdayWednesday

Schneewittchen (German)

TV MovieYear of Telecast: 2009

GormKnirpsNiffelQuarxQuerxSchratWichtel

Mirror Mirror

Feature FilmYear of Release: 2012

ButcherChucklesGrimmGrubHalf PintNapoleonWolf

Snow White and the Huntsman

Feature FilmYear of Release: 2012

BeithMuirQuertCollDuirGortNion

The Seven Dwarfs were also…

… robbers in certain European versions of the story. In the same tale, the dialog that the evil Queen has is not with a magic mirror but the sun or the moon.

… dragons in an Albanian version which was collected by Johann Georg von Hahn. The number of dragons increased from seven to forty in this one.

… giants in the 1980 animation film A Snow White Christmas. So, instead of the seven dwarfs, Snow White lived with the seven giants.

… toads in Super Mario’s Snow White, an adaptation made in Japan. Snow White herself was renamed Princess Peach in this variation.

The seven dwarfs represent the many characteristics that we as humans display. They are the good in us and the bad, the beautiful and the ugly. Fairy tales, to some adults, may seem unfashionable and childish. But to those of us who still believe, these are the stories that keep the magic alive.

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