PenguinOompa, Loompa, doom-pa-dee-do, here is a creepy puzzle for you.
Publisher Penguin U.K. recently revealed the cover of a new edition of late novelist Roald Dahl's beloved 1964 children's book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which marks its 50th anniversary this year. The image contains no Willy Wonka, no Charlie Bucket, no chocolate and no factory but rather a photo of a blonde girl dressed in a pink fur coat who would, by gum, even creep out ol' Slugworth.
The new edition will be published in September under the Penguin Modern Classic label, which is intended for adults. Many people, including Chocolat author Joanne Harris, have said its image appears "sexualized" and drew comparisons to pedophilia-themed Lolita.
"This design is in recognition of the book's extraordinary cultural impact and is one of the few children's books to be featured in the Penguin Modern Classics list," Penguin U.K. said in a blog post. "This new image for Charlie And The Chocolate Factory looks at the children at the center of the story, and highlights the way Roald Dahl's writing manages to embrace both the light and the dark aspects of life."
A Penguin U.K. spokesperson told the UK's Sky News TV network that the company welcomes the debate about the choice of picture.
So, what do you REALLY think of our new #CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory cover? pic.twitter.com/4kGVJzH8Xx
? Penguin Books UK (@PenguinUKBooks) August 8, 2014The rep added that the girl on the cover is not meant to represent any of the female characters in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, including Veruca Salt. In the book, Veruca, a spoiled British girl, wears a silver mink fur coat while visiting Wonka's chocolate factory with four other international contest winners, including hero Charlie.
She is depicted in a fur coat and pink tutu in the iconic book illustrations by Quentin Blake and also wears fur in two live-action, musical film adaptations—the 1971 heartwarming cult classic Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, which starred Gene Wilder as the eccentric chocolate factory owner ("I've got three others at home," Veruca states proudly), and the darker 2005 movie, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which was directed by Tim Burton and starred Johnny Depp as Wonka.
Past Charlie and the Chocolate Factory book covers have mostly shown illustrations of the main characters. Check out 5 of them below.
1967 U.K. edition:
1985 U.K. edition:
1995 U.K. edition:
2005 movie tie-in edition:
2013 U.K. edition:
Do YOU think the new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory cover is creepy? Vote in our poll.