What a Dahl, 6.10

The challenge: Create an Oompa Loopa-eating creature inspired by those mentioned in Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.


As a kid, I read B.F.G., Witches, and James and the Giant Peach, but never really got into Willy Wonka or any of the adaptations of it. The thing with Roald Dahl characters is that they are quirky and exaggerated versions of the truth. They aren't completely make-believe, but are just odd enough. However, this challenge is set in a fake world in the jungles of Loompa Land.

My concept: I chose to create the Vermicious Knid. The name itself sounded like "arachnid" so I wanted to do something spider-like, but also jungle-esque. I tried to combine a parrot, spider, and lion to create this comically viscous predator. IT would scurry after the Oompa Loompas and snatch them up with its talons and eat them up.

The struggle with this creature was towing the line between whimsical and scary. You don't want to lose the integrity of the beast by it being too funny, but don't want it to be so terrifying that it is no longer child-like.