What is oompa loompa?

Oompa-Loompas are a fictional group of diminutive humans who work at Willy Wonka's chocolate factory in Roald Dahl's books Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator.

• Origin and Appearance: They originate from Loompaland, a wild and dangerous region where they lived in treehouses to avoid various ferocious beasts. They are small in stature, and their appearance varies slightly between book editions and film adaptations.

• Exploitation and Rescue: Willy Wonka "rescued" the Oompa-Loompas from Loompaland, offering them protection from predators and a steady supply of their favorite food, cocoa beans, in exchange for their labor. Some consider this arrangement to be exploitative, even if the Oompa-Loompas were supposedly happy with the arrangement.

• Culture and Society: Oompa-Loompas are depicted as a close-knit community with their own distinct culture. They have a fondness for singing and dancing, often performing moralistic songs related to the misbehavior of the children visiting the factory.

• Diet: Their primary food source prior to working for Wonka was green caterpillars, which they detested. Their love of cocoa beans is central to their employment at the chocolate factory.

• Language: They speak their own language, which is sometimes translated into rhyming couplets in the books.