Whether you just need a list of the names of the Seven Dwarfs or you want to know more about the Seven Dwarfs and how they all got their names, this is for you!
Since Walt’s first feature length animated film came out in 1937, everyone has fallen in love with Snow White and her adorable Seven Dwarfs. We all know Snow White and how she’s the fairest of them all, right?
But how many times have you asked yourself “What are the Seven Dwarfs names?” or even “What where the Seven Dwarfs original names?” (did you KNOW they had original names?).
There’s so much to learn about the seven dwarfs so let’s get started.
How the Seven Dwarfs Got Started
Snow White, which is also known as “Keeper of the Dwarfs” was originally published in 1812 by the Brothers Grimm. It was included in their first edition Grimm’s Fairy Tales collection.
The Grimms had a few different versions of the Snow White story and completed their final revision in 1854. In the original story, Snow White ate all the seven dwarfs food, drank some of their wine and tested all their beds until she fell asleep in one.
Ultimately the dwarfs found her and allowed her to stay with them in exchange for her cleaning their house! Quite a different story from the Walt Disney version where she cleaned the house first, before the dwarfs came home!
There’s a few other differences between the 2 stories but the biggest one is that in the Brothers Grimm tale, there were dwarfs but none of them had names.
Photo Credit Alexis Larcy
The Seven Dwarfs Get Names
Fast forward a hundred years to 1912. Winthrop Ames (pseudonym “Jessie Braham White”) produced a Broadway play of Snow White in which he gave names to the dwarfs.
Their names were Blick, Flick, Glick, Snick, Plick, Whick, and….Quee. (Not Quick? Come on!) Blick was the oldest and Quee was the youngest in this play.
Walt Disney’s Snow White
Now it’s 25 years later, 1937, and Walt Disney sets out to take Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to the big screen with the very first Disney film. Unfortunately, it wasn’t without problems.
It took three years to create and though the movie was budgeted at $250,000, it ended up costing $1.5 million which was an astronomical amount of money in 1937!
In fact, at one point, Walt had to mortgage his home to pay for production costs. Even with all this time and money devoted to the movie, no one knew if it would become a flop or a hit.
It was called “Walt Disney’s Folly” by the critics before it’s release but after it came out, the rest, as they say, is history. It was a huge success and the money made from this wonderful motion picture provided the financial security for Walt to move forward with all his great efforts thereafter.
Renaming of the Seven Dwarfs
Walt knew that the movie would need to center around the dwarfs in order for it to work. The Witch was a villain, the Prince was only shown briefly and Snow White was sweet but lacked the charisma to hold an audience.
It needed to be the dwarfs and their great personalities that would make the movie magic! Walt decided to name each of the seven dwarfs by the personality each one possessed.
The long and tedious act of coming up with names ensued. Some potential different names were: Burpy, Jumpy, Deafy, Dizzey, Hickey, Baldy, Gabby, Nifty, Sniffy, Swift, Lazy, Puffy, Stuffy, Tubby, Shorty, and Wheezy.
This is just a few of the many names considered before they reached the final seven…Doc, Grumpy, Bashful, Sleepy, Happy, Sneezy and Dopey.
Seven Dwarfs Names
That’s right! The final list of the Seven Dwarfs names were:
How many of those did you remember?
Let’s dive into each of the 7 Dwarfs and learn about them! Here we go!
Doc
Doc, voiced by Roy Atwell in the movie, is the self proclaimed leader of the group. He is bossy and a bit absent minded but very lovable.
Walt had commented that Doc’s flustered personality should be such that he needed his fellow dwarfs reminding him of things.
He gets tongue tied and looses his train of thought in mid sentences. All the other dwarfs follow his lead except Grumpy who often objects to things he says. You can find out much more about Doc here.
Bashful
Bashful was voiced by Scotty Mattraw in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Shy and always blushing, Bashful likes to hide behind his beard when feeling embarrassed.
He obviously doesn’t like the center of attention but equally doesn’t like disappointing Snow White because he has a crush on her. When Snow White asked to share a story with the dwarfs, it was Bashful who wanted it to be a love story.
You’ll often see Bashful with adorable rosy cheeks peeking out from under his white beard.
Find out more about Bashful and see some of our favorite Bashful products here.
Happy
Happy always has a smile on his face. Voiced by Otis Harlan in the film, he is known for his joyous outlook of the world. Optimistic and jovial, he loves parties, food and dancing.
He was the only Dwarf to introduce himself to Snow White when they first met which shows his very social, extravert qualities. He is the most plump of all the Dwarfs and was originally cast to be a comically tragic character but that quickly changed into the bubbly sweet dwarf we see in the movie.
Find out much more about Happy Dwarf and see our favorite Happy products here!
Sleepy
Sleepy was voiced by Sterling Holloway who is best know for the voice of Winnie the Pooh. Always yawning and looking for a chance to catch a few winks anywhere he can, Sleepy demonstrates a laid back and relaxed personality.
He does work hard and can be pretty perceptive to things so don’t let the tiredness fool you into thinking he is lazy. The ongoing saga of a fly bothering him keeps an interesting gag throughout the movie.
Find more about Sleepy and some of our favorite Sleepy products here!
Sneezy
Sneezy was voiced by Billy Gilbert. He sneezes because of hay fever according to Walt Disney. He speaks with a tone of having a stuffy nose and will erupt in uncontrollable bouts of sneezing at different times.
The other 6 dwarfs will help him out all they can to control his sneezing. Sneezy is one of the friendliest dwarfs and has a special bond with Dopey. That’s him under the coat with Dopey on his shoulders in the film!
Find out much more about Sneezy and see our favorite Sneezy products here!
Grumpy
Voiced by Pinto Colvig who was the original voice of Goofy, Grumpy is interestingly enough the second most popular dwarf, next to Dopey. He’s grouchy, overbearing and has a short fuse but deep down he possesses a warm heart.
Often portrayed with a scowl and folding his arms together, he can become annoyed at the others very quickly. Even though he denied having a soft spot for Snow White, it was Grumpy that lead the others on the quest to rescue her.
One of the best Grumpy scenes in the movie is when Snow White say, “Why Grumpy, you do care” and tries to kiss him. For a split second, his true heart shows through, but unfortunately he reverts back to his ornery self almost immediately.
You can immediately spot Grumpy, not because of his brown and red tunic, but for the constant scowl on his face!
Find more about Grumpy and see some of our favorite Grumpy products here!
Dopey
(All animated character pictures via DisneyFandom)
Dopey doesn’t ever speak in the film. He is the most loved of all the dwarfs and he gets his name because of his silly antics.
Often annoying the others, especially Grumpy and Doc, Dopey is like a toddler in that most of his shenanigans are ignored. He is always recognized by his big purple hat and over sized lime green tunic and is the only dwarf without a beard.
One interesting note. Even though Dopey doesn’t speak, he has some vocal effects throughout the movie which were done by the legendary Mel Blanc, voice of Bugs Bunny.
Find more about Dopey and see some of our favorite Dopey products here!
Seven Dwarfs FAQ
Doc
Grumpy
Bashful
Sleepy
Happy
Sneezy
Dopey
The seven dwarfs sing Heigh Ho, Bluddle-Uddle-Um-Dum, and The Silly Song.
Dopey! Dopey is the youngest of the the seven and never spoke a word throughout the entire movie.
The seven dwarfs mined for diamonds.
Happy! For a reason unknown, Snow White never says Happy’s name.
More Fun Facts About the Songs the Dwarfs Sing
Heigh-Ho Song
Six of the seven dwarfs sing “Heigh-Ho” as the head off to work in the mines, and also as they come home. This song is truly one of the most iconic Disney songs and is instantly known around the world. Many people call this song “Whistle While You Work.”
This song has been in many films including in Oliver and Company, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, and Gremlins. A version of this song is used as people are leaving The Tiki Room and is also sung in The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train in Walt Disney World.
Bluddle-Uddle-Um-Dum Song
“Bluddle-Uddle-Um-Dum” is also known as “The Dwarfs Washing Song” and is sung while they are washing up before supper as instructed by Snow White! All the dwarfs sing this song but Doc leads it.
This is a silly song where Grumpy refuses to wash and pouts, and Dopey ends up swallowing a bar of soap!
The Silly Song
The Silly Song is also sometimes called The Dwarf’s Yodel Song. This song was sung by the dwarfs to entertain Snow White and to celebrate her arrival to her home. The dwarfs sing, dance, and play instruments. Happy and Bashful sing the verses.
If you love the Seven Dwarfs as much as we do, head here to see some of our favorite Seven Dwarfs products! From -shirts to mugs to socks, we’ve rounded up some fun stuff!
If you are going to Walt Disney World you may want to consider making dining reservations at Story Book Dining at Artist Point. You can meet Dopey, Grumpy, Snow White, and the Evil Queen!
We bet you want to learn even more about other Disney characters after this post! Swing on over and check out our Disney Princess or Disney Prince posts or 15 fun facts about Minnie Mouse!