Cultural depictions of dwarfism

Dwarfism has been showcased across many types of media. As popular media has become more prevalent, a greater number of works depicting dwarfism have popularized the condition.

Literature

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Several works of literature treat dwarfism as a major theme, with varying degrees of realism:

Film and television

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Several works of visual arts treat dwarfism as a major theme, with varying degrees of realism:

 
Mimie Mathy.
 
Warwick Davis.
  • The actor Warwick Davis has found success in several notable fantasy franchises, including Star Wars, Harry Potter, Willow, Gulliver's Travels, The 10th Kingdom, and The Chronicles of Narnia (both the 1989 television serial and again in the 2008 film version of Prince Caspian).[16]
  • Actor Tony Cox has appeared in several movies such as Friday, Bad Santa, and Date Movie.[17]
  • Deep Roy, another actor with dwarfism, acted in movies such as Star Wars as an Ewok, and—his most famous role—all of the Oompa Loompas in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.[18]
  • The Littlest Groom (2004) was a Bachelor-style reality television miniseries that aired for two episodes on the Fox network. The show followed salesman Glen Foster, a 4'5" little person, in his search for love.
  • The Orator (2011), Samoa's first ever feature film, is the story of a dwarf taro farmer (portrayed by Fa'afiaula Sagote) who "attempts to reclaim his father's chiefly status, even if the current ageing village chief does not believe he has the physique or the oratory skill required".[19][20]
  • Since 2006, Dylan Postl has appeared on WWE programming as Hornswoggle, a wrestling leprechaun.[21]
  • Matt Roloff, Amy Roloff, and their children are the stars of a TLC reality show Little People Big World. The show portrays the family's everyday life, showcasing the unique challenges being a little person brings.[22] Another TLC reality program concerning little people is titled The Little Couple and features pediatric specialist Dr. Jennifer Arnold and her husband, businessman Bill Klein. It focuses in on their lives together as a married couple and parents and their individual lives as educated, white-collar professionals.
  • In 2009, The Simpsons episode Eeny Teeny Maya Moe focused on a relationship between bartender Moe and Maya. They meet via knock-knock jokes on an online dating service, and Moe is surprised when he meets her in real life to discover that she is a little person. Their relationship has kind and sincere moments, but Maya breaks up with Moe after his marriage proposal and attempted surgery to make himself shorter. Her character later returns in 2021 episode The Wayz We Were.
  • Ex-con and pit bull advocate Shorty Rossi is the star of another dwarf reality program, Pit Boss, that aired from 2010 to 2013 on Animal Planet. Rossi also appears on other Animal Planet programs, most notably the "World's Cutest Dog/Cat" ones.
  • The Man from Another Place is a recurring character in the television series Twin Peaks. He is an evil entity who appears to FBI agent Dale Cooper as a dwarf in a red suit. The actor who portrayed him, Michael J. Anderson, is not a dwarf but rather has a genetic disorder called osteogenesis imperfecta.
  • Nathaniel "Biggie" Jones is a dwarf and circus showman in a 1970s-set episode of Cold Case titled "Metamorphosis". Michael J. Anderson portrayed Biggie as a senior citizen, while Mark Povinelli portrayed Biggie in flashback scenes of the year 1971.
  • Edna Mode (portrayed by Brad Bird) is the fashion designer for the Supers in The Incredibles.
  • Kenny (played by Kenneth Hall) is the dwarf henchman of corrupt corporate executive Yuri in the 2014 Canadian dark fantasy feature film Patch Town.
  • Billy Kwan (portrayed by female character actress Linda Hunt) was a Chinese-Australian dwarf who worked as a cameraman alongside protagonist Guy Hamilton (Mel Gibson) in the 1982 feature film The Year of Living Dangerously. Billy and Guy follow the latent developments pointing to a bloody civil war in Indonesia during the 1960s.
  • Orphan features an over-thirty-year-old woman with proportional dwarfism named Lena, who poses as a nine-year-old little girl from Russia named Esther. Lena/Esther was not played by an actress with dwarfism, but instead by child actress Isabelle Fuhrman.
  • An unnamed female dwarf (played by Adelina Poerio) is revealed to be the mass murderer in a grieving father's life in the 1970s horror film Don't Look Now.
  • A number of reality television series on Lifetime, beginning with Little Women: LA in 2014, focused on showing the lives of women living with dwarfism in various cities around the United States.

Reoccurring characters

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  • Baby-Doll is a reoccurring DC Comics character who has appeared in various television shows, comic books, fanfictions and literature. The character is portrayed as a dwarf with a kidney disease, and she has chosen to indulge in criminal activity after a lengthy career playing the role of a little girl in a family sitcom. Baby-Doll dresses like classic little girl characters and actresses in cinema, including Rhoda Penmark and Shirley Temple.
  • The Munchkins are a group of reoccurring fictional dwarfs in L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and associated media, which included a book series, a Metro-Goldwyn Mayer movie, a Disney movie and a variety of spin-off cartoons, merchandise and parodies.
  • "General Tom Thumb" (real name Charles Stratton) is a real-life dwarf circus performer who has been fictionally depicted in a variety of media, most notably in the 2017 family drama musical The Greatest Showman, where he was portrayed by actor Sam Humphrey.

References

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  1. ^ Grass, Günter; Ralph Manheim (1962). The Tin Drum. Secker & Warburg. ISBN 978-0-679-72575-6.
  2. ^ Hegi, Ursula (1995). Stones from the River. New York: Touchstone Book. ISBN 978-0-684-84477-0.
  3. ^ Lagerkvist, Pär (1973). The Dwarf. New York: Noonday Press. ISBN 978-0-374-52135-6.
  4. ^ Irving, John (1990). A Prayer for Owen Meany. New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0-345-36179-0.
  5. ^ Poe, Edgar. Hop-Frog/Hop-Frog, or The Eight Chained Ourang-Outangs. ISBN 978-0-89598-723-5.
  6. ^ Martin, George (1996). A Game of Thrones. New York: Bantam Books. ISBN 978-0-553-10354-0.
  7. ^ Maupin, Armistead (1993). Maybe the Moon. New York: HarperPerennial. ISBN 978-0-06-092434-8.
  8. ^ "Michael Dunn Filmography". Retrieved 2009-03-08.
  9. ^ Herzog, Werner (director) (1970). Auch Zwerge haben klein angefangen.
  10. ^ "CNN Studio Tour". CNN. Retrieved 2008-11-18.
  11. ^ "Mickey Abbott - Part actor, part stand-in, part ladies man, and he's only 4", but he can do 4"2, 4"3 is a stretch". Retrieved 2009-03-08.
  12. ^ Joséphine ange gardien - official site
  13. ^ "Verne Troyer Filmography". Retrieved 2009-03-08.
  14. ^ "Jason "Wee Man" Acuna Filmography". Retrieved 2009-03-08.
  15. ^ "Peter Dinklage Filmography". Retrieved 2009-03-08.
  16. ^ "Warwick Davis Official Website - Film". Retrieved 2009-03-08.
  17. ^ "Tony Cox Filmography". Retrieved 2009-03-08.
  18. ^ "Deep Roy Filmography". Retrieved 2009-03-08.
  19. ^ "Tusi Tamasese: A voice from Samoa", New Zealand Herald, September 8, 2011
  20. ^ Review: The Orator, Variety, September 19, 2011
  21. ^ "Online World of Wrestling". Retrieved 2009-03-08.
  22. ^ "The TV Series: Little People, Big World : TLC". Retrieved 2009-03-23.