There Is 1 ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’ Character That Is Almost Universally Despised, and It’s Not Veruca Salt

In 1971, Roald Dahl’s book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, was turned into a movie. The classic children’s book offered commentary on everything from spoiled children to bad parenting to greed. Those themes made it into the film adaptation, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, too. While the movie depicted many of those themes in the children who won golden tickets, the youngest characters aren’t as universally despised as Grandpa Joe. Grandpa Joe, Charlie Bucket’s grandfather, is hated by fans of the movie, but why? 

Why do ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’ fans hate Grandpa Joe?

Grandpa Joe, at first glance, might seem like a perfectly nice older gentleman. Sure, he was bedridden and didn’t contribute to his household, but he seemed interested in his grandson and even accompanied him on the famous chocolate factory tour. Upon closer inspection, Grandpa Joe’s negative qualities far outweigh his positive attributes, at least in the 1971 version of the character.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory fans have taken to social media and subreddits to hate on Grandpa Joe en masse. He’s more despised than Veruca Salt, who was also pretty awful. Fans of the famed children’s story argue that Grandpa Joe tried to steal Charlie’s accomplishments, proclaiming that the golden ticket was his, despite doing nothing to find it. Viewers also argue that Grandpa Joe was morally corrupt, entitled, and, frankly, mean.

He spent 20 years in bed, even though he clearly could get up, evidenced by the fact that he got up and danced when there was a good event to attend. He complained about the level of care he was given, despite Charlie’s mom working tirelessly to care for the entire family. Most importantly, he pushed his grandson to break the rules and threatened to take Wonka’s secrets to Slugworth. Overall, Grandpa Joe was not a good influence on the young, but inherently good, Charlie Bucket. 

Is one Grandpa Joe worse than the others? 

While Grandpa Joe, in a general sense, is largely considered problematic, not all incarnations of the famed freeloader are created equally. Fans largely agree that Grandpa Joe from the 1971 version of the movie is the worst of them all. The 2005 version of the character is considered the least problematic. 

According to one Reddit user, the Grandpa Joe that appeared in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory had no redeeming qualities. He spent 20 years laying in bed, just to jump up and dance when the mood struck him, proving, once and for all, that he could have worked or, at the very least, helped out around the house. Grandpa Joe’s laziness was made all the worse in the 1971 movie because Charlie’s mother was the only working adult in the family. 

In the 2005 film adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Grandpa Joe contributed to the family for as long as possible. He was also more actively involved in Charlie’s life and didn’t seem to be using him strictly for a free tour of a chocolate factory. Most importantly, he wasn’t morally corrupt and didn’t threaten to sell trade secrets. 

Which kid from the flick is the most disliked? 

Grandpa Joe might be the worst of the worst, but other characters from the book and movies are also problematic. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and the 2005 remake, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, have no real shortage of characters to dislike. While the story’s true villain is initially shown to be Slugworth, he isn’t the problem. The other tour recipients and their parents were pretty bad, though. 

Still, none of the kids were worse than Veruca Salt. Veruca was especially bratty, expecting everyone, including Willy Wonka, to bend to her desires. She made several ridiculous demands while on the chocolate tour before being ejected from the factory. In the 1971 flick, Veruca is thrown down a garbage shoot after a scale indicates she’s a “bad egg.”