We're getting down to the last couple days until the opening of our first major exhibition--Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: The Creation of a Classic--we continue our countdown by taking a closer look at our next dwarf. In celebration of the 75th anniversary of this Disney classic, author and historian J.B. Kaufman's new book The Fairest One of All explores the making of Walt's first feature-length animated film, including an examination of each individual dwarf. Below is a short excerpt from this book—which is available now online and in our Museum Store—all about... BASHFUL!
The dwarf we know as Bashful seems to ahve had his origins in a character called Baldy, proposed in mid-1934. "He is bashful, said an early outline, "blushes at everything, face becomes very red when he blushes." Throughout the remainder of 1934, various outlines identified this dwarf alternately as either Bashful or Baldy, and one actually referred to him as "Bashful Baldy." Moreover, these outlines gave him soething to blush about: his skull came to a point on top. "Funny shaped head, goes clear up into the peak of his cap, and he is very sensitive about it, ikeeps his cap on in the house all the time. The other dwarfs like to kid BALDY, but Snow White sympathizes with him" Another outline referred to him as "the dwarf with the pyramid-like skull." For a time Bashful/Baldy was seen as the smallest one of the dwarfs, the one who served as a scapegoat for the others, until Dopey arrived to take over that position.
In the finished film, of course, Bashful is relieved of his embarassing affliction (and all the dwarfs are bald, and all wear their caps inside the house). His bashfulness is simply an element of his personality. In the course of story development, Bashful—although often overshadowed by the other dwarfs—became one of the most interesting chracters in Snow White. In the finished picture he's a true romantic, his bashfulness merely a manifestation of his sensitive nature. . . .
To find out more about Bashful and the other six dwarfs, pick up The Fairest One of All at our Museum Store or online by clicking here. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: The Creation of a Classic will be on view from November 15, 2012 to April 14, 2013, the exhibition celebrates Walt Disney’s vision and the artistry of his dedicated staff, illustrating how they shaped and defined an entirely new American art form through their creation of this groundbreaking film. For more information and details about our first major exhibition, please visit waltdisney.org/snow-white.