Drawings Reveal 16 Dwarfs Who Didn't Make The Cut In Disney's 'Snow White'

When Walt Disney went about choosing Snow White's seven tiny roomies for the 1937 classic “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” plenty of dwarfs never saw the light of day.

Of roughly 50 dwarfs proposed by Disney's team, the Guardian reports the seven who ended up in the film -- Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, Bashful, Sneezy and Dopey -- finally awarded identities to the nameless men in the original Grimms' fairytale (where the dwarfs had no names).

Recently, lauded movie artist Albert Hurter's drawings of 16 rejected dwarfs made their way to auction at Bonhams in New York.

Jumpy, Dizzey, Hickey, Wheezy, Baldy, Gabby, Nifty, Sniffy, Swift, Lazy, Puffy, Stuffy, Deafy (yes, Deafy), Tubby, Shorty and Burpy were all given a second shot at immortality in Hurter's artwork.

According to the Mirror, Dr. Catherine Williamson, Bonham's director of entertainment memorabilia, shared,

I think the guys at Disney will be relieved that the names of the dwarfs were changed at the last minute. I'm sure they wouldn't have offended sensibilities back in the 1930s but it would be a different story today.

Williamson insisted the seven names that made the final cut were ultimately better descriptors for each dwarf than those included on the list of abandoned monikers.

She added,

The great thing about the names they used is that they're not just physical references, they're emotional. It's good that they made it more about personality than physicality.

Odds are, Shorty, Deafy and Tubby wouldn't have endured as beloved characters in the hearts of Disney fans who don't appreciate the lack of social sensitivity prevalent in the 1930s.

Citations: Burpy, baldy, deafy … auctioned artwork reveals rejected Snow White dwarves (The Guardian)