- “And [this is] Happy here, with the beaming smile.”
- ―Walt Disney introducing Happy
Happy is one of the seven dwarfs in Disney's 1937 animated feature film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Happy gets his name from his jovial and optimistic demeanor. Most often seen with a cheery smile, he is partial to parties, food, and dancing—all of which he is eager to share with the other dwarfs.
Background[]
Development[]
Happy was originally conceived as a more comically tragic character, as is indicated by the first draft of the story in November 1935.
After "Bluddle-Uddle-Um-Dum (The Dwarfs' Washing Song)", in which the dwarfs wash, they sat down to eat the soup with Snow White and ate by slurping very loudly. When Dopey tries to use his spoon to eat the soup, he swallows the spoon by mistake. With Happy's help, Dopey manages to cough up both the spoon and the soap swallowed earlier. The scene was cut, as it was not felt relevant to the story.
Personality[]
Like all the dwarfs, Happy is true to his name. Very bubbly and bright, alongside Dopey, he is the most friendly, and cheerful of the bunch. His gleeful attitude prompts him to giggle quite often, and the peppy dwarf is also known to be quite the singer, yodeler, and musician.
Ironically, though he is the complete opposite of Grumpy in nearly every way, the two have never been shown to bicker and clash, that role being left with Doc. Though Happy is amongst the dwarfs that playfully tease Grumpy during their washing session.
Aside from his cheerful nature, Happy appears to be the plumpest of the dwarfs and shows a great love of food, specifically in the deleted song "Music in Your Soup", where he led an enthusiastic sing-along during supper.
As evidenced by the dwarfs' first meeting with Snow White, Happy is also the most sociable amongst his diminutive comrades, going as far as to gleefully, and politely introduce himself to Snow White, while the identities of the others dwarfs were guessed by the princess herself. This is further evidenced by the dwarfs' yodel song, where Happy apparently led the festive sing-along with much enthusiasm.
Happy doesn't normally appear to ever be troubled; however, he is ironically quite fierce when potential danger arises for the dwarfs. For example, when the dwarfs learned that a mysterious intruder has entered their cottage, Happy is the first to come up with a plan, advising they sneak up on the supposed monster and kill it in its sleep. During the climax, after the Queen has placed her attack on Snow White, Happy's expression is one of pure anger as he charged to fight back. He also experiences natural emotion, such as annoyance when Dopey's antics come into play, especially during a serious situation. In spite of this, he generally upholds his pleasant reputation as the most cheerful of the seven dwarfs.
Appearances[]
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs[]
Happy working in the mines.
Happy is first introduced, with his seven companions, at the Dwarfs' Mine. He, Bashful, Sneezy, and Grumpy dig to unearth diamonds from the tunnels. The diamonds are taken by Sleepy to Doc, who puts the valuable diamonds in bags to keep and discards the worthless diamonds for Dopey to sweep away. Doc is the first to hear the alarm and alerts the other dwarfs that it is time for them to go home. Happy walks behind Grumpy as the dwarfs sing "Heigh-Ho".
When the seven dwarfs reach their cottage, they think that a monster has taken up residence in their house. They sneak into the cottage and search the room. At one point, Dopey and Happy see something cooking on the fire. Happy is about to try it when Grumpy stops him, suspecting that it is "witch's brew". The dwarfs note that the cottage has been cleaned. They decide that whatever is in the cottage is upstairs, and Doc declares that one of them must go upstairs to chase it out of the house. Dopey is elected, and Doc, his hand shaking, gives Dopey the candle. Dopey is so terrified upon entering the bedroom that, when he hears a noise coming from the beds, he screams and rushes downstairs.
The other dwarfs think that he is the monster and rush outside, locking the door. Dopey falls into the kitchen and emerges from the cottage covered in pots and pans. When the other dwarfs see him they still think that he is the monster, and start hitting him. When they realize that it is Dopey, they decide that they must get rid of the monster once and for all, and enter the bedroom. They are about to strike whatever is sleeping in their beds when they realize that it is the princess, Snow White. Grumpy begins to complain, and Doc attempts to silence him, but Snow White is woken up. She manages to match the name at the foot of each bed to the correct dwarf. Happy is the fifth dwarf identified and actually introduces both himself and Dopey.
Eventually, it is agreed that Snow White will clean and cook for the dwarfs if she is allowed to stay. She prepares soup for them but demands that they wash first. The dwarfs reluctantly march outside. Here, the dwarfs, led by Doc, wash. When Sneezy dips his finger in the water, he blubbers, shocking Happy and the other dwarfs except for Grumpy, while singing "Bluddle-Uddle-Um-Dum (The Dwarfs' Washing Song)". Grumpy refuses to wash, but the other dwarfs, led by Doc, manage to drag him to the water and wash him thoroughly, and Happy, of course, places a wreath on Grumpy's bald head, and kisses and pats it tenderly. Later that evening, after supper, the seven dwarfs entertain Snow White with "The Silly Song"; to begin with, Happy sings a verse to Snow White, and appears to lead the yodeling. He later plays the drums while Dopey and Sneezy dance with Snow White.
After they finish the song, the dwarfs listen to Snow White sing "Some Day My Prince Will Come", which sends every dwarf, except the stubborn Grumpy, into a dream-like state. Doc declares that Snow White will sleep in the bedroom upstairs, and the dwarfs must sleep downstairs. Happy sleep in a cupboard and his snoring sends it to shut and open.
The next morning, each dwarf leaves and gets kissed by Snow White. (For some reason, though, Happy was never shown being kissed on the forehead, nor is he present during the scene.) While the dwarfs head to the mine, the Queen, as the Witch, makes her way to the cottage, knowing that only Snow White will be at home. Upon her arrival at the cottage, the animals sense danger and, after attempting to drive her away, rush to the mine to fetch the dwarfs. When they discover that the Queen has found Snow White, the dwarfs rush home to find that the Witch has succeeded in poisoning the princess and is about to leave. Enraged, Happy, alongside the other dwarfs, chases the Witch into the mountains, and she reaches a cliff. She attempts to crush the dwarfs with a boulder, but a flash of lightning causes her to fall from the cliff and be crushed by the boulder herself.
The seven dwarfs mourn Snow White's death; Happy, like everyone else, is devastated, and tears stream down his face as he cries silently. The dwarfs find her to be so beautiful, even in death, that they fashion a coffin from glass and place her inside. The Prince arrives, and the dwarfs part so that he can approach Snow White. He kisses her, breaking the spell of the Sleeping Death, and the dwarfs cheer. Before Snow White leaves with the Prince, she kisses each dwarf on the forehead (Happy was fifth).
The Winged Scourge[]
In 1943 educational short, Happy and the dwarfs are enlisted in helping rid their forest and cottage home of deadly mosquitoes that can spread the harmful disease malaria. Throughout the animated short, the dwarfs give examples of the precautions necessary to keep people safe from the spreading crises and ensure safety.
House of Mouse[]
Happy in House of Mouse.
Happy, along with the other dwarfs, make several cameo appearances in the animated television series House of Mouse.
In the episode "Mickey and Minnie's Big Vacation", Mickey bids farewell to the guest at the opening of the show. With a laugh, Happy joyfully says "That show was shorter than us!"
He is also mentioned in headcount of guests in "Ask Von Drake".
In "Donald's Pumbaa Prank", when an early clip of Donald Duck skipping rope is shown, Happy laughs, but stops when he notices Grumpy not doing the same at first. Then he resumes laughing when Grumpy suddenly bursts out with laughter as well.
Mickey Mouse[]
Happy made an appearance in the episode "Wish Upon a Coin". He and the other dwarfs are first seen depositing coins into a wishing well, which are soon stolen by Pete, causing Happy and the other dwarfs to fall into panic. Mickey Mouse heads after Pete, and manages to retrieve the coins, settling Happy and the other dwarfs and fulfilling their wishes (which is revealed to be a wish to have a head of hair).
Other appearances[]
In Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Happy is seen in the last scene with many other cartoon characters and Disney characters.
In the Teacher's Pet movie, Happy and the other dwarfs make a minor cameo during Dr. Ivan Krank's villain number.
Happy made a cameo in the form of a silhouette at the end of The Lion King 1½, joining other Disney characters to watch Timon and Pumbaa's film. Like the other dwarfs (besides Grumpy) Happy's only line was "Excuse me."
In Once Upon a Studio, Happy appears in the men's restroom of the Disney Animation Studio with The Headless Horseman, Gaston, Chicken Little, Milo Thatch, Thomas O'Malley, and Prince John. Happy then joins all other Disney characters in a group photo to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Walt Disney Animation Studios where he holds one of the Dalmatian Puppies.
Video games[]
Kingdom Hearts series[]
Happy appears along with the other Dwarfs in the series, where their first appearance was in a glass podium with Snow White during the first game's Dive to the Heart. Unlike the Beast's servants, they are depicted as awake, meaning either their homeworld was not devoured by the Heartless, or that the Dwarfs were able to get to safety beforehand. Prior to the events of Kingdom Hearts, the Dwarfs' appearances in Birth by Sleep reveals their lives working in the mines for jewels until the arrival of the Keyblade wielders in their world. The Dwarfs encounter the first of these warriors, Ventus, and all show hostility towards the newcomer, with the exception of Dopey. After returning to their cottage, the dwarfs meet Snow White for the first time and take her in after she claimed she was attacked by an Unversed. Unfortunately, Snow White falls into a deep slumber after taking a bite from the Queen's poisoned apple, and the Dwarfs place her in a glass coffin to mourn her. Happy laments how much Snow White made them smile and with her kindness, "made better folk of all [the Dwarfs]". However, thanks to assistance from Aqua and the Prince, Snow White is able to awaken, and the Dwarfs celebrate. Happy also appears in Kingdom Hearts χ along with the others in Dwarf Woodlands.
Disney Princess: Enchanted Journey[]
Happy in Disney Princess: Enchanted Journey.
Happy was one of the dwarfs in Snow White's world, along with Dopey, Grumpy, and Doc. He is first seen shortly after Snow White and Dopey's introduction after Dopey leads the game's heroine to the mines to help sort things out. As Happy and Snow explain, the dwarfs were, unfortunately, having difficulties working together. Happy then introduces the player to Doc, who helps to organize tactics to put the gang's work efforts back in a steady motion, including the cooperation between Happy and Grumpy. Later on, Happy assisted the player in helping restore the colors of the rainbow, which were stolen by mischievous creatures known as the imps.
Disney Parks[]
Happy posing for a photo at one of the Disney parks
Along with the rest of the dwarfs, Happy is a frequent character in the Disney theme parks around the world, though usually seen during special events and promotional material. He wears a green outfit with a matching hat, brown pants, and red shoes.
Disneyland Resort[]
Happy appears as an animatronic in Snow White's Scary Adventures, performing "The Silly Song", and again, during the climax scene of the ride. A statue of Happy (and the other dwarfs) is also displayed in Snow White's Grotto near Sleeping Beauty Castle.
Walt Disney World[]
Happy is a somewhat regular character during the latter half of each year in Florida. During ticketed events, such as Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party and Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, he makes live appearances in both parades and occasional meet-and-greet sessions.
In Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, an animatronic Happy is featured working in the mines (alongside Bashful) while singing "Heigh-Ho", again as a silhouette against the stone walls, and in the final scene in the dwarfs' cottage.
Happy can also be spotted, daily, in the Festival of Fantasy parade at the Magic Kingdom.
Happy also had a cameo appearance in the former attraction, Back to Never Land, where an animated version of Robin Williams briefly transformed into the dwarf.
Tokyo Disney Resort[]
For regular meet-and-greets, he can be found in Fantasyland at Tokyo Disneyland.
Shanghai Disneyland[]
In Shanghai, Happy appears alongside the other dwarfs in Golden Fairytale Fanfare and Mickey's Storybook Express.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Six of the dwarfs have eyebrows modeled after those of Walt Disney. Happy was the exception, as his eyebrows were white and bushy.
- Happy was the only dwarf who wasn't seen receiving a goodbye kiss from Snow White, before they went off to work at the mine.
See also[]
External Links[]
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