Roly-Poly Bird
Encyclopedia
"The Roly-Poly Bird" is a fictional character
, that, like the Vermicious knids and Muggle-Wump
the monkey
is made reference to in more than one child's book by Roald Dahl
- in two cases alongside Muggle-Wump. He is described as large, with fantastically coloured tailfeathers, and in Quentin Blake
's illustrations has a blue body, a long neck and a crest on his head - rather like a peacock. He is known to have made his nest in an orange
tree at least once and his favourite foods are berries. He can speak in at least two languages, Zulu
and English
, and seems to have intelligence
at least equal to that of a monkey
. In all three of his appearances, he is a sign of light relief to the reader.
The Enormous Crocodile
In this story the Roly-Poly Bird is a minor but important character to the overall tale. It is only in this story that we see him in his native land. The Crocodile
of the story boasts to many characters that he is venturing into the nearby village to eat human children; but the Roly-Poly Bird is the only one that he does not permit to warn him against it before rearing up and snapping at him - pulling out some of his tailfeathers in the process. Thereafter the Roly-Poly Bird flies after him and calls a warning when he is about to catch a little girl.
The Twits
In this book, Muggle-Wump
and his family have been forced, on pain of corporal punishment
, to stand on their heads for hours on end in preparation for a possible circus
act, while bird
s are caught in the glue
-smeared branches of a tree in the Twits' garden and then cooked into pie
. When the Roly-Poly Bird arrives he, via his knowledge of languages, translates the Muggle-Wumps' cries of warning and so deters the birds from sitting in the tree. He is himself prevented in turn from becoming stuck to the monkeys' cage when Mr Twit smears glue on its bars, and conveys warning of this to the other birds. When the Twits leave to buy guns as a last resort, he and the Muggle-Wumps use the same glue to trick the Twits into attaching themselves, upside-down, to their floor. The Roly-Poly Bird then carries the Muggle-Wumps home to their native Africa.
Dirty Beasts
The Roly-Poly Bird in this story may not be the same one as appears in The Twits
and The Enormous Crocodile
, if only by reason of his role in "The Toad and The Snail", wherein the two characters of the title are the same creature, magically transformed from one to the other when the giant Toad
jumps with a small boy on his back into France
, becomes the Snail
to escape the amphibian
-hungry Frenchmen and becomes the Roly-Poly Bird so that he can escape to England when the Frenchmen also express interest in eating the snail. Nevertheless, he is again shown as a character that "saves the day".
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
, that, like the Vermicious knids and Muggle-Wump
Muggle-Wump
"Muggle-Wump" is a fictional character in the form of a male monkey that appears in some of Roald Dahl's books for children, and "the Muggle-Wumps" refers to his family. It is not clear whether each central "Muggle-wump" that appears in each book is the same character or not...
the monkey
Monkey
A monkey is a primate, either an Old World monkey or a New World monkey. There are about 260 known living species of monkey. Many are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent. Unlike apes, monkeys...
is made reference to in more than one child's book by Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl was a British novelist, short story writer, fighter pilot and screenwriter.Born in Wales to Norwegian parents, he served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, in which he became a flying ace and intelligence agent, rising to the rank of Wing Commander...
- in two cases alongside Muggle-Wump. He is described as large, with fantastically coloured tailfeathers, and in Quentin Blake
Quentin Blake
Quentin Saxby Blake, CBE, FCSD, RDI, is an English cartoonist, illustrator and children's author, well-known for his collaborations with writer Roald Dahl.-Education:...
's illustrations has a blue body, a long neck and a crest on his head - rather like a peacock. He is known to have made his nest in an orange
Orange (fruit)
An orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus × sinensis and its fruit. It is the most commonly grown tree fruit in the world....
tree at least once and his favourite foods are berries. He can speak in at least two languages, Zulu
Zulu language
Zulu is the language of the Zulu people with about 10 million speakers, the vast majority of whom live in South Africa. Zulu is the most widely spoken home language in South Africa as well as being understood by over 50% of the population...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, and seems to have intelligence
Intelligence
Intelligence has been defined in different ways, including the abilities for abstract thought, understanding, communication, reasoning, learning, planning, emotional intelligence and problem solving....
at least equal to that of a monkey
Monkey
A monkey is a primate, either an Old World monkey or a New World monkey. There are about 260 known living species of monkey. Many are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent. Unlike apes, monkeys...
. In all three of his appearances, he is a sign of light relief to the reader.
The Enormous Crocodile
The Enormous Crocodile
-Synopsis:One day an enormous crocodile goes tramping through the forest telling all the animals he's going to eat children. The animals tell him that it's a horrible thing to do but he tries to use his tricks to eat the tasty children nonetheless. However, every time he tries, the animals of the...
In this story the Roly-Poly Bird is a minor but important character to the overall tale. It is only in this story that we see him in his native land. The Crocodile
Crocodile
A crocodile is any species belonging to the family Crocodylidae . The term can also be used more loosely to include all extant members of the order Crocodilia: i.e...
of the story boasts to many characters that he is venturing into the nearby village to eat human children; but the Roly-Poly Bird is the only one that he does not permit to warn him against it before rearing up and snapping at him - pulling out some of his tailfeathers in the process. Thereafter the Roly-Poly Bird flies after him and calls a warning when he is about to catch a little girl.
The Twits
The Twits
The Twits is a humorous children's book written by Roald Dahl and illustrated by Quentin Blake. It was written in 1979, and first published in 1980....
In this book, Muggle-Wump
Muggle-Wump
"Muggle-Wump" is a fictional character in the form of a male monkey that appears in some of Roald Dahl's books for children, and "the Muggle-Wumps" refers to his family. It is not clear whether each central "Muggle-wump" that appears in each book is the same character or not...
and his family have been forced, on pain of corporal punishment
Corporal punishment
Corporal punishment is a form of physical punishment that involves the deliberate infliction of pain as retribution for an offence, or for the purpose of disciplining or reforming a wrongdoer, or to deter attitudes or behaviour deemed unacceptable...
, to stand on their heads for hours on end in preparation for a possible circus
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
act, while bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s are caught in the glue
Glue
This is a list of various types of glue. Historically, the term "glue" only referred to protein colloids prepared from animal flesh. The meaning has been extended to refer to any fluid adhesive....
-smeared branches of a tree in the Twits' garden and then cooked into pie
Pie
A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that covers or completely contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients....
. When the Roly-Poly Bird arrives he, via his knowledge of languages, translates the Muggle-Wumps' cries of warning and so deters the birds from sitting in the tree. He is himself prevented in turn from becoming stuck to the monkeys' cage when Mr Twit smears glue on its bars, and conveys warning of this to the other birds. When the Twits leave to buy guns as a last resort, he and the Muggle-Wumps use the same glue to trick the Twits into attaching themselves, upside-down, to their floor. The Roly-Poly Bird then carries the Muggle-Wumps home to their native Africa.
Dirty Beasts
Dirty Beasts
Dirty Beasts is a 1983 collection of Roald Dahl poems about unsuspecting animals. Intended as a follow-up to Revolting Rhymes, it was originally illustrated by Rosemary Fawcett. However, a revised edition was published with illustrations by Quentin Blake. An audio book version was also released in...
The Roly-Poly Bird in this story may not be the same one as appears in The Twits
The Twits
The Twits is a humorous children's book written by Roald Dahl and illustrated by Quentin Blake. It was written in 1979, and first published in 1980....
and The Enormous Crocodile
The Enormous Crocodile
-Synopsis:One day an enormous crocodile goes tramping through the forest telling all the animals he's going to eat children. The animals tell him that it's a horrible thing to do but he tries to use his tricks to eat the tasty children nonetheless. However, every time he tries, the animals of the...
, if only by reason of his role in "The Toad and The Snail", wherein the two characters of the title are the same creature, magically transformed from one to the other when the giant Toad
Toad
A toad is any of a number of species of amphibians in the order Anura characterized by dry, leathery skin , short legs, and snoat-like parotoid glands...
jumps with a small boy on his back into France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, becomes the Snail
Snail
Snail is a common name applied to most of the members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled shells in the adult stage. When the word is used in its most general sense, it includes sea snails, land snails and freshwater snails. The word snail without any qualifier is however more often...
to escape the amphibian
Amphibian
Amphibians , are a class of vertebrate animals including animals such as toads, frogs, caecilians, and salamanders. They are characterized as non-amniote ectothermic tetrapods...
-hungry Frenchmen and becomes the Roly-Poly Bird so that he can escape to England when the Frenchmen also express interest in eating the snail. Nevertheless, he is again shown as a character that "saves the day".