Charlie and the Chocolate Factory might just be the most magical kids' book ever written! You might have read the book, and maybe you've seen both movies - maybe you've even caught the stage musical! But we're willing to bet there are so many fun facts about Charlie and the Chocolate Factory you never knew! And there's no better time to learn, with the new film Wonka due out this Christmas - we're SO excited! So, read on to enter a world of pure imagination - did you know which characters were cut from the book, what Roald Dahl thought of the original movie, or how much chocolate was eaten in the 2005 film?

We're all about fun facts here, and there's plenty more for you to discover! Learn all about Hermione Granger, the Grinch, the beastly Kraken, and the HMS Titanic!

1. Roald Dahl just loved chocolate

They say you should write what you know, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory author Roald Dahl took this advice to heart! When he was a kid, Cadbury used to test out their new chocolates at his school by sending them to his school for the boys to taste! Roald used to fantasise about working in a chocolate inventing room - and he would go on to turn it into one of his bestselling books!

2. Chocolate spying was a real thing

In the book and both the movies Willy Wonka is worried about spies coming to steal his secret recipes. This was a real thing that happened in the 1920s! Rival chocolate companies sent out spies to each other. During Roald Dahl's childhood there was a bitter rivalry between British confectionary companies Cadbury and Rowntree's.

3. The Oompa-Loompas had a different name at first

In early drafts of the book the Oompa-Loompas were called Whipple-Scrumpets!

4. In fact, a lot of character's names changed

The only character whose name wasn't changed by Dahl was the hero, Charlie Bucket. Veruca Salt's original name was Elvira Entwhistle, Mike Teavee was called Herpes Trout, and Violet Beauregarde's last name was Glockenberry! Willy Wonka was also called Mr. Ritchie in the first draft, but Dahl renamed him after a boomerang that his brother made when they were kids, which he called a "Skilly-Wonka."

5. Some characters were cut from the final book

The lost first draft might have had as many as FIFTEEN children visiting the factory! Roald Dahl realised this was too many, and cut the number down to a more manageable five. Some of the lost character names include Wilbur Rice, Tommy Troutbeck, Clarence Crump, Marvin Prune, Bertie Upside, and Terence Roper!

6. A lost character would have been turned into peanut brittle

One character who made it very far in the drafts before being totally cut out was a girl named Miranda Mary Piker. She was rude and obnoxious like the other children, and she believed that children should never laugh, have fun or have any holidays. In the lost chapter which was published by Roald Dahl in 1973, she tried to destroy a special powder Wonka invented to get kids out of school, which leads to her getting kicked out of the factory. In an earlier draft though, she falls into the chocolate river and gets turned into peanut brittle!

7. Dahl wanted a different illustrator at first

Before Quentin Blake became Roald Dahl's go-to illustrator, he actually had a different artist in mind for the first edition of the book - Maurice Sendak, who you will know as the writer and illustrator of Where the Wild Things Are! Maurice was busy at the time, though.

8. The original Oompa-Loompas were not very sensitive

In 1964 when the book was first published, Roald Dahl described Oompa Loompas as "African pygmies" (ethnic groups from Central Africa who were noted for their short stature), who were shipped from Africa in crates with holes in them. This was criticised by groups including the NAACP (an American group that advocates for racial equality), and in the 1970s Dahl changed it so the Oompa Loompas were blonde-haired creatures from Loompaland.

9. Roald Dahl didn't like the 1971 film

The 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is a classic now, but it wasn't always a huge hit! It was a bit of a box office flop, making only $4 million, and didn't become a hit until it started airing regularly on TV. Roald Dahl really didn't like the film - in fact, he called it "crummy"! He swore that the filmmakers wouldn't get the chance to make the sequel in his lifetime. Speaking of the sequel...

10. There's a sequel to the book!

Not everyone knows this, but Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was followed up with Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator! The plot of the sequel is pretty wacky - the elevator goes into space, they have to fight dangerous aliens called Vermicious Knids, and Charlie's grandparents turn into babies. There was going to be a third book called Charlie in the White House (they meet the president in the sequel, of course), but Roald Dahl died before finishing it.

11. The chocolate river in the 1971 film wasn't real chocolate

There's a reason the chocolate river looked watery - it was just brown water! Not very appetising at all! In the 2005 film, the river was made using real chocolate, though CGI enhanced it in some scenes.

12. The kids didn't see the chocolate room before filming

To get real reactions out of the child actors, they weren't allowed to see the fabulous chocolate room set until the cameras were rolling!

13. Gene Wilder made Willy Wonka magical

Gene Wilder, who plays Willy Wonka in the 1971 film, had an idea to make his character more mysterious. He first appears in the film limping with a cane, then he stops and does a somersault in front of everyone, proving he can walk just fine. Gene Wilder wanted Wonka to be a character who was completely unpredictable, which makes the film more fun to watch!

14. There were crushes on the set!

Actresses Denise Nickerson (who played Violet) and Julie Dawn Cole (who played Veruca) both had crushes on Peter Ostrum, who played Charlie. They used to alternate spending time with him while they were filming, and Denise really didn't want to do the scene where she picks her nose in front of him because she was embarassed!

15. Jim Carrey almost played Willy Wonka

The 2005 film stars Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka, but the role almost went to funnyman Jim Carrey! Other actors considered were John Cleese, Rowan Atkinson, Will Smith, Ben Stiller, and Christopher Walken.

16. They used real squirrels in the squirrel scene

For the scene where greedy Veruca tries to steal a squirrel, some of the squirrels on stools are animatronics - but some were real squirrels trained to tap walnuts and then throw them away! The squirrels that attack Veruca were also real animals, though a stuntwoman in a mask did the really dangerous bits, and CGI was used for the squirrels that hold Veruca down and tap her head!

17. Deep Roy was paid $1 million for his role(s)

Every Oompa Loompa in the 2005 film is played by the same person, Indian actor, puppeteer and stuntman Deep Roy. He played 165 characters, and would have to film the same scene over and over, moving places to change character! His pay was raised to one million dollars, which seems fair for so much work!

18. There was a LOT of chocolate on the film set

Nestle provided the film set with around 1,850 bars of chocolate! The actors were allowed to eat it, but they got a little sick of so much chocolate! 110,000 fake chocolate bars were also made - hope no one got them confused!

19. There are a lot more adaptations!

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has been adapted for the screen twice, but there are also lots of other adaptations! As well as a radio play and two video games, there was also a ride at Alton Towers based on the book! There's also a stage musical that you might have seen touring near you, and an opera!

20. Willy Wonka will be back in the cinema soon!

This year we're getting a brand new take on Willy Wonka with the movie Wonka! Timothée Chalamet will star as a young Willy Wonka, and the film will explore the story of him setting up his famous factory. We can't wait!