Caractacus Potts is one of the main characters in the family film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. He is an eccentric inventor who lives with his twin eight-year-old children, Jeremy & Jemima, and Grandpa Potts, on the Potts' hilltop farm. His last name is altered from "Pott" in the children's book by Ian Fleming on which the film was loosely based.
Caractacus is an inventor who sells a candy invention, Toot Sweets, to candy magnate Lord Scrumptious. He later turns an old racing car (originally named the "Paragon Panther") into the flying, floating motor-car of the title. He is named after a British chieftain who fought against the Romans under the emperor Claudius. The name "Caractacus Pott(s)" is also similar to "crackpot", a derogatory term for someone who is eccentric, particularly a scientist or inventor.
In the original 1964 book, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Magical Car, Caractacus Pott's wife and the mother of his children is alive and a part of the story; her name is Mimsie. Caractacus is a Commander in the Royal Navy, which is reflective of Fleming's own history as well as that of Fleming's James Bond character.
The filmmakers, including screenwriter Roald Dahl, altered a good deal of the book's details when crafting the 1968 film musical version of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, in which Potts is portrayed by Dick Van Dyke. For example, it was felt that a burgeoning romance would serve the story better, and so the character of Mimsie was written out of the story. Caractacus' film character was written as a widower who develops a romantic relationship with Truly Scrumptious, the daughter of the candy magnate. The film also did not carry over the Naval Commander part of his life and there is no hint of it in any of the set design, dialogue or behavior. Potts' other inventions as seen in the film were designed and created by the craftsman Roland Emett, and have been on display at Mid-America Science Museum for many years.
A stage musical based on the film premiered in London's West End in 2002, with Caractacus Potts played by Michael Ball. In the 2005 Broadway theatre production, Raúl Esparza played the role.
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