The BFG
A friendly giant who gives children good dreams.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
**The BFG** (short for *The Big Friendly Giant*) is a children’s novel published in 1982 by British writer Roald Dahl. It grew out of a short story that first appeared in Dahl’s 1975 book *Danny, the Champion of the World*. Dahl dedicated the novel to his eldest daughter, Olivia, who died from measles encephalitis in 1962 when she was seven years old.
The story centers on Sophie, a young orphan girl who cannot sleep one night. From her window she spots a giant man carrying a suitcase and a trumpet. The giant sees her, lifts her from her bed, and carries her to a cave in a barren region called Giant Country. Sophie fears she will be eaten, but the giant—who calls himself the Big Friendly Giant, or BFG—explains he does not eat humans. He took her only to prevent her from telling anyone she saw a giant, which might lead to his capture for a zoo.
The BFG speaks in a distinctive, muddled way. He tells Sophie that nine other giants, all larger and stronger than he is, eat people every night. These giants choose different countries to avoid detection and because humans from different places taste different—people from Greece, for instance, taste greasy, while those from Panama taste like hats. The BFG will not let Sophie leave, but he reveals what his suitcase and trumpet are for: he catches dreams in Dream Country, stores them in jars, gives good dreams to children, and destroys nightmares. Because he does not eat people, he survives on snozzcumbers—a revolting vegetable that tastes, according to Sophie, like frogskins and rotten fish, and according to the BFG, like snot and cockroaches.
When the giant Bloodbottler enters the cave uninvited, Sophie hides inside a snozzcumber. The BFG tricks Bloodbottler into eating it, hoping its awful taste will drive him away. Bloodbottler takes a bite, unknowingly putting Sophie in his mouth, but his bite misses her narrowly. He spits her out unnoticed and leaves in disgust. The BFG and Sophie then drink frobscottle, a fizzy drink whose bubbles sink downward, causing loud flatulence the BFG calls “whizzpopping.”
The BFG takes Sophie to Dream Country, but on the way the other giants, led by the largest and strongest, Fleshlumpeater, bully him by tossing him around. Sophie watches the BFG catch two dreams—one good, one a nightmare. Angry at the giants’ mistreatment, the BFG releases the nightmare on the sleeping Fleshlumpeate
- author
- Roald Dahl
- published
- 1982
- field
- Children's literature
- nationality
- British
- known_for
- Friendly giant who blows dreams into children's bedrooms
Lore & Background
The BFG is a 24-foot-tall giant with superhuman hearing and immense speed. He lives in Giant Country, where he catches dreams in Dream Country, stores them in jars, and gives good dreams to children worldwide while destroying bad ones. Unlike his nine neighbors—man-eating giants about 48 feet tall (described as 'twice as tall' as the BFG)—the BFG does not eat humans; he subsists on the repulsive snozzcumber, which tastes like frogskins and rotten fish to Sophie and like snot and cockroaches to the BFG. Sophie, a sharp-eyed and kind-hearted orphan, is taken by the BFG to prevent her from revealing his existence. Together, they devise a plan to stop the other giants, involving the Queen of England, who is convinced after the BFG gives her a nightmare that parallels actual events. The Queen authorizes a task force to capture the giants, and they are imprisoned in a deep pit, fed only snozzcumbers. The BFG becomes the author of a book recounting his and Sophie's adventures, though its title is not explicitly given as 'The BFG' in the novel.
Reader's Guide
The BFG has had significant cultural impact since its publication. As of 2009, the novel has sold 37 million copies, with more than one million copies sold around the world yearly. In 2003, it was listed at number 56 in The Big Read, a BBC survey of the British public. In 2012, the novel was ranked number 88 among all-time best children's novels in a survey published by School Library Journal, a US monthly. That same year, the BFG and Sophie appeared on Royal Mail commemorative postage stamps. The story has been adapted into multiple media: an animated adaptation in 1989 with David Jason as the BFG and Amanda Root as Sophie, a theatre performance, and a theatrical Disney live-action adaptation directed by Steven Spielberg in 2016. The book's themes of friendship, bravery, and the power of dreams have resonated with audiences worldwide, and its unique language—including terms like 'snozzcumber' and 'whizzpopping'—has become iconic.
Did You Know?
- The BFG is an expansion of a short story from Roald Dahl's 1975 novel Danny, the Champion of the World.
- The book is dedicated to Dahl's oldest daughter, Olivia, who died of measles encephalitis at age seven in 1962.
- As of 2009, the novel has sold 37 million copies, with more than one million copies sold yearly.
- In 2012, the BFG and Sophie appeared on Royal Mail commemorative postage stamps.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is The BFG?
The BFG, short for the Big Friendly Giant, is the kind-hearted protagonist of Roald Dahl's 1982 children's novel. Unlike the other giants in the story, he refuses to eat children and instead uses his trumpet to deliver pleasant dreams to their bedrooms.
What can The BFG do?
His signature ability is brewing and blowing dreams into sleeping children's windows using a long trumpet. He stores his dream supply in a cave and carefully filters out the nightmares before delivering them.
How does The BFG end?
Sophie and the BFG devise a plan to stop the other giants from kidnapping children, enlisting the help of the Queen and King of England. The remaining giants are captured, and Sophie is taken in by the royal family.
Why is The BFG significant?
Dahl dedicated the book to his eldest daughter Olivia, who passed away from measles encephalitis at age seven in 1962. The novel remains a cornerstone of British children's literature for its gentle humor and its reimagining of giants as lovable rather than purely menacing.
Where did The BFG come from?
The character originated as a short story included in Dahl's 1975 collection Danny, the Champion of the World. Dahl later expanded it into the full-length 1982 novel that became one of his most widely read works.
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