What happened to the 'Willy Wonka' kids?

By Kate Torgovnick, The Frisky

Thecast of "Willy Wonka" -- Michael Bollner, Denise Nickerson, Paris Themmen, Julie Dawn Cole and Peter Ostrum -- all grown up.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

The original "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" was released in 1971
Celebuzz tracked down many of the original cast members to see how things turned out
The "Golden Ticket" bearers of the original movie ended up in a range of professions

RELATED TOPICS

(The Frisky) -- Oompah-Loompa, Doompity Doo. I've got an exciting update for you!

If you weren't obsessed with "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" -- the 1971 version, not the Tim Burton remake -- when you were a kid, then you probably weren't born yet or maybe you lived in a remote cave.

Weird kids, candy galore, a magical factory with little singing orange men? What's not to like? I drove my parents crazy, watching the VHS tape no less than four times a week, learning all of the songs. I still do a great rendition of Veruca Salt's "I Want the World" British accent and all. I begged my parents for lick-able wallpaper (anyone know what a "snosberry" is?), and tried to chew as much gum as Violet Beauregarde -- I hid Hubba Bubba under my bed so I could pop a piece in before bed.

I'm not ashamed to admit that I still watch the movie about once a year just to stay young at heart. I'm waiting for the film to lose its appeal, but so far, it hasn't. I mean ... there's a chocolate freaking river!

That's why I was so psyched to see that Celebuzz tracked down the kids from the film. Aren't you just dying to know where their Golden Tickets led them?

• We were thrilled when sweet and genuine little Charlie Bucket won a lifetime supply of chocolate in the film. Nowadays, Peter Ostrum fills up buckets of cow patties and other fun stuff as a large animal veterinarian in Glenfield, New York. Hey, he kind of resembles the Candy Man with that killer 'stache.

• Violet Beauregarde was a precocious gum chewer who eventually turned into a blueberry. After getting one more gig on the soap opera "Dark Shadows," actress Denise Nickerson turned into an accountant at an engineering plant with a bad haircut.

• Augustus Gloop drowned in a chocolate river. If I had to go, that's how I'd want it. Now Michael Bollner is drowning in a sea of success as a tax attorney in Munich. Go Gloop!

11 super-undercover celebrity weddings

• Veruca Salt was a spoiled brat who wanted it all ... NOW! It was even rumored that she wanted little Peter Ostrum behind the scenes. So what did Julie Dawn Cole end up with? A successful career in theater, television, and fitness. Oh ... and two kids. Not too shabby.

The Frisky: Feeling down? Perhaps you just have the "Avatar" blues

• It was impossible to pull Mike Teevee away from the tube. Since then Paris Themmen has played a whole lotta roles. He was a commercial casting agent, a film production member, a Disney Imagineering employee, a retail salesman, a real estate agent, and a finance guy. He even started his own website, where he sells autographs. Maybe TV does rot your brain.