Miss Trunchbull facts for kids

Agatha Trunchbull, often called Miss Trunchbull, is a fictional character. She is the very mean headmistress of Crunchem Hall Primary School. Miss Trunchbull is the main villain in Roald Dahl’s 1988 book Matilda. She also appears in the 1996 film Matilda and the 2011 musical Matilda. People say she looks more like a hunter than a school principal.

Who is Miss Trunchbull?

Miss Trunchbull is shown as a very scary and powerful person. She frightens both students and teachers. She is known for her very harsh and unusual ways of punishing children. Even small things, like wearing pigtails, could lead to severe punishments. Miss Trunchbull hates children so much that she claims she was never a child herself.

Miss Trunchbull's Family Secrets

It is revealed that Miss Trunchbull is the aunt (or step-aunt in the film) of Miss Jennifer Honey. Miss Honey is Matilda's kind teacher. Miss Trunchbull became Jennifer's guardian after Jennifer's parents died. Agatha took over Jennifer's house and money after her father passed away. Jennifer became quiet and shy because of how Agatha treated her. Jennifer said she became Agatha's helper, doing all the chores. Even after Jennifer finished school and became a teacher, Agatha took all her salary.

Matilda's Plan Against Trunchbull

Matilda loves her teacher, Miss Honey, very much. So, Matilda uses her special powers to help Miss Honey. One day, Matilda uses her telekinesis (moving things with her mind) to scare Miss Trunchbull. She pretends to be Miss Honey's father's spirit. Matilda makes a chalk stick float and write a message on the blackboard.

Miss Trunchbull gets very scared and runs away. She never comes back to the school or her house. After this, Miss Honey gets her house back. She also becomes the new headmistress of Crunchem Hall Primary School.

Trunchbull's Weakness

It is known that Miss Trunchbull is very superstitious. She is extremely afraid of ghosts, black cats, and anything supernatural. Matilda uses this fear as a weakness to scare her. This teaches Miss Trunchbull a big lesson.

Trunchbull's Past and Punishments

Miss Trunchbull used to be a strong athlete. She competed in the Munich Olympics in shot put, hammer throw, and javelin throw. She often uses her strength to throw children as punishment. She also uses a crop (a type of whip) to scare them. These punishments often lead to accidents or injuries.

She is cruel to all children. In one famous scene, she forces a boy named Bruce Bogtrotter to eat a huge chocolate cake. She blamed him for eating her own cake. Then she made the children rewrite the dictionary by hand.

How the Character Was Created

The author, Roald Dahl, got an idea for Miss Trunchbull from his own childhood. When he was a boy, he and his friends played a trick on a mean sweet-shop owner named Mrs. Pratchett. They put a dead mouse in a jar of candy. This event inspired a scene in Matilda. In the book, Matilda's friend Lavender puts a newt (a small lizard-like animal) into Miss Trunchbull's water jug.

Who Played Miss Trunchbull?

Miss Trunchbull has been played by different actors. In the film, she was played by Pam Ferris. In the musical, Bertie Carvel first played the role. Later, Christopher Sieber took over the part.

The actress Miriam Margolyes also said she tried out for the role. This was before Pam Ferris was chosen for the film. She shared this during an interview for a TV show about Roald Dahl.