Sir Didymus
| Sir Didymus | |
|---|---|
First appearance | Labyrinth (1986) |
| Created by | Jim Henson Brian Froud |
| Designed by | Brian Froud |
| Portrayed by | Dave Goelz David Barclay |
| Voiced by | David Shaughnessy |
| In-universe information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Knight |
| Affiliation | King Jareth |
| Nationality | Goblin Kingdom |
Sir Didymus is a fictional character in the 1986 fantasy film Labyrinth. An anthropomorphic Fox Terrier knight, he serves as a guardian of the bridge over the Bog of Eternal Stench and becomes an ally to the protagonist, Sarah Williams. Sir Didymus was designed by Brian Froud and portrayed as a puppet, performed primarily by Dave Goelz and voiced by David Shaughnessy.
The character received a positive reception from entertainment critics, who praised his comedically feisty yet chivalrous personality. Sir Didymus appears in the film's adaptations and also features in several original comic short stories published by Archaia.
Development
[edit]Labyrinth started as a collaboration between director Jim Henson and conceptual designer Brian Froud following their previous collaboration, The Dark Crystal.[1] Unlike The Dark Crystal, which had featured only puppets, Henson and Froud wanted Labyrinth to include interactions between puppet creatures and human characters, "almost like a throwback to the original Muppet Show",[1] with a greater focus on characters' personalities and relationships.[2][3] Serving as an obstacle for Sarah to overcome on her quest to reach King Jareth's castle,[4] the jovial, gallant yet feisty Sir Didymus fiercely guards the bridge over the Bog of Eternal Stench, accompanied by his 'steed' Ambrosius, an Old English Sheepdog.
Froud's conceptual paintings initially depicted Sir Didymus as an indeterminate creature with the tail plume of a squirrel, bushy white eyebrows and a long mustache, but as the puppet was developed by Jim Henson's Creature Shop it took on traits of a fox, including auburn fur and a pointed nose. After consultation with Froud, puppet designer Jane Gootnick refined the character to also resemble a Fox Terrier, giving him the ability to bare his teeth, snarl and yap. Froud has acknowledged Sir Didymus is a mixture of a dog and a squirrel,[5] and has also referred to him as a fox in other contexts.[6] Screenwriter Terry Jones claimed that his long-haired Jack Russell Terrier was the inspiration for Sir Didymus; he recalled that during an early meeting about the film Henson "couldn’t take his eyes off" Jones' dog.[7] Henson's daughter Cheryl, who worked as a puppet-maker and puppeteer on Labyrinth, suggested Didymus' personality was influenced by one of their family dogs, a feisty and territorial peekapoo.[5]
Froud based Didymus' costume design on the Landsknechts, medieval mercenaries that were famous for their very flamboyant attire and large feathered hats.[6][8] Didymus' colourful wardrobe was created by Polly Smith, and included a yellow feather-plumed velvet hat, a scarlet doublet with chevrons on the sleeves and epaulettes on the shoulders, gauntlet gloves and knee armour.[9] Froud said that the character's black eyepatch "gives him a bit of a rakish quality. It implies that he's had a bit of a past, that he's been in the wars, been up to various things. And he has, but he's probably in retirement now."[4] Didymus' walking stick accessory was inspired by that of the character Yoda in Star Wars; Froud recalled that a stick was puppeteer Frank Oz's solution for working out how to manipulate Yoda, and similarly, for Didymus, "A lot of his character comes from that very simple device. Didymus is very demonstrative with that stick: He's always bashing things or tapping things. Once Yoda had the walking stick, Frank got how he walks [...] That way you suddenly got character, and that's what happened with Didymus, too."[6][8]
Three different types of puppet were made for the character: a hand-puppet with a foam-latex head and cable-controlled face; a remote radio-controlled armature puppet that could sit on the dog playing Ambrosius; and a marionette for shots showing Didymus' whole body.[9] Rehearsals for the character took three weeks.[10] Didymus' main puppeteer was Dave Goelz, known for performing several Muppets including Gonzo.[7] He was assisted by Karen Prell, David Barclay and Michael Quinn.[9] As one of the more "Muppety" characters in Labyrinth, Henson did not want Didymus' voice to be recognisable as Goelz', so his voice was replaced by David Shaughnessy's post-filming.[7]
Didymus speaks in Elizabethan English.[11] Goelz described the character as "officious, but not all that cognizant of the big picture", with "the sense that the other characters could throw him a curve ball and he wouldn't quite know what to do."[9]
Reception
[edit]The character received a positive reception from film critics. "Sir Didymus is a terrier-like, duty-bound royal warrior, and with his English accent and his willingness to charge the enemy, any enemy, he is a winning creation," wrote David Connelly of the Shreveport Journal.[12] Describing the character's appearance as "like a cross between a Yorkshire terrier and a grenadier of the Napoleonic era", Sam Karnick in Chronicles found Didymus to be particularly interesting as he "is the ultimate warhawk but is played as a likable, enthusiastic British gentleman-soldier" and noted that "In contrast to many other filmmakers working today, Henson resists the temptation to play the character as a pathological danger to society."[13] Comparing his persona to Errol Flynn, the French periodical La Revue du cinéma considered Didymus to be one of the film's best achievements.[14]
Odie Henderson of Slant Magazine described Didymus' "absurd cockiness and comical voice" as Pythonesque, as well as his obliviousness to the smell of the Bog of Eternal Stench. He added, "Sir Didymus has aspirations of knighthood, but his violent streak leans more toward Braveheart than King Arthur."[15] Also noting the influence of Monty Python, authors Andrew DeGraff and A. D. Jameson identified Didymus as "a cross between the Black Knight, the Knights Who Say "Ni!" and the killer Rabbit of Caerbannog...mixed with a healthy dose of Fraggle (and Don Quixote)."[16] Jack Edwards of VultureHound called Sir Didymus "electrically eccentric".[17] As "a formidable foe in a tiny package" with enough bravery for someone "twenty times his size ... maybe more", Didymus sends the message of "[n]ot judging ferocity of heart by size/shape", wrote Sarah Godwin of The Mary Sue.[18]
Sir Didymus has been described as a fan favourite.[6] The Guardian ranked him among the five best creatures from 1980s fantasy cinema, writing, "Labyrinth has a cornucopia of magical creatures, but Sir Didymus elevates himself above the rest thanks to his courage, loyalty, and keen sense of style."[19] Calling Sir Didymus and Ambrosius "the most chivalrous fox and most unreliable hound", William Lobley of Empire praised them as an "iconic duo" and "easily two of the most memorable characters" in Labyrinth.[20] Shawn S. Lealos and Glenna Blair of Screen Rant similarly praised them as the film's best comedy duo, attributing this to their "great back-and-forth relationship" and the fact that Ambrosius is a real dog while Sir Didymus is a puppet. They noted that Didymus' frustration at Ambrosius' cowardly behaviour leads to "funny moments" and is an example of the themes of pride and embarrassment in Labyrinth, which are "usually as the subject of humor that thinly veils genuine insecurity".[21]
Other appearances
[edit]Sir Didymus appears in Labyrinth's tie-in adaptations, which include the novelisation by A. C. H. Smith[22] and the three-issue comic book adaptation published by Marvel Comics,[23] which was first released in a single volume as Marvel Super Special #40 in 1986.[24] He also appears in the film's picture book adaptation[25] and photo album.[26]
Archaia released a Labyrinth comic short story titled Sir Didymus' Grand Day for Free Comic Book Day on May 4, 2013. Sir Didymus also features in The Right Steed for the Right Deed, a story about how he met Ambrosius, published in the Archaia collection Labyrinth: 2017 Special.[27] The collection Labyrinth: Under the Spell includes The Eternal Tournament, a story about how Sir Didymus came to guard the Bog of Eternal Stench as the prize for winning a tournament for the Goblin King's favor.[28]
Sir Didymus has minor appearances in the four-volume manga sequel Return to Labyrinth (published 2006–2010) and the 12-issue comic series Labyrinth: Coronation (published 2018–2019).
References
[edit]- 1 2 Jones, Alan (July 1986). Clarke, Frederick S. (ed.). "Labyrinth". Cinefantastique. Vol. 16, no. 3. pp. 7, 57.
- ↑ Pirani, Adam (August 1986). "Part Two: Into the Labyrinth with Jim Henson". Starlog. 10 (109): 44–48. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
- ↑ Magid, Ron (August 1986). "Goblin World Created for Labyrinth". American Cinematographer. Vol. 67, no. 8. pp. 71–74, 76–81. ProQuest 196314081.
- 1 2 Brian Froud (2007). "Audio Commentary by Conceptual Designer Brian Froud". Labyrinth (Anniversary Edition) (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
- 1 2 Block & Erdmann (2016), p. 83
- 1 2 3 4 5 Alter, Ethan (30 June 2021). "'Labyrinth' at 35: How Yoda paved the way for a classic character in Jim Henson's 1986 fantasy favorite". Yahoo! Entertainment. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
- 1 2 3 Williams, Owen (February 2012). "Dance Magic Dance: 25 Years Of Labyrinth". Empire. No. 272. pp. 100–103. Archived from the original on 18 May 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
- 1 2 3 Alter, Ethan (10 September 2021). "Meet the puppets of 'Labyrinth' in 3D and the creators behind them". Yahoo! Entertainment. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 Block & Erdmann (2016), pp. 85–87
- ↑ Lee, Ann (16 June 2026). "'David Bowie was a crazy workaholic': Labyrinth at 40 – an oral history". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 25 June 2026. Retrieved 7 July 2026.
- ↑ Finch (1993), p. 187
- ↑ Connelly, David (30 June 1986). "'Labyrinth' fantasy is unimaginative". Shreveport Journal. p. 11 3B.
- ↑ Karnick, Sam (January 1987). "Return of the Fairy Tale". Chronicles. Archived from the original on 17 March 2025. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
- ↑ La Revue du cinema (in French). Ligue française de l'enseignement et de l'éducation permanente. 1987. p. 86.
- ↑ Henderson, Odie (29 June 2011). "Summer of '86: Jim Henson's Labyrinth". Slant. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
- ↑ DeGraff & Jameson (2017), pp. 89–91
- ↑ Edwards, Jack (21 January 2016). "Dance Magic Dance – Labyrinth, A Retrospective". VultureHound. Archived from the original on 8 December 2019. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
- ↑ Godwin, Sara (27 August 2014). "7 Important Life Lessons Learned from Labyrinth". The Mary Sue. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
- ↑ Ghai, Tara (24 July 2013). "Clip joint: five of the best creatures in 80s fantasy cinema". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
- ↑ Lobley, William (12 May 2025). "The Best Labyrinth Merchandise: Embrace A Cult Classic". Empire. Retrieved 5 February 2026.
- ↑ Lealos, Shawn S.; Blair, Glenna (26 March 2024). "Labyrinth: 10 Most Quotable Lines From The Classic Film". Screen Rant. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
- ↑ Smith (1986)
- ↑ Labyrinth (Marvel, 1986 Series) at the Grand Comics Database
- ↑ Marvel Super Special #40 at the Grand Comics Database
- ↑ Gikow & McNally (1986)
- ↑ Grand & Brown (1986)
- ↑ "Jim Henson's Labyrinth 2017 Special #1". Comic Book Resources. 26 November 2017. Archived from the original on May 9, 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
- ↑ Prange, Melissa (3 December 2018). "Jim Henson's Labyrinth: Under the Spell #1 Review". Rogues Portal. Archived from the original on December 7, 2018. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
- Bibliography
- Websites and news articles are listed in the References section only.
- Bende, S. T. (2022). Jim Henson's Labyrinth: Bestiary: A Definitive Guide to the Creatures of the Goblin King's Realm. Illustrated by Iris Compiet. Foreword by Toby Froud. New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-64722-474-5.
- Block, Paula M.; Erdmann, Terry J. (2016). Labyrinth: The Ultimate Visual History. London, United Kingdom: Titan Books Ltd. ISBN 978-1-78565-435-0.
- DeGraff, Andrew; Jameson, A. D. (2017). "Labyrinth". Cinemaps: An Atlas of 35 Great Movies. Quirk Books. pp. 89–91. ISBN 978-1-59474-990-2.
- Finch, Christopher (1993). Jim Henson: The Works: The Art, the Magic, the Imagination. Random House Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-679-41203-8.
- Gikow, Louise; McNally, Bruce (1986). Labyrinth: The Storybook Based on the Movie. New York: Henry Holt & Co. ISBN 978-0-03-007324-3.
- Grand, Rebecca; Brown, John (1986). Labyrinth: The Photo Album. New York: Henry Holt & Co. ISBN 978-0-03-007323-6.
- Smith, A.C.H. (1986). Labyrinth: A Novel Based on the Jim Henson Film. New York: Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 978-0-03-007322-9.
- Holste, Tom (2012). "Finding Your Way Through Labyrinth". In Carlen, Jennifer C.; Graham, Anissa M. (eds.). The Wider Worlds of Jim Henson: Essays on His Work and Legacy Beyond The Muppet Show and Sesame Street. Jefferson, NC, United States: McFarland & Co Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-6986-4.
