There is nothing quite like your first read through Roald Dahl’s fantasy tale, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Dahl created a world that children daydream about experiencing, as well as including many important life lessons learned by the cast of characters along the way; many of which are applicable in real life situations as well. However, despite all of these lessons, did you ever once consider just how much it would cost Mr. Wonka to maintain such a magical operation? Have you ever wondered how much an Oompa Loompa’s salary would be? Or how much maintenance a chocolate river must require? The infographic below, What Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory Would Cost Today, provides an in-depth analysis of just how much all of the magic truly costs.
Let’s start with the basics. In order to maintain candy production, you’ve got to keep the lights on. The Chocolate Factory’s estimated electricity bill, per year, is about $2 million dollars a year. If Mr. Wonka elected for a more green approach, he could install ~3200 solar panels at a cost of $2.38 billion dollars for a more environmentally sound source of electricity.
Moving onto the first main attraction, the decadent chocolate river. Now, obviously it’s not going to be cheap to continuously pump 150,000 gallons of chocolate around the factory, but just how much would it cost? Maintaining proper flow of the river would cost about $33 million dollars a year. However, if Mr. Wonka decided he was going to only pump organic chocolate through the river to meet new demands, he’d have to spend about $14 million more per year.
Now, what about the people making sure the magic never stops? The Chocolate Factory’s workforce, the Oompa Loompas, while being the most proficient, are not the cheapest labor. Their salaries, in addition to healthcare costs for any mishaps throughout the factory, comes out to $81 million dollars a year. If Mr. Wonka could find a cheaper group of employees as skilled as the Oompa Loompas though, I’m sure he would’ve already. The truth is, it doesn’t get any better than them.
Every inch of the factory seems to include a luxury that tugs away at Mr. Wonka’s pockets. The edible wallpaper lining the rooms, the golden goose eggs, and even the Invention Room are all costs to consider. However, the most luxurious of Mr. Wonka’s assets has to be the flying elevator. Though it was a one-time purchase, its estimated cost of $109 million dollars has to sting a bit. But you get what you pay for when combining an elevator with a Lockheed Martin rocket.
Mr. Wonka’s yearly estimated yearly cost to maintain the magic at The Chocolate Factory then comes out to about $115 million dollars. Which is a small price to pay when you supply the world with the best candy around.
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