Caractacus Potts

Caractacus Potts, also known as Mr. Potts, is a down-on-his-luck inventor living in the English countryside in the 1910s.

He is the one who rebuilds Chitty Chitty Bang Bang to the delight of his children after buying it for thirty shillings to prevent the car from becoming scrap metal. Once revealed, Caractacus takes his children and his eventual girlfriend and love interest, candy heiress Truly Scrumptious in the car to the seaside for a picnic. There, Caractacus tells a story about the wicked Baron Bomburst wanting to get his hands on the car while Caractacus tries to make sure that won't happen.

Role in the film
In the film, Caractacus is played by Dick Van Dyke.

Appearance
Caractacus is a man in his 30's, has blue eyes, and dark brown hair.

He usually wears outfits with grey or brown tones.

When he is first seen by the children and Truly, he wears a rocket-powered suit.

During the funfair scene, while trying to evade an angry customer, Potts dresses up in an earth-toned Morris Dancer costume.

Later, while the Potts' and Truly are at the beach, Caractacus wears a black-and-white striped swimsuit that was commonly worn in the 1910s.

In the story that Potts is telling Truly and his children, while hiding in the Vulgarian toymaker's shop, Caractacus disguises himself as a red and green striped jack-in-the-box with a matching hat and clown nose.

During the climax, at the Baron's birthday party, Potts disguises himself as another toy, a colorful rag doll with a red, orange, and yellow German-style outfit complete with a yellow yarn wig and makeup.

Personality
Caractacus is an eccentric but kind and well-meaning man. He is a loving father and son. He would do anything to please his children and prove to his father that his inventions are not hopeless. He is very ahead of his time as shown by inventing a prototype television and vacuum cleaner.

He is very serious when he is inventing. He is knowledgeable about cars since he restarts Truly's car and rebuilds a rundown and burned racing car into a gleaming automobile he and his children christen 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' because of the sound it makes.

He is shown to be ignorant and annoyed when he first met Truly. After the Potts' beach outing with Truly when they say goodbye to her, he acts ignorant again. However, after Caractacus meets with Truly's father Lord Scrumptious at the Potts' house, he becomes romantic towards her and wins her affections. He almost always has a smile on his face. Despite his inventions backfiring, Caractacus is very good at persevering. Caractacus is very cunning as he's adept at disguising himself which is apparent when he dresses as a Morris Dancer.

In Potts' story, he's just as clever when he's disguised as a jack-in-the-box and a rag doll. In the story, Caractacus also concocts the scheme to get into the Baron's castle and lead the attack on the Vulgarian government after his father, car, and children are taken away. In the story, he's shown to have great combat skills when he fights a group of soldiers after he rescues his children, sword fighting with them and even pushing one of them off the stairs. Also in the story, he loves other children such as comforting a frightened Vulgarian child named Peter and wanting to liberate them from Vulgaria's rule of having no children allowed. Evidently, Caractacus is good at singing and dancing.

Family
Caractacus is a widower evident by the wedding ring he wears, whereas, in the 1964 novel he's married to a woman named Mimsie. He has young twin children, a boy named Jeremy and a girl named Jemima. His aged father lives with them as well. The Potts' family owns a sheepdog, Edison, named after the inventor Thomas Edison. At the end of the film, it is implied that will marry the beautiful candy heiress Truly Scrumptious.

Family
Potts loves his family, especially his children Jeremy and Jemima, very much. When he is not working on his inventions, he spends his free time playing with them. He sings them lullabies and constantly showers them with kisses. He works hard to keep them happy despite them being poor. He's clearly touched when they present him with their box of "treasures". Potts buys a car from the local junkyard that was to be sold for scrap metal. Since he knew his children loved the car so much, he didn't want to disappoint them. Eventually, he earns the money by joining a dancing act at a funfair by accident while being pursued by an angry customer. He rebuilds the car and names it Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, overjoying the children. He then decides to take them to the seaside for a picnic.

After running into Truly and inviting her to come along with them, they arrive at the beach. Potts plays with his children while Truly watches. After some time, Truly says that he has two wonderful children to which Potts agrees. In the story that Potts is telling Truly and the children, Truly tells him that his more than just a father to the children. Potts says that he's their nursemaid, private tutor, chief cook and bottle-washer. Except what they really need-a mother.

In the story, while the Potts family and Truly go out for another outing, Caractacus notices his father being kidnapped by the evil ruler Baron Bomburst. Angered at the Baron, Caractacus pursues his zeppelin and drives Chitty of a cliff. Before the group can fall to their deaths, Chitty sprouts wings and a propeller and fly up to the clouds to rescue Grandpa Potts but lose the airship.

The family follows the airship to the country of Vulgaria where the Baron resides. Landing in the nearby village after almost being attacked by the Baron's soldiers, Potts decides to go up to the castle and take on the Baron single-handedly and get his father out. After being hidden by the village toymaker to hide from the soldiers and the creepy Child Catcher, Caractacus decides to go to the castle but the Toymaker tells him not to but helps Potts try to find a way in. Before doing so, he tells his children to be good and listen to Truly.

Unknown to Potts and the Toymaker, Truly left the toyshop to get food and the children got caught by the Child Catcher who was disguised as a candy salesman. Truly, hysterical, tells Potts upon returning to the village that the children have been taken away. Potts, distraught, looks down the alley to see his children disappear down it trapped in the Child Catcher's cage. In a hidden grotto, Potts learns the whereabouts of his family-his children are in the castle tower and his father is in the dungeon. Potts then has a plan of getting into the castle.

The next day at the castle, a birthday party is held in honor of the Baron. The Baroness lifts her husband's spirits by summoning the Toymaker who brings with him two large, colorful boxes with birthday gifts for the Baron. The Baron's new presents are two life-sized dolls-a female singing music box doll and a male dancing rag doll, Truly and Potts, respectively. After Potts has successfully carried out his plan, he, Truly, and the Toymaker search for the children. After batting down the door with a cannon, Potts and his offspring happily embrace each other. Eventually Potts and co. see that Grandpa Potts had escaped the dungeon and the family joyfully reunites. The Potts children finish their father's story by saying that "Daddy and Truly were married and lived happily after."

The Toymaker
In Potts' story, Potts meets the Toymaker soon after Potts, Truly, and the children arrive in the Vulgarian market square. After being abruptly shoved into the Toymaker's shop to help hide the Potts children, hidden in the cellar, disguised as life-size jack-in-the-boxes to evade the Baron's soldiers and the evil Child Catcher, and witnessing Chitty being taken to the Baron's castle, the Toymaker is properly introduced to them.

Potts and the Toymaker argue about Potts wanting to go to castle and rescue his father and car. The Toymaker says to Potts that he, Truly, and the children should get out while they still can. Potts asks what kind of country Vulgaria is and asks for directions to the castle to which the Toymaker responds that he has to finish making a new toy for the Baron's birthday tomorrow or he'll be a dead toymaker. Potts stubbornly decides that he'll go himself and the Toymaker gives in, becoming a helpful ally. Before leaving the toyshop, he generously gives Jeremy and Jemima toy nutcrackers. While spying on the soldiers entering the castle with Chitty in tow, the Toymaker remarks to Potts to get into the castle he'd have to be a mouse or magician. The two leave and head back to the village.

Once they arrive, they witness Truly running after the Child Catcher's cage down an alley. Horrified, she says the wicked man kidnapped the children. The Toymaker and Potts look down the alley just as horrified. That evening, the Toymaker takes Truly and Potts under the castle to a hidden grotto where the forbidden villager children reside. The Toymaker explains during the several years the Bombursts have been in power the children all lived there never knowing what it's like to be free and to feed themselves they had to steal food from the castle kitchen. Potts and Truly are shocked and saddened by this. After asking a boy about the whereabouts of his family, Potts is asked by another child named Peter if he was going to help to get them out of the cave for good. Potts and Truly try to comfort him by singing a lullaby but the Toymaker scoffs at Potts by saying is that the best he could do and Truly agrees. Potts then tells the Toymaker that he has a plan even though the Toymaker is incredulous and rallies the children, Truly, and the Toymaker to announce that he has a plan to give the Baron tomorrow a birthday party he'll never forget.

The Baroness summons the Toymaker to bring in presents to cheer up her bored husband. The Toymaker has made two life-sized dolls: a beautiful, young woman singing atop a music box and a silly, dancing male rag doll, Truly and Potts in disguise. After Potts and Truly sing a duet, the Baron becomes suspicious and examines his "gifts." The Baron notices Potts giving lip movements to the Toymaker. Before their cover can be blown, Potts distracts the Baron by dancing and getting Bomburst to dance with him. This lets the Vulgarian children to prepare an attack on the Vulgarian government and party guests. Once Potts hooks the Baron and gives the children the signal, the revolt starts. In the chaos, the Toymaker leads Truly and Potts to the tower where Potts' children are imprisoned. Eventually, the trio find the children. Potts and the Toymaker break the door down with a cannon leading to a happy reunion. The Toymaker and Potts fight the Baron's soldiers and witness Grandpa escaping from the dungeons and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang bursting into the castle. The family and the car are reunited. Truly and Potts are hailed as heroes by the newly liberated townspeople. While the car is taking off, Potts says good-bye to the Toymaker who waves to the family and Truly with Peter by his side. Back in reality, Potts then ends his story.

Vulgarian Children
Caractacus felt sorry for the hidden Vulgarian children. He was disgusted and appalled by their living conditions. Potts asks a boy who had just come back from taking food from the castle kitchen on the whereabouts of his father and children. The boy tells Potts that his children are being held captive in the castle tower and his father is in the dungeon. Another boy asks Potts if he came to help him and the other children. Potts asks him his name. The boy, Peter, is told by Potts that he and the other children shouldn't be afraid because there's always hope. Potts then tries to comfort Peter by singing a lullaby that he sings to his own children but chokes up prompting Truly to join in and finish it with him. The Toymaker asks the couple if that's the best advice they can give to which Truly agrees that it's a beautiful dream and doesn't think it will do any good. Potts then announces that he has a plan to get into the castle. He rallies Truly, the Toymaker, and the children to help him give the Baron a birthday party he'll never forget.

Baron and Baroness Bomburst
In the story he's telling at the picnic outing, Caractacus hated the Bombursts. After his father, car, and children get taken from him, Potts decides to get revenge on the wicked Baron and his Vulgarian government. Luckily, since the Baron is obsessed with toys, Potts manages to gain entry into the Baron's party at the castle disguised as a dancing rag doll created by the Toymaker as a birthday gift and hooks the Baron on a rope while he's being distracted by dancing with his new "toy". After Caractacus gives a signal for the Vulgarian children to revolt, Caractacus runs away from the chaos, leaving the Baron suspended in the air, begging Potts to let him down shouting, "Let me down!"