Rumplestiltskin

"All magic comes with a price!"

- Rumplestiltskin's iconic phrase

Rumplestiltskin, also known as the Dark One and Crocodile, is a character on ABC's Once Upon a Time. He debuts in the first episode of the first season. He is portrayed by starring cast member Robert Carlyle and guest star Wyatt Oleff, and is the Enchanted Forest counterpart of Mr. Gold.

Rumplestiltskin is based on a character of the same name from the fairytale, "Rumpelstiltskin". He also takes the place of the Beast from the fairytale, "Beauty and the Beast" and the crocodile from Peter and Wendy.

Magical Abilities

 * Belief (i.e. summoning a piece of cake)
 * Blood Magic (i.e. hiding a secret wardrobe back in his castle that only he and Baelfire could open)
 * Fairy Magic (i.e. gathering Fairy Dust in a wand in the Storybrooke Mines)
 * Foresight (i.e. describing Emma Swan's role as the Saviour in the Dark Curse's upcoming years)
 * Potioncraft (i.e. making a potion that would turn Donna and Stephen into puppets)
 * Shapeshifting (i.e. turning the Evil Queen into a peasant)
 * Witchcraft (i.e. casting fire balls, healing spells, teleportation, heart-ripping, etc.)
 * Super strength (i.e. he is very strong, being able to snap a man's neck very easily, and smacking swords away from his face when people point them at him)

Trivia
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Character Notes

 * Rumplestiltskin treats names as important, and describes them as his "stock and trade". In many cultures and some beliefs about magic, to know someone or something's "true name" gives you power over that person or thing.
 * His spoken phrase, "Tick-tock, dearie, tick-tock!", is a reference to the crocodile who swallowed a clock from J.M. Barrie's "Peter Pan".
 * Rumpelstiltskin once transformed a butcher into a pig.
 * Before he was imprisoned, Rumplestiltskin fought Cora and won. It is implied Cora came close to winning.
 * During his lifetime, Rumplestiltskin owned some sheep dogs.
 * He once made a deal with Don Juan.
 * There have been a few hints about Rumpelstiltskin's age on the show. According to Robert Carlyle, Rumplestiltskin is three-hundred years old by the time the Dark Curse is cast. However, the show itself has hinted that Rumplestiltskin is just a couple hundred years old: In "Going Home", his father says, "What are you now? A couple hundred?". In "Family Business", Hook (who knew Rumplestiltskin from before he became the Dark One) refers to himself as approximately two hundred years old.
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Production Notes

 * The role of Rumplestiltskin was written specifically for Robert Carlyle.
 * Rumplestiltskin's voice is inspired by Robert Carlyle's son. According to Robert, his son was wandering though the house making high-pitched voices and sounds. The actor thought this voice would fit Rumpelstiltskin, because there is a child-like quality to the character, and Rumplestiltskin enjoys gleefully tricking people.
 * According to Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis, every time we meet Rumplestiltskin in Fairy Tale Land, he is in a slightly different time period, and therefore Robert actually uses a slightly different voice every single time.
 * It takes approximately two hours to dress Robert Carlyle in Rumplestiltskin's costume, twenty minutes of which is spent on his boots. It takes about one hour to remove the costume.

Appearances
Note: "Archive" denotes archive footage.


 * Rumplestiltskin's name appears on the list Tamara has in "The Evil Queen".
 * Rumplestiltskin is mentioned on Lily's bulletin board in "Lily".