Thread by @jdflynn

October is Down Syndrome Month. Here's a bit of trivia.

Did you know there is a whole cadre of Disney-philes and movie historians who think Dopey, of Snow White fame, has Down syndrome.

Their argument is compelling. I'll outline it below:

Dopey is:
-The youngest in a long series (apparent) of siblings. Children with Ds are often born to older mothers.

-Extremely flexible. People with Ds have loose ligaments and joints, giving them terrific flexibility.

-Non-verbal. In 1937, many people with Ds were non-verbal.

-Dopey often has his tongue out. Especially when he is concentrating.

-Dopey loves music and to dance. This is an incredibly common characteristic among people with Ds.

-Alarmed or frightened by loud noises. Many people with Ds have sensory processing challenges.

Dopey is beloved by his sibling dwarfs, and moves even the grumpiest to happiness. Families with family member w/ Ds report increased levels of family happiness and cohesion.

Dopey is welcoming, kind, and trusting to Snow White. People with Ds are often great at making friends!

Now, you might say, if he is designed to have Ds, or some other disability, his name is offensive. To you I say, lighten up. Consider the era, consider how positive and beloved a character he is, and consider that families w/ a Ds family member are usually not thin-skinned.

Is it *true* that he was designed that way. I dunno. I just know this is what, you know, online-type Disney people speculate.

But I think it's kind of nice, and I like to think it's true.

Someone also just DMed me to say that Dopey's fingers are very close in length, which is a common feature of people with DS. I've never looked at Dopey's fingers, but it could be true!