The Artful Dodger

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For the bands with related names, please see Artful Dodger (US band) and/or The Artful Dodger (UK band).

The Artful Dodger is a character in the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist. The Dodger (whose real name is Jack Dawkins) is so called because of his success in avoiding arrest, being a skillful pickpocket. As a result he has become the leader of the gang of child criminals, trained by the elderly Fagin.

The nickname, "Artful Dodger", is still commonly used to refer to someone who is good at avoiding responsibility or the consequences of his/her actions. "Artful Dodger" is also Cockney rhyming slang for "lodger".

The role of the Artful Dodger was amplified in the musical Oliver!, and launched the careers of Davy Jones and Jack Wild, among others. Most recently he was played by Harry Eden in Roman Polanski's big-budget version of the story. Anthony Newley played the Dodger in the 1948 film. Another to have played the role (in an amateur production) was Ben Elton.

In Walt Disney's version of Oliver Twist, Oliver and Company, the character of the Artful Dodger was changed to a streetwise anthropomorphic mutt named simply Dodger. The voice was provided by famed musician Billy Joel.