As a kid, Ben is described as having short brown hair that spikes when it's wet (like when building the Dam) and is obese for his age. Despite being considered unappealing when smiling at one point, Ben's face has the "ghost of the handsome man he would become". is much more accurate to the book, though Ben is still not nearly as large as he's described in the book. Ben is actually shorter than most of the boys (especially compared to Stan and Mike) and even Beverly though he is still taller 