Land of Oz

For other uses, seeLand of Oz (disambiguation).

TheLand of Ozis afantasy worldintroduced in the 1900 children's novelThe Wonderful Wizard of Ozwritten byL. Frank Baumand illustrated byW. W. Denslow.

Oz
Oz bookslocation
1914 map of Oz and its neighboring countries. The regions beyond Oz's surrounding deserts were introduced after the first Oz book.
Flag of Oz
First appearance	The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Created by	L. Frank Baum
Genre	Children's fantasy
In-universe information
Other name(s)	Land of Oz
Type	Fairy country
Ruler	Princess Ozma
Ethnic group(s)	Munchkins,Winkies, Quadlings, Gillikins
Location	Nonestica
Locations	Emerald City(capital),Munchkin Country,Gillikin Country,Quadling Country,Winkie Country,Yellow brick road,Deadly Desert
Characters	Dorothy Gale,Toto,Wicked Witch of the East,Good Witch of the North,Wizard of Oz,Princess Ozma,Scarecrow,Tin Woodman,Cowardly Lion,Glinda the Good Witch,Wicked Witch of the West
Population	500,000
Anthem	"The Oz Spangled Banner"
Language	English
Currency	none

Oz consists of four vast quadrants, theGillikin Countryin the north,Quadling Countryin the south,Munchkin Countryin the east, andWinkie Countryin the west. Each province has its own ruler, but the realm itself has always been ruled by a single monarch. According toDorothy and the Wizard in Ozthe ruler has mostly either been named Oz or Ozma. According toThe Marvelous Land of Oz,the current monarch isPrincess Ozma.

Baum did not intend forThe Wonderful Wizard of Ozto have any sequels, but it achieved greater popularity than any of the other fairylands he created, including the land ofMerrylandin Baum's children's novelDot and Tot in Merryland,written a year later. Due to Oz's success, includinga 1902 musical adaptation,Baum decided to return to it in 1904, withThe Marvelous Land of Oz.For the next 15 years, he described and expanded upon the land inthe Oz Books,a series which introduced many fictional characters and creatures. Baum intended to end the series with the sixth Oz bookThe Emerald City of Oz(1910), in which Oz is forever sealed off and made invisible to the outside world, but this did not sit well with fans, and he quickly abandoned the idea, writing eight more successful Oz books, and even naming himself the "Royal Historian of Oz."

In all, Baum wrote fourteen best-selling novels about Oz and its enchanted inhabitants, as well as a spin-off series ofsix early readers.After his death in 1919, publisherReilly & Leecontinued to produce annual Oz books, passing on the role of Royal Historian to authorRuth Plumly Thompson,illustratorJohn R. Neill(who had previously collaborated with Baum on his Oz books), and several other writers. The forty books in Reilly & Lee's Oz series are called "the Famous Forty" by fans, and are considered the canonical Oz texts.

Baum characterized Oz as a real place, unlikeMGM's 1939 musical movie adaptation,which presents it as a dream of lead characterDorothy Gale.According to the Oz books, it is a hidden fairyland cut off from the rest of the world by theDeadly Desert.

Characteristics

Oz is, in the first bookThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz,distinguished from Dorothy's native Kansas by not being civilized; this explains why Kansas does not have witches and wizards, while Oz does.In the third book,Ozma of Oz,Oz is described as a "fairy country", new terminology that remained to explain its wonders.

Geography

The Land of Oz

The Land of Oz; this map's compass rose shows East pointing to the right (as is typical in real life), though East pointing to the left, or a mirror image of this map, is regarded as the correct orientation in many publications.For reasons why, seeWest and East.

Oz is roughly rectangular in shape, and divided along the diagonals into four countries:Munchkin Country(but commonly referred to as 'Munchkinland' in adaptations) in the East,Winkie Countryin the West,Gillikin Countryin the North, andQuadling Countryin the South. In the center of Oz, where the diagonals cross, is the fabledEmerald City,capital of the land of Oz and seat to the monarch of Oz,Princess Ozma.

The regions have a color scheme: blue for Munchkins, yellow for Winkies, red for Quadlings, green for the Emerald City, and (in works after the first) purple for the Gillikins, which region was also not named in the first book.This emphasis on color is in contrast with Kansas; Baum, describing it, used "gray" nine times in four paragraphs.InThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz,this is merely thefavorite colorof each quadrant, used for clothing and other man-made objects, and having some influence on their choice of crops, but the basic colors of the world are natural colors.The effect is less consistent in later works. InThe Marvelous Land of Oz,the book states that everything in the land of the Gillikins is purple, including the plants and mud, and a character can see that he is leaving when the grass turns from purple to green, but it also describes pumpkins as orange and corn as green in that land.Baum, indeed, never used the color scheme consistently; in many books, he alluded to the colors to orient the characters and readers to their location, and then did not refer to it again.His most common technique was to depict the man-made articles and flowers as the color of the country, leaving leaves, grass, and fruit their natural colors.

Most of these regions are settled with prosperous and contented people. However, this naturally is lacking in scope for plot. Numerous pockets throughout the Land of Oz are cut off from the main culture, for geographic or cultural reasons. Many have never heard of Ozma, making it impossible for them to acknowledge her as their rightful queen. These regions are concentrated around the edges of the country, and constitute the main settings for books that are set entirely within Oz.The Lost Princess of Oz,for instance, is set entirely in rough country in Winkie Country, between two settled areas.InGlinda of Oz,Ozma speaks of her duty to discover all these stray corners of Oz.

InThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz,ayellow brick roadleads from the lands of the Munchkins to the Emerald City. Other such roads featured in other works: one from Gillikin Country inThe Marvelous Land of Oz,and a second one from Munchkin Land inThe Patchwork Girl of Oz.

Oz is completely surrounded on all four sides by a desert which insulates the citizens of the Land of Oz from discovery and invasion. In the first two books, this is merely a natural desert, with only its extent making it dangerous to the traveler, but inThe Road to Oz,it is said to turn anyone who touches it to sand.Indeed, inThe Marvelous Land of Oz,Mombi tries to escape through it and Glinda chases her over the sands. Still, it is the dividing land between the magic of Oz and the outside world, and theWinged Monkeyscan not obey Dorothy's command to carry her home because it would take them outside the lands of Oz.InOzma of Oz,it has become a magical desert called theDeadly Desertwith life-destroying sands and noxious fumes, a feature that remained constant through the rest of the series, although no actual destruction is depicted in the Oz books, unlike in the filmReturn to Oz.The desert has nonetheless been breached numerous times, both by children from our world (mostly harmless), by the Wizard of Oz himself, and by more sinister characters, such as theNome King,who attempted to conquer Oz. After such an attempt inThe Emerald City of Oz,the book ends withGlindacreating a barrier of invisibility around the Land of Oz, for further protection.This was, indeed, an earnest effort on Baum's part to end the series, but the insistence of readers meant the continuation of the series, and therefore the discovery of many ways for people to pass through this barrier as well as over the sands.Despite this continual evasion, the barrier itself remained; nowhere in any Oz book did Baum hint that the inhabitants were even considering removing the magical barrier.

Gillikin Country

Main article:Gillikin Country

Gillikin Countryis the northern part of the Land of Oz. It is the home of the Gillikins.

Quadling Country

Quadling Countryis the southern part of the Land of Oz. It is the home of the Quadlings and ruled byGlinda.Michael Patrick Hearnsuggests the name Quadling means "a small inhabitant of the fourth country."

Munchkin Country

Main article:Munchkin Country

Munchkin Countryis the eastern part of the Land of Oz. It is the home of theMunchkins.

Winkie Country

Main article:Winkie Country

Winkie Countryis the western part of the Land of Oz. It is the home of the Winkies.

West and East

The first known map of Oz was a glass slide used in Baum'sFairylogue and Radio-Playtraveling show, showing the blue land of the Munchkins in the east and the yellow land of the Winkies in the west. These directions are confirmed by the text of all of Baum's Oz books, especially the first, in which theWicked Witch of the Eastrules over the Munchkins, and theWicked Witch of the Westrules over the Winkies.

Like traditional western maps, theFairylogue and Radio-Playmap showed the west on the left, and the east on the right. However, the first map of Oz to appear in an Oz book had those directions reversed, and thecompass roseadjusted accordingly.It is believed that this is a result of Baum copying the map from the wrong side of the glass slide, effectively getting a mirror image of his intended map. When he realized he was copying the slide backward, he reversed the compass rose to make the directions correct. However, an editor at Reilly and Lee reversed the compass rose, thinking he was fi xing an error, and resulting in further confusion.Most notably, this confused Ruth Plumly Thompson, who frequently reversed directions in her own Oz books as a result.

Another speculation stems from the original conception of Oz, which at first appeared to be situated in an American desert. If Baum thought of the country of the Munchkins as the nearest region to him, it would have been in the east while he lived in Chicago, but when he moved to California, it would have been in the west.

Modern maps of Oz are almost universally drawn with Winkie country on the right (west) and Munchkin Country on the left (east), with an inverted compass rose. Many Oz fans believe this is the correct orientation, perhaps as a result of Glinda's spell, which has the effect of confusing most standard compasses; perhaps resembling its similarity to the world Alice foundthrough the looking glassin which everything was a mirror image, or perhaps just reflecting the alien nature of Oz. InRobert A. Heinlein's 1980 bookThe Number of the Beast,he posits that Oz is on aretrogradeplanet, meaning that it spins in the opposite direction of Earth so that the sun seems to rise on one's left as one faces north.March Laumer'sThe Magic Mirror of Ozattributes the changes to a character named Till Orangespiegel attempting to turn the Land of Oz orange.

Location

A map of Oz and nearby countries, first published inTik-Tok of Ozin 1914.

Oz, like all of Baum's fantasy countries, was presented as existing as part of the real world, albeit protected from civilization by natural barriers.Indeed, in the first books, nothing indicated that it was not hidden in the deserts of the United States.It gradually acquired neighboring magical countries, often from works of Baum's that had been independent, asIxfromQueen Zixi of Ix,andMofromThe Magical Monarch of Mo.The first of these isEv,introduced inOzma of Oz.

InTik-Tok of Oz(1914), Baum included maps in the endpapers which definitively situated Oz on a continent with its neighboring countries.Oz is the largest country on the continent unofficially known by names proposed by Robert R. Pattrick: Nonestica, for the whole of the countries surrounding Oz; and "Ozeria," for the whole continent.The land also includes the countries of Ev, Ix, and Mo, which has also been known as Phunniland, among others. Nonestica is, according to the map, adjacent to theNonestic Ocean.

Continent of Imagination, as mapped byJohn Drury Clarkand John Burton Hatcher.

Later maps, such as that drawn byJohn Drury Clarkand John Burton Hatcher, or the map byJames E. HaffandDick Martin,show Oz on a small continent surrounded by an ocean full of islands, and they attempt to reconcile contradictions in the books, such as the east–west orientation of locations. A fair amount of evidence in the books points to this continent as being envisioned as somewhere in the southernPacific Ocean.At the opening ofOzma of Oz,Dorothy Galeis sailing toAustraliawith herUncle Henrywhen she is washed overboard (in a chicken coop, withBillinathe yellow hen), and lands on the shore of Ev—a rare instance in which an outsider reaches the Oz landmass through non-magical (orapparentlynon-magical) means. Palm trees grow outside the Royal Palace in the Emerald City, and horses are not native to Oz, both points of consistency with a South-Pacific location; illustrations and descriptions of round-shaped and domed Ozite houses suggest a non-Western architecture. Conversely, Oz has technological, architectural, and urban elements typical of Europe and North America around the turn of the twentieth century; but this may involve cultural input from unusual external sources (see History below).

An argument against the South Pacific is that the seasons in Oz are shown as the same seasons in the United States at the same time. In addition, inThe Wishing Horse of Oz,Pigasusfollows theNorth Starwhen he flies to Thunder Mountain, which could only be done in the Northern Hemisphere. Ruth Plumly Thompson asserts in her first Oz book,The Royal Book of Oz,that the language of Oz is English, which also suggests European or American influence.

Inspiration

Baum's creation of the Emerald City may have been inspired by the White City of theWorld Columbian Exposition,which he visited frequently. Its quick building, in less than a year, may have been an element in the quick construction of the Emerald City in the first book.

Schematically, Oz is much like the United States, with the Emerald City taking the place ofChicago:to the East, mixed forest and farmland; to the West, treeless plains and fields ofwheat;to the South, warmth and lush growth, and red earth.

Ruth Plumly Thompson took a different direction with her Oz books, introducing European elements such as the title character ofThe Yellow Knight of Oz,a knight straight out ofArthurian Legend.

Per theLittlefield Thesisthe Wonderful Wizard of Oz is an allegory on theElection of 1896.Under this thesis, the diagonal design of the land of Oz in the engravings for the Oz books is meant to symbolize William Jennings Bryan'sCross of Gold.

Inhabitants

Gillikins

TheGillikinsare a race of people that live in Gillikin Country. They mostly wear purple and have purple in their landscapes.

Quadlings

TheQuadlingsare a race of people that live in Quadling Country. They mostly wear red and have red in their landscapes.

Munchkins

Main article:Munchkin

TheMunchkinsare a race of short people that live in Munchkin Country. They mostly wear blue and have blue in their landscapes.

Winkies

TheWinkiesare a race of people that live in Winkie Country. They mostly wear yellow and have yellow in their landscapes.

Witches and wizards

TheWicked Witch of the Westmelts, from theWilliam Wallace Denslowillustration in the first edition ofThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz(1900)

At the time ofThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz,the lands in the North, South, East, and West of Oz are each ruled by aWitch.The Witches of the North and South are good, while the Witches of the East and West are wicked.Glinda(the Good Witch of the South) is later revealed to be the most powerful of the four, although later Oz books reveal that theWicked Witch of the Westwas so powerful, even Glinda feared her. After Dorothy's house crushes theWicked Witch of the East,thereby liberating the Munchkins from bondage, theGood Witch of the Northtells Dorothy that she (the Witch of the North) is not as powerful as the Wicked Witch of the East had been, or she would have freed the Munchkins herself.

During the first scene in Oz inThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz,the Good Witch of the North (Locasta or Tattypoo) explains to Dorothy that Oz still has witches and wizards, not being civilized, and goes on to explain that witches and wizards can be both good and evil, unlike the evil witches that Dorothy had been told of.That book contained only the four witches (besides the humbug wizard), but despite Ozma's prohibition on magic, many more magicians feature in later works.

Baum tended to capitalize the word "Witch" when referring to the Witches of the North, South, East, or West but did not do so when referring to witches in general. For example, in the aforementioned first scene ofThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz,Locasta (or Tattypoo) thanks Dorothy for killing the "Wicked Witch of the East", and introduces herself as "the Witch of the North", with the word "Witch" capitalized in both cases. However, when she goes on to tell Dorothy that "I [the Witch of the North] am a good witch, and the people love me", the word "witch" is not capitalized.

White is the traditional color of witches in Oz. The Good Witch of the North wears a pointed white hat and a white gown decorated with stars, while Glinda, the Good Witch of the South (called a "sorceress" in later books), wears a pure white dress. Dorothy is taken for a witch not only because she had killed the Wicked Witch of the East, but because her dress is blue and white checked.

Ozma, once on the throne, prohibits the use of magic by anyone other thanGlindathe Good, theWizard of Oz,and herself – as, earlier, the Good Witch of the North had prohibited magic by any other witch in her domains.The illicit use of magic is a frequent feature of villains in later works in the series, appearing inThe Scarecrow of Oz,Rinkitink in Oz,The Lost Princess of Oz,The Tin Woodman of Oz,andThe Magic of Oz.

Animals

There are different kinds ofanimalsliving in Oz. According to Baum, all animals in Oz have the ability to speak because it is a "fairy" kingdom. When asked by his readers why Dorothy's dogTotodid not speak, Baum insisted that he had the ability to, but did not choose to speak. Toto finally does so inTik-Tok of Oz.

Among the many animals in Oz are:

• A-B-Sea Serpent– A 200-foot-long (61 m) sea serpent that is composed of Alpha bet blocks.
• Chiss– An evilporcupinespirit that can launch his quills.
• Comfortable Camel– Abactrian camelfrom outside of the Land of Oz who found his way into the country along with the Doubtful Dromedary and they joined Dorothy Gale's party to find the Scarecrow. He almost always feels comfortable during his eventful journey.
• Cowardly Lion– The Cowardly Lion is one of Dorothy Gale's friends.
• Crab– A crab ended up in an argument with a Zebra to determine if the world had more water, or more land.
• Doubtful Dromedary– Adromedaryfrom outside of the Land of Oz who along with the Comfortable Camel found their way into the country and they joined Dorothy Gale's party to find the Scarecrow. He doubts nearly everything that anyone says.
• Dragons– Dragons are the toughest creatures in the Land of Oz and its neighboring countries. The ones in Gillikin Country live underground and are allowed to come out once every 100 years in search of food.
• Field Mice– The Tin Man once saved the Queen of the Field Mice from a wildcat. Her kind later help Dorothy and her friends get out of a deadly poppy field. The mice also reappear in the Marvelous Land of Oz to help the Scarecrow on his quest to reclaim his throne from General Jinjur, by hiding inside his clothes and jumping out to scare Jinjur and her guards.
• Foolish Owl– The Foolish Owl lives in Munchkin Country. She and the Wise Donkey are public advisers.
• Giant Purple Spiders– A race ofspidersin Gillikin Country that catch travelers in their webs and make them their servants.
• Glass Cat– A glass sculpture brought to life by thePowder of Life.
• Gump– Gumps are common creatures in the Land of Oz. They areelk-like creatures with wide-spreading antlers, caprine whiskers, and a turned-up nose.
• Hippocampus– A race of half-horse half-fish aquatic creatures that live in Lake Orizon within Munchkin Country. The lake monster Quiberon once ate them into extinction. After Quiberon was turned to stone by the Wizard of Oz, he used his magic to reconstitute the bones of the Hippocampuses, causing their species to live once more.
• Hip-po-gy-raf– A Hip-po-gy-raf lives in Munchkin Country west of Mount Munch. It appears to be a combination of ahippopotamusand agiraffe.
• Hungry Tiger– The Hungry Tiger is the Cowardly Lion's best friend.
• Jackdaws– A bunch of Jackdaws live in Quadling Country.
• Kabumpo– The elegantelephantof Pumperdink.
• Kalidahs– The Kalidahs have the head and back legs of atigerand the arms, torso, and feet of abear.Their claws are known to rip a lion in half.
• Kangaroo– A mittens-wearing kangaroo lives near the village of Fuddlecumjig.
• Lonesome Duck– The Lonesome Duck is the only duck in the Land of Oz.
• Orks– Orks are unusual flying animals that have the blended characteristics of acommon ostrichand aparrot.
• Rak– A terrible beast with a horrible appetite and a bad disposition. It is said to be bigger than 100 men and can eat any living thing.
• Rattlesnake– A rattlesnake serves as a companion of the A-B-Sea Serpent.
• Squirrel King– The King of theSquirrelsthat live in Winkie Country.
• Stork– A stork once helped Dorothy and her companions rescue Scarecrow.
• Unicorns– A group of unicorns that live at Unicorners within Munchkin Country.
• Winged Monkeys– Monkeys with bird wings. They obey the owner of the Golden Cap that summons them three times.
• Wise Donkey– The Wise Donkey was a former citizen of theLand of Mowho often advised the King of Mo. He now lives in Munchkin Country with the Foolish Owl.
• Zebra– A Zebra ended up in an argument with a Crab to determine if there was either more water in the world or more land.

Other races

There is a multitude of other races living in the land of Oz, many of which only appear once. Among the known races are:

• The Bun People of Bunbury– The Bun People are made of baked goods likebreads,buns,cakes,andmuffinsof all varieties.
• The Bunnies of Bunnybury– A race of civilizedrabbits.
• The China People– A race of beings that are made ofchina(porcelain) that live in Quadling Country.
• The Cuttenclips– A race of livingpaper dollsthat live in Quadling Country.
• The Dicks– The topsy-turvy inhabitants of Dicksy Land.
• The Equinots– A race ofcentaurs.
• The Flatheads– A race of flat-headed humans who carry their brains in cans.
• The Flutterbudgets– A race of people who entertain foolish fears and spend time worrying over nothing.
• The Fuddles– A race of anthropomorphicjigsaw puzzlesthat live in Fuddlecumjig.
• The Hammerheads– An armless race with extensible necks and hard heads.
• The Hoopers– A race of 10 ft. tall humanoids that live in the Purple Forest of Gillikin Country and can roll into hoops by grabbing their toes with their hands.
• The Hoppers– A race of one-legged people that live inside a mountain in Quadling Country.
• The Horners– A race of strange one-horned people that live inside a mountain in Quadling Country.
• The Hyups– A subspecies of Munchkins that live on Mount Munch.
• The Loons– A race of livingballoonpeople that live in Loonville.
• The Magical Mimics– A race of evil shape-shifting creatures that are a type of Erb that live on Mount Illuso.
• The Middlings- A race of large mud creatures with dry grass hair that live beneath the surface of Munchkin Country.
• The Rigmaroles– A race of people that make long deliberate speeches which make use of many words.
• The Scares– A race of grotesque beings that reside in Scare City within Quadling Country.
• The Scooters– A race of people that live on the waters of the Gillikin River. They have long boat-like feet and have sails growing from their wrists to their ribs.
• The Skeezers– A race of anatomically normal humans who are often in conflicts with the Flatheads.
• The Thists– A race of creatures that has diamond-shaped heads and heart-shaped bodies that live in Thi.
• The Tottenhots– A race of small mischievous people who live on the borders of Quadling Country and Winkie Country.
• The Utensians– A race of livingutensilsthat live in Utensia in Quadling Country.
• The Yips– A small community of people that resemble the Hyups.

Outside of them are many other strange races who are often found living in the wilderness of Oz. Despite the overlordship of Ozma, many of the communities live autonomously. Oz has great tolerance for eccentricity and oddness.

Many characters in Oz are animated objects. Such figures as the Glass Cat, theScarecrow,Jack Pumpkinhead,theSawhorse,and others are common.Entire regions are the homes of such animated beings. The Dainty China Country is entirely filled with creatures made of china, who would freeze into figurines if removed. The China Princess lives in fear of breaking because she would never be as pretty again, even if repaired.

Many other characters are highly individual, even unique members of a species. Many such people from the outer worlds find refuge in Oz, which is highly tolerant of eccentricity.

History

Prehistory

The history of Oz beforeThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz(often called the prehistory of Oz as it takes place before Baum's "histories" ) is often the subject of dispute, as Baum himself gave conflicting accounts. InThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz,the title character recounts that he was a ventriloquist and a circus balloonist fromOmaha,and during one flight the rope for hisparachute ventbecame tangled, preventing him from descending until the next morning, and he awoke to find that he was floating over a strange land. When he landed, the people thought he was a great wizard because of his ability to fly. He did not disabuse them of this notion, and with his new power over them, he had them build a city with a palace in the center of Oz. He also ordered them to wear green glasses so it would appear to be made entirely of emeralds.However, in the later Oz books the city is depicted as actually being made of emerald or other green materials.The Wizard was a young man when he first arrived in Oz and grew old while he was there.Afraid of the Wicked Witches of the West and the East, who, unlike him, could do real magic, the Wizard hid away in a room of his palace and refused to see visitors. He lived in this way until the arrival of Dorothy in the first book.

InThe Marvelous Land of Ozthe prehistory was changed slightly. Glinda, the Good Witch of the South, reveals that the Wizard usurped the previous king of OzPastoriaand hid away his daughter Ozma. This was Baum's reaction to the popular 1903 Broadway extravaganza Baum adapted from his book,The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,in which the Wizard took the role of the main antagonist and the Wicked Witch of the West was left out.

The Wizard, however, had been more popular with his readers than he thought. InOzma of Oz,he omitted any mention of the Wizard's having usurped the throne of Ozma's father,but the largest changes occurred in the next book.

In the preface toDorothy and the Wizard in Oz,Baum remarks that the Wizard had turned out to be a popular character with the children who had read the first book and so he brought the Wizard back. During it, the Wizard relates yet another account of his history in Oz, telling Ozma that his birth name was Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkle Emmanuel Ambroise Diggs, which, being a very long and cumbersome name, and as his other initials spelled out "PINHEAD," he preferred to leave just as O.Z. The balloon part of his story was unchanged, except for the detail added by Ozma, that the people probably saw his initials on his balloon and took them as a message that he was to be their king. She relates that the country was already named Oz (a word which in their language means "great and good" ) and that it was typical for the rulers to have names that are variations of Oz (King Pastoria being a notable exception to this rule).

Ozma elaborates further, saying that there were once four Wicked Witches in Oz, who leagued together to depose the King, but the Wicked Witches of the North and South were defeated by Good Witches before the Wizard arrived in Oz. According to this version, the King at the time was Ozma's grandfather. This version of prehistory restores the Wizard's reputation,but adds the awkwardness of both Ozma and her father having been born in captivity.

InThe Tin Woodman of OzBaum writes how Oz came to be a fairyland:

Oz was not always a fairyland, I am told. Once it was much like other lands, except it was shut in by a dreadful desert of sandy wastes that lay all around it, thus preventing its people from all contact with the rest of the world. Seeing this isolation, the fairy band ofQueen Lurline,passing over Oz while on a journey, enchanted the country and so made it a Fairyland. And Queen Lurline left one of her fairies to rule this enchanted Land of Oz, and then passed on and forgot all about it.

Thenceforward, no one in Oz would ever age, get sick, or die. After becoming a fairyland, Oz harbored many Witches, Magicians, and Sorcerers until the time when Ozma made magic illegal without a permit. In yet another inconsistency, it is implied that Ozma was the fairy left behind by Queen Lurline to rule the country, contradicting the story where she was Pastoria's daughter. This is later confirmed inGlinda of Oz:

"If you are really Princess Ozma of Oz," the Flathead said, "you are one of that band of fairies who, under Queen Lurline, made all Oz a Fairyland. I have heard that Lurline left one of her own fairies to rule Oz, and gave the fairy the name of Ozma."

While this explains why no one dies or ages, and nevertheless there are people of different ages in Oz, it is completely inconsistent with the earlier versions of the prehistory.

Maguire, author ofWickedaddresses this inconsistency by saying that the people of Oz believe that Ozma is reincarnated—that her spirit was left behind by Lurline, but her body is reborn to different mortal queens.

InJack Snow'sThe Magical Mimics in Oz,the prehistory story is retold. This version relates that Ozma was given to the king of Oz as an adoptive daughter, for he was old and had no children.

In the Magic Land stories ofAlexander Melentyevich Volkov,the prehistory is quite different. The land was created 6,000–7,000 years ago by a wizard named Hurricap, who was tired of people coming to him with requests, so he decided to find a place without them annoying him. He found a remote land and separated it from the rest of the world, along with putting the enchantments of eternal spring and talking animals (Volkov's version doesn't include any forms of immortality). However, he failed to notice that the land already contained people (since he was a giant, already suffering from nearsightedness in his advanced age, and the people in the Magic Land were much shorter than in other places), but, upon discovering the fact, decided that removing the enchantments would be unnecessary. Instead, he ordered the people to keep away from his castle. After that, the notable events included a conquest attempt by a sorceress named Arachna (Gurrikap was still alive, and put her in an enchanted sleep for 5,000 years. Her awakening formed the story for the fifth book in Volkov's series), an unsuccessful coup by a prince named Bofaro to overthrow his father about 1,000 years ago (He and his accomplices were banished to a cave and became the Magic Land's main source of metal and gems, an analog to the Nomes), and the arrival of the Four Witches (which only occurred about 500 years ago in this continuity).

History through the first six books

Eventually, Dorothy Gale and her whole house are blown into Oz fromKansasby a tornado. When the house lands, it crushes theWicked Witch of the East,ruler of theMunchkins.In an attempt to get back to her home, she journeys to the Emerald City. Along the way, she meets theTin Woodman,theCowardly Lion,and theScarecrow,all of whom accompany her. Once there, they become the first people to gain an audience with the Wizard since he went into seclusion, although he disguises himself because Dorothy now has the Wicked Witch of the East's magic silver shoes, and he is afraid of her. The Wizard sends Dorothy and her party to destroy theWicked Witch of the Westand in exchange promises to grant her request to be sent home. Surprisingly, Dorothy "destroys" the Witch by throwing a pail of water on her, causing her to melt. Defeated, the Wizard reveals to the group that he is in fact not a real wizard and has no magical powers, but he promises to grant Dorothy's wish and take her home himself in his balloon. He leaves the Scarecrow in his place to rule Oz.

Finally, it is discovered that the wizard had given the daughter of the last king of Oz, Princess Ozma, to the old witchMombito have her hidden away. Mombi had turned Ozma into a boy named Tip, whom she raised. When all of this is revealed Tip is turned back into Ozma and takes her rightful place as the benevolent ruler of all of Oz. Ozma successfully wards off several attempts by various armies to overthrow her. To prevent any upheaval of her rule over Oz, she outlaws the practice of all magic in Oz except by herself, the returned and reformed wizard, and by Glinda, and she has Glinda make all of Oz invisible to outsiders. Ozma remains the ruler of Oz for the entire series.

The Royal flag of Oz, as described inDorothy and the Wizard in Oz

Economy and politics

Some political analysts have claimed that Oz is a thinly disguisedsocialistutopia,though some Baum scholars disagree.Advocates of this theory support it using this quotation fromThe Emerald City of Oz:

There were no poor people in the land of Oz because there was no such thing as money, and all property of every sort belonged to the Ruler. Each person was given freely by his neighbors whatever he required for his use, which is as much as anyone may reasonably desire. Every one worked half the time and played half the time, and the people enjoyed the work as much as they did the play because it is good to be occupied and to have something to do. There were no cruel overseers set to watch them, and no one to rebuke them or to find fault with them. So each one was proud to do all he could for his friends and neighbors and was glad when they would accept the things he produced.

This is a revision of the original society: in the first two books, the people of Oz lived in a money-based economy.For instance, the people of the Emerald City use "green pennies" as coinage.Money was not abolished in the course of the series, butexcised from the conceptionof Oz.Indeed, inThe Magic of Oz,a character from Oz gets into trouble when he goes to Ev because he was unaware of the concept of money.This decision to remove money from Oz may reflect Baum's own financial difficulties in the times when he was writing these books.

Since Oz is ruled by amonarch,benevolent though she may be, Oz is closer in nature to anabsolute monarchythan a communist or Marxist state.When she was first introduced, Ozma was the monarch specifically of the Emerald City, but in the description ofOzma of Oz,Oz is presented as a federal state, rather like theGerman Empire,in monarchies rather than republics: having anoverall rulerin Ozma, and individual kings and queens of smaller portions.

The society grew steadily more utopian, in that its peace and prosperity were organized, but from the first book, it was a stupendously wealthy country, in contrast to Kansas's crop failures, droughts, and mortgages—just as it also is colorful to contrast with Kansas's gray.On the other hand, despite the presence of the Emerald City, Oz is an agrarian country, similar to Kansas; the story has been interpreted as apopulistparable, and certainly contains many populist themes.

InThe Wonder City of Oz,Princess Ozma (called "Queen Ozma" in this book) is seen running for election ( "ozlection" ) to her office as a ruler againstJenny Jump,a half-fairy newcomer fromNew Jersey.However, this book was not written by Baum, but by John R. Neill, Baum's second successor. Further, the concept of the "ozlection" was not in Neill's manuscript for the book but was added by an editor at Reilly and Lee, the publisher.

At times the rulers of Oz's territories have grander titles than would normally be customary, but this is done mostly for the satisfaction of the incumbents. The ruler of the Winkie Country is the Emperor, the Tin Woodman. The ruler of theQuadling Countryis Glinda the Good. The Munchkin Country is ruled by a king, later identified as Cheeriobed, who is revealed to be married to the Good Witch of the North, who, a spell broken, abdicates leadership of the Gillikin Country to Joe King and Queen Hyacinth of Up Town.

The Royal Flag of Oz is based on the map of the Land of Oz; the four colors represent the four countries, and the green star represents the Emerald City.

Defense

Oz is mostly a peaceful land and the idea of subversion is largely unknown to its people. Most military positions are only formal. This has caused many problems, such as inThe Marvelous Land of Ozwhen the Emerald City (which was only guarded by an elderly doorman and one soldier who was the entire Army of Oz at the time) was easily conquered by the Army of Revolt led byGeneral Jinjur.This army was in turn overwhelmed by another army of girls led by Glinda.

Security of Oz is mostly maintained by magic such as Glinda's spell making Oz completely invisible. Oz also has a natural barrier in the form of a desert that surrounds the land: anyone who touches the desert turns to sand. TheNome Kinghas tried to conquer Oz on several occasions. A nominal army once existed, but it had an extremely large officers/privates ratio; other than its commander the Tin Woodman and one private, the portion of it seen inOzma of Ozwas composed entirely of cowardly officers. At the end of the book, it was said that there are three privates all in all, and it is unknown how many—if any—officers were left at home during Ozma's travel to Ev. The private seen in the book namedOmby Amby,is later promoted to Captain-General.

In the bookThe Emerald City of Oz,there are 2 towns called Rigmarole Town and Flutterbudgets that are the defensive settlements of Oz.

In the movieReturn to Oz,the mechanical manTik-Tokis the entire Royal Army of Oz.

Attempts by outsiders to conquer the Land of Oz are frequent, particularly in the Oz books by Ruth Plumly Thompson. But these attempts are always successfully thwarted in the end, usually by Ozma or by forces sympathetic to her.

Characters

Main article:List of Oz characters (created by Baum)

Recurring characters in the classic Oz series include:

• Dorothy Gale– A heroic little orphan girl fromKansas.In later Oz books, she eventually moves to Oz permanently after visiting the land several times and having several adventures there. Dorothy ultimately becomes best friends withPrincess Ozmawho proclaims her an official princess of Oz.
• Toto– Dorothy's little black dog whom she loves dearly. Toto is asidekickcompanion, loyally following his mistress Dorothy on most of her adventures. It is revealed in "Tik-Tok of Oz"that even though Toto is not a fairy dog, he can still talk in Oz, he just chooses not to.
• Princess Ozma– The long-lost child Queen and rightful ruler of Oz. She is the only child of Oz's deceased mortal king,Pastoriawho ruled before theWizardarrived. She is established upon the throne as the true heir shortly afterThe Wonderful Wizard of Oztakes place.
• Uncle Henry– Dorothy's uncle who is a Kansas farmer and the husband of Aunt Em. He ultimately moves to Oz with Dorothy and Aunt Em when the bank forecloses on his farm.
• Aunt Em– Dorothy's aunt, and the wife of uncle Henry. She ultimately moves to Oz with Dorothy and uncle Henry.
• TheGood Witch of the North– The elderly ruler of the northernGillikins.She is known byLocasta Tattypooand became the ruler of theGillikin Countryafter she overthrewMombi, the Wicked Witch of the North.She was also the first witch Dorothy encountered upon her first arrival in Oz inThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
• TheScarecrow– A living stuffed man of straw who was made in Oz's eastern quadrant calledMunchkin Country.He is also a good friend of Dorothy. At the end ofThe Wonderful Wizard of Ozhe became the King of Oz and ruled its imperial capital called theEmerald Cityafter the Wizard left. However, he gladly relinquished the title when Ozma was found.
• TheTin Woodman(a.k.a. Nick Chopper) – An enchanted woodsman made entirely out of tin and is a good friend of Dorothy. He was aMunchkinbut is the current Emperor of the westernWinkiesand lives in a tin castle. He became the official ruler of theWinkie Countryafter theWicked Witch of the Westwas destroyed by Dorothy inThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
• TheCowardly Lion– The talking lion who is a good friend of Dorothy. At the end ofThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz,he became the King of the Beasts and overcame his cowardly ways. In later Oz books, he becomes best friends with theHungry Tiger;together they rule Oz's Animal Kingdom and are the royal chariot pullers for Princess Ozma.
• TheWizard(Oscar Diggs)– The former ruler of Oz and the Emerald City before the Scarecrow and Princess Ozma. A skilled circus entertainer and ventriloquist fromOmaha, Nebraska,he used his magic tricks to create illusions that made it appear as if he had real powers. Once a humbug, he is now a realwizardafter being trained by both Ozma and Glinda, who successfully taught him how to perform honest magic.
• Glinda– The beautiful and wise Good Witch of the South who rules the southernQuadlingsin a ruby palace. She became the benevolent sorceress of theQuadling Countryafter she vanquished theWicked Witch of the South(although theclassic MGM musical movie of 1939portrays her as the Good Witch of the North).
• Guardian of the Gates– The friendly gatekeeper responsible for adorning the visitors who wish to enter Oz's capital with the green-tinted spectacles. He is described as being a very jolly and short man who wears fancy green clothing and has green-tinted skin.
• Soldier with the Green Whiskers– The Captain-General of the Royal Army of Oz who guards the main entrance of the royal palace in the Emerald City. His real name isOmby Amby Wantowin Battles.He is a very tall man who has a very long green beard.
• Jellia Jamb– The young maid who works in the Emerald City's royal palace. She is also known as the "pretty green girl",with pretty green eyes and pretty green hair. Jellia becomes Ozma and Dorothy's favorite servant out of the city's staff administration.
• Jack Pumpkinhead– An enchanted man made out of wooden branches with a carved jack-o-lantern pumpkin for a head. Jack was brought to life with the magic "Powder of Life" potion.
• TheSawhorse– An animated sawhorse who becomes a steed of sorts for Princess Ozma and her friends. He was brought to life with the "Powder of Life".
• H. M. Woggle-Bug,T.E.– An intelligent insect who was magnified into a human-sized bug.
• Jinjur– A former General of the all-female Army of Revolt.
• Billina– A yellow hen and good friend of Dorothy. Upon arriving in Oz, Billina becomes Queen of the chickens.
• Tik-Tok– A mechanical and super-intelligentclockworkrobot(one of the first robots in literature).
• TheHungry Tiger– The Cowardly Lion's closest companion besides the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman.
• TheShaggy Man– A homeless but friendly man from "the real world". He ends up living in Oz permanently.
• Button-Bright– A lost little boy of only four- or five-years-old. He is from a wealthy family inPhiladelphiabut has many adventures in Oz and its neighboring kingdoms.
• Eureka– Dorothy's pink and purple kitten.
• ThePatchwork Girl(a.k.a. "Scraps" ) – A life-size livingdollmade entirely of a colorful patchwork quilt. She was brought to life with the magic "Powder of Life" potion by a young Munchkin boy named Ojo. Scraps also becomes the love interest of the Scarecrow.
• Ojo– A young boy of Munchkin descent.
• Betsy Bobbin– A girl a year older than Dorothy fromOklahomawho comes to Oz with a talking mule named Hank after being shipwrecked.
• Polychrome– A colorful and ethereal sky fairy and the youngest daughter of theRainbow.
• Trot– A girl who comes to Oz by accident and who is a year younger than Dorothy.
• Cap'n Bill– An ex-sailor with a wooden leg who visits Oz and is friends with Trot.
• Kabumpo– The Elegant Elephant of Pumperdink.
• Jenny Jump– A 15-year-old girl fromNew Jerseywho became a half-fairy.
• Pastoria– The former mortal King of Oz who ruled long before the Wizard came and is the deceased father of Princess Ozma.
• Mombi– The former Wicked Witch of the North. Mombi once ruled the northern quadrant of Oz until the Good Witch Locasta Tattypoo overthrew her. She also was partially responsible for the mysterious disappearance of Princess Ozma.
• TheNome King– The main villain and antagonist in the Oz books. He is Oz's most threatening enemy who resides in the neighboring Nome Kingdom separated from Oz by theDeadly Desert.The Nome King is always trying to conquer Oz or thinking of ways to overthrow it throughout most of the entire series.

Ashorthand reference for a person living inOz is "Ozite". The term appears inDorothy and the Wizard in Oz,The Road to Oz,andThe Emerald City of Oz.Elsewhere in the books, "Ozmie" is also used. In the animated 1974 semi-sequel to the MGM film,Journey Back to Oz,"Ozonian" is in the script. The term "Ozian" appears in theRoyal Shakespeare Company's stage adaptation of the MGM movie and in the workWicked."Ozmite" was used inReilly & Leemarketing in the 1920s, a fact which has suggested to some critics that "Ozmie" may have been atypographical error.

Other media

The 1939 MGM film's Oz

The Land of Oz as portrayed in theclassic MGM musical movie of 1939,is quite different from that portrayed in Baum's books. The most notable difference is that in the film the entire land of Oz appears to be dreamed up byDorothy Gale(thus making it adream world), although Dorothy earnestly corrects the adults at the end that she was indeed there, and an image of Dorothy's falling farmhouse returning to earth is presented. The apparent message is that one should appreciate one's home, no matter how dull it may look or uninteresting its surroundings may be, for having a home and a family is not something that should be taken for granted. This contrasts sharply with the books, in which Dorothy and her family are eventually invited to move to Oz due to a bank foreclosure on the farm, showing both that Oz is a real place, and that it is a utopia compared to the prairies ofKansas.

There are many other small differences between the books and the movie. For example, when Dorothy arrives inMunchkinlandtheMunchkinsare seen wearing colorful costumes, but in the book, Munchkins are said to only wear blue as blue is the official dominant color of the east. The first witch Dorothy meets in Oz in the book is theGood Witch of the North,a minor character that only had one other appearance in Baum's books but is an important figure of Oz nonetheless. In the movie, this character is conflated with that ofGlinda,who is the Good Witch of the South and does not make an appearance until the very end of Baum's story. The character of Glinda in the books dresses in all white silk, as white is the traditional color for good witches, whereas in the film she is seen in pink.

It is also worthy of note that the Dorothy of the books is only a little girl who is no more than twelve years old. However, she is mature and very resourceful, only crying when faced with ultimate despair, whereas the older Dorothy of the movie (portrayed as a twelve-year-old by sixteen-year-oldJudy Garland) spends several portions of the film crying and being told by others what to do. This is more consistent with Thompson's portrayal of Dorothy—Baum is known for his strong and independent female characters.

The nature of theEmerald Cityis changed in the film. In the book, the city is not actually all green, but everyone is forced to wear green-tinted spectacles (ostensibly to protect their eyes from the glory and splendor of the luxurious city), thus making everything appear green. In the film, the city is actually green. The architecture of the Emerald City in the movie uses a much more contemporary Art Deco style than Baum could have imagined. In the book, a giant green wall studded in glittering emeralds surrounds the entire city, whereas in the movie there is only a gate opening.

Gregory Maguire's revisionist Oz

In hisrevisionistOz novelsWicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West,Son of a Witch,A Lion Among MenandOut of Oz,Gregory Maguireportrays a very different version of the Land of Oz. Maguire's Oz is not Baum's utopia, but a land troubled by political unrest and economic hardship. One political issue in Maguire's novels is the oppression of the Animals (Maguire distinguishes speaking Animals from non-speaking animals by the use of initial capital letters). There are many religious traditions in Maguire's Oz, including Lurlinism (which regards the Fairy Lurline as Oz's creator), Unionism, which worships the Unnamed God, and the pleasure faiths which had swept Oz during the time that the witches were at Shiz. An example of the pleasure faiths was tic-tok (where creatures were enchanted to tell secrets or the future and run by clockwork), and sorcery.

Maguire's presentation of Oz's geography is also tinged with politics. A large political prison, Southstairs, exists in caverns below the Emerald City. Gillikin, home of Shiz University, has more industrial development than other parts of Oz. Munchkinland is Oz's breadbasket and at one point declares its independence from the rule of the Emerald City. Quadling Country is largely marshland, inhabited by the artistic and sexually free Quadlings. The Vinkus (Maguire's name for Winkie Country) is largely open grassland, populated by semi-nomadic tribes with brown skin.

The musicalWicked,based on Maguire's first Oz novel, portrays an Oz slightly closer to the version seen in Baum's novels and 1939film.The oppression of the Animals is still a theme, but the geographical and religious divisions portrayed in Maguire's novel are barely present.

In both the book and musical, several characters from the traditional Oz stories are present with different names. Glinda was called Galinda but changed her name. The Wicked Witch of the West is calledElphaba,the Wicked Witch of the East is calledNessarose.In the musical, but not in the book,Boqbecomes the Tin Man, andFiyerobecomes the Scarecrow.

Alexander Melentyevich Volkov's Magic Land

Alexander Melentyevich Volkovwas a Russian author best known for his translation ofThe Wizard of Ozinto Russian, and for writing his own original sequels, which were based only loosely on Baum's. Volkov's books have been translated into many other languages, and are better known than Baum's in some countries. The books, while still aimed at children, feature many mature political and ethical elements. They have been retranslated into English by Peter L. Blystone and partially by March Laumer, who used elements of them in his own books.

Philip José Farmer's Oz

Philip José Farmerportrays a very different Oz in his bookA Barnstormer in Oz.The premise is that nothing after the first book occurred—Dorothy never returned to Oz, and instead grew up, got married, and had a son. Her son, Hank Stover, is the main character, aWorld War Iveteran flier and the titular barnstormer. While flying in hisCurtiss JN-4biplanehe enters a green haze and emerges in the civil war-stricken land of Oz.

Farmer portrays the land of Oz as ascience fictionauthor, attempting to explain scientifically many of the "magical" elements of Baum's story.

Robert A. Heinlein's Oz

The main characters ofRobert A. Heinlein's booksThe Number of the BeastandThe Pursuit of the Pankerapass through many famous fictional worlds including those ofAlice's Adventures in Wonderland;Gulliver's Travels,specificallyLilliput;E.E. "Doc" Smith'sLensmanuniverse;Asgard,connected to Heinlein's own Future History universe by the Rainbow Bridge for one specific reason in one specific location; andRingworld;as well as some of Heinlein's own works, specifically those set in his Future History through whichLazarus Longmoves; and of course the Land of Oz itself.

The Oz portrayed in the book is very close to Baum's Oz, although Heinlein does make an attempt to explain some things from the standpoint of a science fiction author. He explains that Oz is on a retrograde planet, where the direction of rotation relative to the poles is reversed, resulting in the sun seeming to rise in what would normally be the west.

Heinlein also explains that the population remains steady in Oz despite the lack of death because it is impossible for children to be born in Oz. When the population does increase through immigration, Glinda just extends the borders an inch or two in each direction, which makes more than enough space for all additional people.

L. Sprague de Camp's Oz

L. Sprague de Camp,like Heinlein, brings his own characters to Oz in his bookSir Harold and the Gnome King,part of the collaborativeHarold Sheaseries. Unlike Heinlein, he does not attempt to explain Oz as science fiction, though he does deviate from the original corpus. He follows Thompson's Oz books, thus using her spelling of "Gnome" and her final fate of the character, but he postulates an incident that has removed the Ozites' immortality, with the result that both Ozma and Dorothy have aged and married by the time his story takes place.

Tad Williams'OtherlandOz

In theOtherlandseries, byTad Williams,a virtual reality version of Oz exists, wherein real-world antagonists play sadistic versions of the roles of the Tin Man, The Scarecrow, and the Cowardly Lion, in a twisted, martial, and post-apocalyptic version of Oz, populated both by characters from the novels, and a large quantity of male and female humans who go by the names "Henry" and "Em" respectively. The humans,computer-generatedcharacters based on the lost minds of children drawn into the Otherland program, look forward to a messianic prophecy foretelling the coming of "The Dorothy", where a child would be born among them.

The Outer Zone (Tin Man)

2007Sci Fitelevision miniseriesTin Manreinvents Oz as the Outer Zone (O.Z.), a parallel universe that was first visited byDorothy Galeduring the latterVictorian Eraand is ruled over by her descendants. It is implied, by reference to centuries having elapsed since Dorothy came to the O.Z., that time has progressed at different rates in the O.Z. and "the other side". The re-imagined Oz is described as a place where "the paint has peeled, and what was once the goodness of Oz has become the horrible bleakness of the O.Z."Thescenic designof the O.Z. features elements ofsteampunk,particularly the "1930s fascist realist" decor of theevil sorceress'spalace and the computer-generated Central City, analog of theEmerald City.

Emerald City Confidential

The 2009 point-and-click adventure video gameEmerald City Confidentialreinvents Oz in afilm noirstyle, withDorothy Galeas a femme fatale, the Lion as a corrupt lawyer, and some other changes.

Once Upon a Time

The Land of Oz appears in the TV seriesOnce Upon a Timeand is the focus of the episodes "It's Not Easy Being Green","Kansas","Heart of Gold","Our Decay","Ruby Slippers",and"Where Bluebirds Fly".It was also seen briefly in the episodes"Sisters"and"Chosen".

OZ: A Fantasy Role-Playing Setting

In 2022, Andrew Kolb releasedOZ: A Fantasy Role-Playing Setting,designed for use withtabletop role-playing games,in particular5th EditionDungeons and Dragons.In this version of Oz, the kingdom is more akin to a city, closely resembling anart decostyle in the vein of the 1920s. The city of Oz is broken up into a variety of districts, many of which can be found in the original novel, but adds certain modernizations including amonorail,a complex judiciary system, and a number of political factions.

Magic of Oz

Being a fantasy series Oz is rich in magic. In particular, there are many magic items that play an important role in the series.

Silver Shoes/Ruby Slippers

When Dorothy leaves Oz after having several adventures there and befriending many of Oz's natives, she is magically carried over theDeadly Desertby means of the charmedSilver Shoesshe had been given shortly after her unexpected arrival when her farmhouse landed on and killed the previous pair's owner, theWicked Witch of the East.After knocking her heels together three times and wishing to return home, Dorothy is lifted into the air and transported to Kansas. The shoes, however, slip off of Dorothy's feet and are lost forever in the desert. Baum states the silver shoes are never recovered. In the 1939 film, the shoes are changed toRuby Slippers.When Dorothy clicks her heels together she closes her eyes and says: "There's no place like home". She then wakes up in her bedroom in Kansas believing her experience in Oz to be an elaborate dream.

The silver shoes and ruby slippers are also used in several other versions includingWickedbyGregory Maguire.Here the shoes are constructed as a gift and have a chameleon effect. They are decorated with thousands of glittering glass beads that change colors according to the lighting. They can also appear to be several different colors all at once. The shoes are also lost when Dorothy is teleported back home just like in Baum's novel. The Broadway musical based on Maguire's book further shows that they were all silver, but were changed to ruby red by a spell put upon them by the Witch of the WestElphaba,enabling her sister the Witch of the EastNessarose,who prior had been confined to a wheelchair, to magically walk.

In 1985'sReturn to Oz,the ruby slippers have been recovered from their place in the Deadly Desert by theNome King.

A little-known adaptation of the original story made for British television in the mid-90s starringDenise van Outenexplained that they had belonged to a visitor from over the rainbow who came to Oz before Dorothy and they were obtained by the Witch when the visitor wished herself home and they fell off her feet on the return trip.

Powder of Life

ThePowder of Lifeis a magic substance from the book series, which first appears inThe Marvelous Land of Oz.

It is a magical powder that brings inanimate objects to life. ThewitchMombifirst obtained it from a "crooked magician." Later in the series, it is revealed that the substance is made by aDr. Pipt.In order to make the substance, Dr. Pipt had to stir four largecauldronsfor six years. Only a few grains of the powder could be made at a time. It is always described as being carried in apepperbox.

InThe Marvelous Land of Oz,the Powder of Life was used to bring Jack Pumpkinhead, the Sawhorse, andthe Gumpto life. The first batch of the powder in Mombi's possession was activated by the following incantation and the action that had to be associated with:

• Raise the left hand, little finger pointing upward, and say: "Weaugh!"
• Raise the right hand, thumb pointing upward, and say: "Teaugh!"
• Raise both hands, with all the fingers and thumbs spread out, and say: "Peaugh!"

InThe Road to Oz,Dr. Pipt's sister Dyna activated the Powder of Life with a simple wish that brought the rug of her late blue bear pet to life.

InThe Patchwork Girl of Ozit brings the title character to life, also the glass cat and a phonograph.

Mombi's shaker also contained three "wishing pills" fabricated by Dr. Nikidik.

The Powder has been used by Volkov in his series. There, it is produced from a certain plant of such viability that the smallest piece can grow into a plant within a day, on any surface except for solid metal. However, if it is sun-dried on such a surface, it turns into the Powder of Life. No incantation is required to make the powder work. The second book of the series is centered around a man who animates an army of wooden soldiers with the Powder and uses them for conquering the Magic Land.

InReturn to Oz,the magic words to bring the inanimate object to life were "WEAUGH, TEAUGH, PEAUGH".

Magic Belt

TheMagic Beltis first introduced inOzma of Oz.The belt belonged to theNome King,butDorothy Galestole it and defeated him. When she leaves Oz, she gives it toOzmafor safekeeping.

In most Oz books, the Magic Belt grants its wearer the ability to transform anyone into any form, and the ability to transport anyone anywhere, and also makes its wearer impervious to harm. In some books, it also grants limited wishes.

InOzma of Oz,its power is limited: its magic cannot affect objects which are made of wood.

In the non-canonicalThe Oz Kidsanimated series, the Magic Belt belonged to Dot.

Magic Picture

In Ozma's boudoir hangs a picture in a radium frame. This picture usually appears to be of pleasant countryside, but when anyone wishes for the picture to show a particular person or place, the scene will display what is wished for. Sometimes the onlooker is able to hear sounds from the scene within the Magic Picture and sometimes an additional device is necessary to transmit sound.

A similar device is present in Volkov's series. There, it is given as a present to the Scarecrow by theGood Witch of the South.It is a box of pink wood with a thick frosted glass screen. The device is password activated and limited in range to the Magic Land (with the exception of deep caverns and certain types of magical interference). The box is shown to be virtually indestructible; it withstood repeated abuse from a villain attempting to use it.

Great Book of Records

"Great Book of Records" redirects here. Not to be confused withGuinness World Records.

Glinda's 'Great Book of Recordsis introduced in Chapter 29 ofThe Emerald City of Oz:"'It is a record of everything that happens,' replied the Sorceress. 'As soon as an event takes place, anywhere in the world, it is immediately found printed in my Magic Book. So when I read its pages I am well informed.'" The Book proves useful inThe Scarecrow of OzandGlinda of Oz;and it recurs in many of the stories of Baum's successors and imitators. For instance, inThe Number of the Beast,the Book is shown to cover more than simply Oz. It provided information concerning the "Black Hats" attempting to murder the four protagonists which enabled Glinda to devise a set of magical glasses requested by Hilda Burroughs that enable her to spot a Black Hat no matter how disguised. It is one of the prime magic devices of Oz; villains steal it when they can (as inThe Lost Princess of Ozor inHandy Mandy in Oz). Since it covers the planet and not merely Oz, the Book's entries are compressed and sometimes cryptic, and difficult to decipher (as inParadox in OzorQueen Ann in Oz).

The book is also featured in the fantasy seriesOnce Upon a Time.Zelena reads the book ignoring Glinda's warning and turns green again because she felt betrayed as it was mentioned in the book that Dorothy would save Oz from a great evil (Zelena thought that evil was her but this was never revealed).

The Love Magnet

A rusty-looking horseshoe magnet that causes everyone to love its owner. It is closely associated with theShaggy Man.InThe Road to Oz,he finds that being loved by everyone can be inconvenient. InTik-Tok of Ozhe reveals that Ozma has modified its powers so that it only works when it is displayed and affects only the feelings of those who see it. It is an essential plot-element inThe Shaggy Man of Oz.Ozma keeps it hanging over the gate into the Emerald City so that all who enter will come with love, although this does not always seem to happen.

Magic Fan

The Magic Fan is brought to Oz by Dorothy inThe Royal Book of Oz.Several subsequent books mention it. It creates a powerful wind, capable of blowing away an invading army.

Fountain of Oblivion

A fountain in the Emerald City, erected bythe witch Glindato reform a wicked king of Oz in the past. Anyone who drinks from it forgets everything he knows, including his own name. It appears in Baum'sThe Emerald City of OzandThe Magic of Oz,and also plays an important role in the later contributor storiesThe Forbidden Fountain of Oz,The Shaggy Man of Oz,The Wicked Witch of Oz,andParadox in Oz.

Magic Dinner Bell

Created by theRed Jinn,it summons a slave named Ginger, who appears bearing a tray full of delicious food when the bell is rung. Besides providing food, the bell also provides a means of escape from danger: anyone who holds onto the slave when he disappears after bringing the food is transported with him to the Red Jinn's castle. There are actually two magic dinner bells, one in the Emerald City and another which the Red Jinn keeps for himself and uses while traveling. The bell is first introduced inJack Pumpkinhead of Ozand also appears inThe Purple Prince of OzandThe Silver Princess in Oz.

Miscellaneous

Talking animals

In Oz, animals such as the Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger can talk, and all native animals appear to be capable of speech.Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the Westemphasized the difference between Animals and animals. Animals (capitalized) are sentient beings that can talk. Several theories exist as to how animals gained the gift of speech.

The treatment of non-native animals was inconsistent. In the first book, thedogTotonever speaks, although brought to Oz; inThe Patchwork Girl of Oz,Dorothy specifies that he cannot speak because he is not a fairy dog. However, inOzma of Oz,thechickenBillinaacquires speech merely by being swept to the lands near Oz, and inDorothy and the Wizard in Oz,the same is true of the kitten Eureka and the cabhorseJim when reaching the land of Mangaboos, a similarly magical land. InTik-Tok of Oz,Baum restored thecontinuity:Toto can speak, and always could, but never bothered to, because it was unnecessary.

An additional inconsistency is introduced withTik-Tok of Oz:Hank the Mule cannot speak until reaching the Land of Oz, although he lands on the shore of Ev first, where Billina the chicken gained the ability to speak. This might be becauseTik-Tok of Ozwas originally a stage play version ofOzma of Oz;Dorothy was replaced by Betsy because he had sold the stage rights for Dorothy, and Billina was replaced by Hank because a mule could more convincingly be played by two people in a costume.Hank probably could not talk because Baum already had two speaking comedy characters, the Shaggy Man and Tik-Tok. Thus Hank would fill a better niche as a visual comedy character, in the tradition of British pantomime. The part of Hank was also an analog to the part of Dorothy's cow Imogene, Toto's replacement on stage in the immensely successful 1903 Broadway version ofThe Wizard of Oz,a success that Baum sought to duplicate for the rest of his life.

There is one small kingdom in Oz where animals are unable to talk: Corumbia.

Origin of the name Oz

A legend of uncertain validity is that when relating bedtime stories (the earliest form of the Oz books) Baum was asked by his niece, Ramona Baxter Bowden, the name of the magical land. He glanced at a nearby filing cabinet, which had three drawers, labeled A–G, H–N, and O–Z. Thus he named the land Oz. This story was first told in 1903, but his wife always insisted that the part about the filing cabinet was not true.InDorothy and the Wizard in Oz,the name is translated as "great and good".Several of Baum's fairy stories that take place in the United States were situated on theOzark Plateau,and the similarity of the name may not be a coincidence.

Legacy

In 2018, The Lost Art of Oz project was initiated to locate and catalog the surviving original artwork John R. Neill,W. W. Denslow,Frank Kramer, Richard "Dirk" Gringhuis and Dick Martin created to illustrate the Oz book series.

External links

• A collection of Oz eBooksatStandard Ebooks
• The Complete Oz Works
• The original artwork from the Oz book series on lostartofoz
• Hungry Tiger Talk discussion of Oz maps