Welcome to the Land of Oz! Here in my interactive and inclusive blog, you will find a monthly post that connects you to the different components of Oz whether it be a theme of the month (like Winter in Oz) or a concept that connects to different months (like Love in Oz).
Every month will be different so check back frequently to enjoy and experience a new and refreshing take on the Land of Oz, outside of MGM's Wizard of Oz (1939) while feeling inspired to create your own Oz adventure.
Yearly Themes:
Every month will be different so check back frequently to enjoy and experience a new and refreshing take on the Land of Oz, outside of MGM's Wizard of Oz (1939) while feeling inspired to create your own Oz adventure.
Yearly Themes:
- The first year will take a look at "Obscure Oz" and facets of the Oz world outside of the 1939 film.
- The second year looks at the magical items and people of Oz in our "Year of Magic of Oz".
- The third year is all about the geography of the Land of Oz and its surrounding area.
My Oz Journey
In the Baum Bugle, since around the 1970s, there has been a expose piece on different members of the Oz Club who have contributed in large ways to the Oz community and tells of their own "Oz Adventure". As a honorarium to that piece, I am inspired to tell my own Oz adventure in a piece I am calling "My Oz Journey".
So, unlike many of the members within the Oz Club publication, my Oz Journey did not begin in my childhood, but actually began in my 30s. Of course, as a kid, I knew of the MGM film and Disney's Return to Oz; however, my interests were piqued in other realms of literature like Penguin Classics, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, or Goosebumps during my childhood. Years later and unbeknownst to myself, my journey would eventually merge with a long, ever-expanding Road to Oz.
As a child of the 90s, my experiences with the Oz world were limited. I saw the MGM movie a few times. I watches the Disney movie around my pre-teens. I rode the ride at Disney MGM Studies (The Great Movie Ride), where it took into a mock-up set of the Munchkinland set and you are visited by the Wicked Witch of the West as well as you get to see the Emerald City from afar (through the characters eyes). That ride was probably my favorite memory of Oz as a kid. Check it out for yourself below. It's great.
So, unlike many of the members within the Oz Club publication, my Oz Journey did not begin in my childhood, but actually began in my 30s. Of course, as a kid, I knew of the MGM film and Disney's Return to Oz; however, my interests were piqued in other realms of literature like Penguin Classics, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, or Goosebumps during my childhood. Years later and unbeknownst to myself, my journey would eventually merge with a long, ever-expanding Road to Oz.
As a child of the 90s, my experiences with the Oz world were limited. I saw the MGM movie a few times. I watches the Disney movie around my pre-teens. I rode the ride at Disney MGM Studies (The Great Movie Ride), where it took into a mock-up set of the Munchkinland set and you are visited by the Wicked Witch of the West as well as you get to see the Emerald City from afar (through the characters eyes). That ride was probably my favorite memory of Oz as a kid. Check it out for yourself below. It's great.
It would not have been until 2013 when Oz the Great and Powerful came out that my fascination would have been piqued again with the land of Oz. I found myself constantly enmeshed with media adaptations based on books around that time and I started with what I knew in Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan. I had seen so many of their adaptations that I did not know where to go from there. So, then I discovered Oz and all the amazing that came with it. I was illuminated to the many versions out there, even the ones that came out before the 1939 film. It was quite a list, which you can see here. This world has continuously swept me off my feet and is constantly expanding. There are just so many new components and pieces of this "Oz-verse" that I am always discovering, which is probably why it has kept my interest for so long. I absolutely love the darker adaptations of Oz because a new world outside of our own is not without its own perils.
So, in addition to the new discovery of the media adaptations of Oz, I also found the Oz Club. A club dedicated to celebrating all things Oz. So, around 2015, I joined the Oz Club. Since then, I have been to an Oz Convention of the West coast called (WinkieCon, now called OzCon International), which was not very impressive to me and the hosts were not the kindest. After that, I just kept to myself when it came to Oz Club activities and just participated with non-attending tickets at my own leisure. This included a box of goodies that were handed out at the convention without actually going to the convention. It was great because I got to experience the Oz Conventions without the negativity. I was in heaven. Additionally, I have attended the National Oz Convention virtually by enjoying some of the online content provided in the past couple years. The Oz Convention (and Oz Club) has definitely stepped into the digital age with their new YouTube channel and their updated website.
So, in addition to the new discovery of the media adaptations of Oz, I also found the Oz Club. A club dedicated to celebrating all things Oz. So, around 2015, I joined the Oz Club. Since then, I have been to an Oz Convention of the West coast called (WinkieCon, now called OzCon International), which was not very impressive to me and the hosts were not the kindest. After that, I just kept to myself when it came to Oz Club activities and just participated with non-attending tickets at my own leisure. This included a box of goodies that were handed out at the convention without actually going to the convention. It was great because I got to experience the Oz Conventions without the negativity. I was in heaven. Additionally, I have attended the National Oz Convention virtually by enjoying some of the online content provided in the past couple years. The Oz Convention (and Oz Club) has definitely stepped into the digital age with their new YouTube channel and their updated website.
Since then, I have been a member of the Oz Club and have enjoyed the perks of learning more and more about this constantly expanding universe. I saw Wicked for the first time in 2016. I have watched numerous adaptations of the Wizard of Oz stories that Baum has written. I have recently seen the latest animated adaptations from Amazon and Boomerang. Both of which are very enjoyable and relaxing to watching. All these adaptations have inspired me to create my own blog. In my blog, I wanted to be inclusive to the new Oz fan, who just wanted to share what they knew while learning new things along the way. I also wanted to bring the oldest Oz fans in my making it interactive and new for them. So, I do hope you enjoy my work and have enjoyed my Oz Journey, as it is still going and I am still enjoying every step of the way. Currently, I am about to finish listening to audiobook version of Tik-Tok of Oz. It is quite a fascinating book that was actually inspired by the play, The Tik-Tok Man of Oz.
If you would like a safe space to share your Oz Journey, feel free to send me your story on my Contact Me page. I would love to read how Oz has impacted your world as well as how it has inspired you. Also, let me know if you would like me to post it on my blog to share with others.
If you would like a safe space to share your Oz Journey, feel free to send me your story on my Contact Me page. I would love to read how Oz has impacted your world as well as how it has inspired you. Also, let me know if you would like me to post it on my blog to share with others.