Snowy greetings all! This month, we are heading to the frozen tundra of Northern Oz to learn all about that Wicked ol' Witch of the North, Mombi. In this post, we will learn about Mombi's origin story, her villainous period, her legacy in media, and how you can experience the villainy yourself. So, let us begin our descent into terror and madness as we attempt to explore Mombi's reign of terror. Mombi is first introduced in Baum's second book, The Marvelous Land of Oz, as a sorceress who practices magic but is not magic. She also has a young boy servant/assistant, whom she is very disrespectful. She is mentioned again in Baum's fourth book, Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz, and after her defeat at the end of book 2. In Baum's sixth book, Emerald City of Oz, it is mentioned that Ozma would take care of Mombi as she aged out without magic. Fascinatingly, Mombi is revisited in Ruth Plumly Thompson's books, The Giant Horse of Oz and The Lost King of Oz. In the former, Mombi's earlier life and her feud with Tattypoo, The Good Witch of the North, are discussed, while the latter offers an alternative take on Mombi's end, for which it mentions Mombi getting punishment for all her past discretions through the Waters of Oblivion. Lastly, Mombi also makes an appearance in Maguire's second book, in which Liir comes across Mombi and Tip in the Vinkus, but nothing happens except an exchange of words. Mombi's reign of terror began during Ozma's early years after she was transformed by Mombi and renamed Tip. As Tip grew up, Mombi became fed up with the relentless tricks that Tip played and decided that she was going to put an end to it all. She gathered her ingredients from the Crooked Wizard and began potioneering them into a petrification potion to use on Tip and turn him into a garden statue. Upon hearing this, Tip made a dash out of the house and ran away. When Mombi discovered this, she took it upon herself to go after Tip and teamed up with General Jinjur along the way. The two of them overthrew the Emerald City with their own mission ensured. At the end of it all, the two of them were conquered by Glinda and Ozma was restored to her former self and crowned Queen. Mombi ended up working a kitchen maid and watched over by Ozma; thus, ending her reign of villainy. Mombi's media legacy started in 1910 in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, where you would see the first time she was combined with another character. In this version, she and the Wicked Witch of the West character joined, and she became "Momba". You can see her in the short film above. Then in 1914 film, His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz, Mombi would return to the silver screen and again combined with the WWW character, but this time she would be named "Old Mombi". Her character would not resurface until over 45 years later when she would appear in a Season 2 episode of The Shirley Temple Show entitled The Land of Oz. Nine years after that, Mombi returned in a low-budget film called The Wonderful Land of Oz. The RiffTrax version of this is awesome and I highly recommend checking it out. Over a decade later, Mombi would return this time on stage and televised as performed by the Children's Theatre Company and School of Minneapolis. It was actually one of the more faithful productions of the story to date. Of course, 1985 would be the version that many remember her as the witch who could remove her head in Disney's Return to Oz (see top of the post). Other adaptations of Mombi have graced the small screen since then as well (see below). Outside of the book illustration by John R. Neill in The Marvelous Land of Oz, Mombi has come to life in other written works. In Marvel's The Marvelous Land of Oz (1975), she makes her first comic book appearance, seen below left. Decades later, she would resurface looking just a tad different, as seen below right. So, with all that known now, how can you bring this villainous transformation witch to your neck of the woods? Well, aside from checking out the various adaptations mentioned above, you can always check out these options as well. In this audio performance of The Marvelous Land of Oz, the voice of Mombi comes Australian actor Lauren Thuys. It is quite a fascinating retelling of the story and just like in the books, it is a continuation story of the first book. So, make sure you check out all three seasons of this show including a bonus season featuring Baum's Christmas story, The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus. In addition to that, there is a smorgasbord of merchandise out there featuring Mombi from Disney's Return to Oz and other variations as well. So, however you choose to connect with this villainous witch from the North, let me know in the comments below. Also, be sure to let me know which adaptation of Mombi is something you really enjoy. I personally enjoy the Big Fish game's interpretation of her as she seems more intense and villainous. Well, that will do it and until next time, I'll be seeing somewhere in the Oz-verse. If you missed, part 1, check it out here. The final part of the Wicked Witches trilogy will come next month when we look at the evil and most sinister Wicked Witch of the South.
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May 2024
AuthorMy name is Vinkus Ken and I have been a long time fan of many things in Oz and how their world truly does emulate much of ours. Did you know that they have a flag of their own? Or did you know that they have a law about only having 9 jurors in their courts? Also, Oz has a court system! I like to introduce facts that seem meaningless and bring meaning to them by comparing them to our world. So, come along on this journey and enjoy the ride. |