Greetings all from the Emerald City of Oz! This month, we are checking out one of the more famous residents in our verdant village: The Gump of Oz. First introduced in Baum's second Oz novel, The Marvelous Land of Oz, the Gump is brought to life with the infamous Powder of Life. In this post, we will journey through the Gump's origins, his media legacy, and how you can experience the flight of the Gump in your neck of the woods. In Baum's story, the Gump is a creature that once lived in Oz. It is a stag-like creature that has a brown coat of fur. In the stories, its head is hanging in the Emerald City Palace with no backstory as to how it got there. When its head is combined with two couches, four palm leaves, and bunch of rope to keep it together, it became a new kind of Gump. The name itself was never explained in the books, but Merriam-Webster defines it as a "foolish or dim-witted person". When sprinkled with the Powder of Life, the magical creature comes to life, has thoughts of its own again, and can speak with ease by saying, the last thing he remembers was being in a forest when he heard a loud bang. What kind of country is Oz that allows its animals to be shot and killed? SHAME! The Gump's media legacy has been seen in quite a number of different adaptations over the years. Its first appearance would have been in 1960 when Shirley Temple aired her own adaptation of the Marvelous Land of Oz. After that, it has appeared in various iterations including the more famous version from Disney's Return to Oz in 1985 (seen at the top). The Gump's legacy has definitely been quite an adventure. Outside of these versions, the Gump has also made its mark in other avenues that you can experience in. your neck of the woods. In the computer game, Emerald City Confidential, the Gump is used a bus-like transit system to get around the Emerald City and other locales in Oz (as seen below). The Gump's flight through different iterations and versions will continue to show itself in a wide variety of media from magazines and cartoons to video games. What is your favorite iteration of this magnificently, majestic and magical creature? Let me know in the comments. Well that will do it for another magical month in the Land of Oz and until next time, I'll be seeing you somewhere in the Oz-verse.
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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. |