Greetings all! Just as Dorothy got welcomed by her munchkin friends, I would like to welcome you to Munchkin Land, or in Baum's books, to Munchkin Country. This month, the May flowers are springing to life from all those April showers in the beautiful and gorgeous Land of the Munchkins. So, of course, our post will explore the region of Oz that is so familiar to so many, Munchkin Country (the name from the books that will be used to refer to this region of Oz). In Maguire's books, it is called Munchkinland, which is what it is called in the MGM film as well. In our journey across Munchkin Country, we will explore its origins, its notable locations, its media legacy as well as how you can bring a little bit of this region of oz into your neck of the woods. Munchkin Country is an Eastern region of Oz and is known by a few elements like the only country in Oz that is connected to the Emerald City by a yellow brick road and the region's predominant color is blue. It has predominantly blue flowers, blue leaves, blue grass, and other various shades of blue within the scenery and landscape. It is also the area where Dorothy first lands and begins her journey in Oz. The origin of Munchkin Country is as old as the country of Oz (around the 7th century A.D.) as it was believed to be formed by Queen Lurline, who is believed to be the reigning deity over the realms of Oz. I did a post about her a while ago and how she inspired Maguire's fictional Ozian holiday, Lurlinemas. Inside this region are some very notable locations and residents, who are called Munchkins (or Munchlanders), to visit. So, let's go see what there is to see.
Do you have a favorite place here or is there a place that you would like to visit in Munchkin Country? Let me know in the comments below. For more obscure locations that appear throughout the stories in this region, check out more on Munchkin Country here. After visiting various places and residents around the Land of the Munchkins, it is only right that we see revisit the media legacy of Munchkin Country across TV and Film. Of course, we already saw the MGM version of Munchkinland; now, we can see the other variants of this wonderland Ozian country. What a lovely country with so much to do! But, one might ask, how can we bring the magic of this world into our neck of the woods? Well, as I always start, you can always watch any of the adaptations just listed above. Another option is to check out the fun card game, Munchkin, produced by Steve Jackson Games. It comes with the main game (seen below) and you can add additional packs. You can learn more about this game and more here. The game comes with tons of activities and resources like the placemat you can use to keep all your character attributes organized. After you have your fun battle with friends or just a journey by yourself, you can check out these great Munchkin-themed finds from The All Things Oz Museum or you check out any number of vendor sites that sell Munchkin-themed merchandise include a set of maps of the Munchkin Country from the International Wizard of Oz Club. Of course, you can always check out the many illustrated books (a few seen above) and comics that feature the Munchkin Country and the various interpretations of this beautiful country. You can also check out the illustrated read along (below) from Disneyland Records, who published a record of this story back in 1969. Another user on Youtube, GemTapp, created his own computer generated adaptation of the second chapter of The Wizard of Oz, "The Council of the Munchkins". Check it out below. Absolutely fabulous! This country has so much to offer that it is still being revisited in so many ways. How will you revisit the Munchkin Country this month? Let me know in the comments below and until next month, we'll be seeing you somewhere into 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. |