Happy Spring from Oz! May is a lovely month to begin growing your own flowers, fruits, and vegetables. However, in Oz, there is a kingdom that is made up of vegetation that is not friendly at all and puts whole new meaning to "cold as a cucumber". The Vegetable Kingdom is first discovered in Baum's fourth book, Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz. In this post, we shall discuss the Vegetable Kingdom, its denizens, its reign of terror on Dorothy and her companions, as well as how you bring this farming nightmare to your neck of the woods. Dorothy and her cousin Jeb along with Jim, Jeb's horse, and Eureka, Dorothy's companion cat, first came across the Vegetable Kingdom after surviving an earthquake and falling through the earth. Mystically, they floated through the air toward the Mangaboo Palace below (see above). The kingdom under the Land of Oz, which magically grew everything underground, consisted of many types of vegetable denizens, who call themselves Mangaboos. It contains six different colored suns as well as multiple buildings made of glass. After coming down to the floor of the kingdom, they were met by a ruler of the Mangaboos. The denizens were definitely not happy about Dorothy and her companions' arrival because the rocks that fell through with them from the earthquake broke many of the buildings within the kingdom. They even called it the "rain of stones". The trouble with the Mangaboos definitely started when Dorothy and her confidants crashed through into the city; however, it definitely got worse when the Wizard arrived soon after. Once the Wizard arrived and introductions were made, he met the sorcerer of the Mangaboos, Gwig (see above), and the two seemed to have a "grumpy, old men" fight about who was the better sorcerer. This argument led to the Wizard "killing" the Gwig by slicing him in half with a sword; however, the denizens were so shocked by this and took Gwig to be replanted so that he may once again be born whole. As to be expected, once this happened, the Mangaboos were weary of the "intruders"; but, continued to let them tour their fine city of glass. It had gardens, a palace, and a community gathering hall. In the gardens, the group came upon a section that housed the royal bush of the Mangaboos. Here is where the rulers are plucked to be the ruler. When it was discovered that there was a princess who was meant to be plucked and still has not due to the current ruler not wanting to give up his title, Dorothy took it upon herself to get the princess and make her the rightful ruler of the Mangaboos. This aggravated the current ruler and insisted that they be destroyed as he did not want more "meat" people to grow in their beautiful city. After the princess got her rightful place, the previous prince exiled and shunned, and the "strangers" sleeping in the Gwig's house, all seemed right! You would be wrong. Once the princess was caught up on everything, she decided to continue the prince's punishment and destroy them. They surrounded them in Gwig's house intent on throwing them into a black pit. They were forced into the pit, which turned out to be a tunnel and that is the end of the reign of terror from these cold and heartless glass city citizens. Whoo! That was a close call. They are absolutely terrifying. Once you think you are safe, you are not! Just like a horror movie. Well, now that we have discussed the horrid experience that Dorothy and her friends experienced, let us discuss some of the media adaptations that have shown this kingdom and its shady community. Of course, the original text has some illustrations of the kingdom, as seen in the post. There is also a comic series from Marvel that shows much more of the story through more rigid and terrifying illustrations. Check it out for yourself here. You can read the entire story at that link. Another adaptation was done with The Oz Kids back in the '90s in an episode called "The Underground Adventure". In this adaptation, young Frank, who is the son of the Wizard of Oz, ends up falling through the ground with other kids who are on a field trip in a bus. Once there, they meet up first with the Mangaboos and how cold and cringey they are. You can see the entire story below. That is all there is in regard to media adaptations. So, how can you bring this kingdom to your neck of the woods? Well, you can always watch or read any of the adaptations mentioned above, which is a great way to experience the cold-hearted vegetation. Another way that many Oz fans get into bringing Oz to their homes is to have gardens filled with different kinds of flowers like roses from the Rose Kingdom or Oz-themed flowers like those found in the Munchkin Country. For the Mangaboos, one will need to have a place to plant different types of vegetables in a garden plot with a greenhouse cover as well as a sign on the outside that says, "Welcome to the Home of the Mangaboos!" Also, feel free to check out this reading of the Vegetable Kingdom from Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz (below). However, you would like to add a touch of the Mangaboos to your domain, it is up to you. We always welcome difference and diversity in the Land of Oz unlike the denizens of this villainous domain; and, with that, that will close out another visit to the sinister and malicious denizens of Oz. Until next time, 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. |