Moving in July, we celebrate Independence Day and with that comes some more fun Ozian implications. Last year, I did a post all about the Ozian influences on America. That was all the Ozian activities within our world. This year, the post is all about the known American locations inside the Oz-verse and how they are seen within media adaptations. Below, I have created a map of all the known places, or at least the ones I know of, where the Oz characters have visited or lived. We will discuss the places with the red stars first, which are states that were visited or lived in by Oz characters. Then, we are going to discuss the places with the blue stars, which will mainly focus on cities that Oz characters have visited or lived. So, let's jump right in and get this Ozian road trip across America started. Within the Oz-verse, the notable states that are mentioned are Kansas, Nebraska, California, Colorado, and Oklahoma. However, for the sake of the post not being too long, we will focus on the first three and their media adaptation legacy. Each of these states has notable characters and locales to check out. So, let us begin our tour of Ozian America. Kansas Here is where Dorothy lives. It is unknown the name of the town where she lives, although NBC's Emerald City gave her town name, Lucas. We are also given information about towns surrounding Dorothy's hometown from various sources. In Baum's Road to Oz, she lives close to a town called Butterfield, which is a town that the Shaggy Man visited one time. In Disney's Return to Oz (1985), she lives outside of the encampment of Franklin and near a town called Cottonwood Falls, where the "wellness" hospital resides. Also, in Wicked: The Musical, even though it is not in Kansas, we see Dorothy's farmhouse and what it might have looked like back in Kansas. Nebraska Next up, the hometown of the Wizard of Oz is Omaha, Nebraska. Seen first in the 1939 Wizard of Oz, the Wizard's balloon shows us the name of the state fair he flew from, which is Omaha, Nebraska. In 2000, we got to see the Omaha name again appear on the top of a circus tent in the animated movie, The Lion of Oz, which is based on Roger S. Baum's book, The Lion of Oz and the Badge of Courage. Roger S. Baum is Frank Baum's great-grandson. In 2013, the Wizard's circus got a new name, Baum Brother's Circus, and this circus was presently situated in Kansas, which was on their travelling route, in Disney's Oz the Great and Powerful. California In Baum's fourth book, Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz, we are introduced to Dorothy going to visit her cousin, Zeb, and his uncle, Bill Hudson. They are relations on her Aunt Em's side of the family. Anyways, in the book, Dorothy is visiting them in California at a place called Hugson's Ranch (see above), which has its own railroad stop called Hugson's Siding (illustrated above by Skottie Young in the comic Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz). Zeb also lives in San Francisco, which is another place of note in Ozian America. Where do you think the Ozzy influence lies in San Francisco? A quick side note is that in addition to those places, there is a place in Southern California, where Baum did a lot of his Oz book writing, called OzCot (most likely short for Ozian Cottage). The last two states are more obscure and not as widely shown in media adaptations. Colorado is where the Shaggy Man and his brother are from while Oklahoma is the home of Betsy Bobbin. I wonder what a Shaggy Man or Betsy Bobbin festival might entail? Any ideas? Let me know in the comments below. With the states out of the way, we continue our tour of American Oz to check some of the notable cities that Ozian characters have frequented. First up, Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love! Philadelphia This is the hometown of Button Bright, first introduced in Baum's The Road to Oz. We were not told in that book where he lives, but when he returns in Baum's later book, Sky Island, we are informed of his hometown, Philadelphia. In a relative's house in Philadelphia, he obtains a magical flying umbrella that can whisk the holder away to any place desirable (as seen above). He did say he visited a lot of other places with his umbrella before landing in a town where Trot and Captain Bill reside in the New England region. In a later Oz book by Ruth Plumly Thompson, we are introduced to another boy, named Peter Brown, who also lives in Philadelphia. Other locales around the country include New York City, which was visited by our Ozian friends in the book, Queer Visitors from the Marvelous Land of Oz comic strips. Their first trip to New York City as seen above. Chicago is another Ozian location that inspired the Emerald City. Of course, I am talking about the 1893 World's Fair, which included the White City. As we all know in Baum's first book, Dorothy discovered that when she took off the glasses, the Emerald City was nothing but a white stone city. Currently, The Museum of Science and Industry resides at the notable "White City" site from that famous World's Fair (see below). It is also the location where the first Wizard of Oz theatrical production was held back in 1902 (photo at top of post). Wow! That's old! With all those wonderful Ozian locales, one may ask how can I bring these Ozian locations to my neck of the woods? Well, you can always visit these locations and see what fun Ozian activities are available or begin an at-home exploration by checking out my post from last year, where I highlight all the notable Ozian locations within our country and what you can do there with some Ozian flair. Of course, you can always check out the movies that are listed on that post, read any of the books mentioned in this post, or create your own Ozian event if you live near or within the cities or states above. Here's what the Oz Club offers for you to do in your neck of the woods when starting up an Ozian event. Lastly, I always suggest taking a visit to the Oz Museum Online Shop, The International Wizard of Oz Club online shop, or the All Things Oz Online Museum Shop as they all offer fun knick knacks to add to your Ozzy collections. Personally, I do enjoy visiting them frequently to check out what new additions are making their appearance each month.
Well, that will be all for our Ozian American tour. I sure hope you had a good time. Which place that is Ozian inspired or visited would you want to go check out? Let me know in the comments below and until next time, I'll be seeing 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. |