Happy Holidays, fellow Ozians! Our new year of exploring Oz has begun and the theme this year is Magical Creatures of Oz. Oz has an abundance of magical beings, fantastical beasts, and charmed creatures. To start off, I will be returning to the Forest of Burzee, just as in previous Decembers, to showcase more notable characters from this magical forest. Here, in this obscure sanctuary, just South of the Deadly Desert, lives fairies, nymphs, knooks, ryls (RYE-alls), gnomes, imps, sprites, and pixies. For this post, I will explore these creatures and their origins in Oz, their media appearances, you can experience these magical beings in your neck of the woods. Many creatures are known in our mythology; however, some are created by Baum himself like Ryls and Knooks. Ryls are immortal creatures that are responsible for the flora in Burzee while knooks are immortal creatures responsible for the fauna. The origin of these charmed creatures dates back to the beginning of time in the Oz-verse, which is in the 7th century, according to the Royal Timeline of Oz. The residents of Burzee are introduced in Baum's The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus. We even get to experience some notable and fantastical beings in the book and different adaptations like:
These forest inhabitants have appeared in a number of media adaptations that can be enjoyed year after year. There is the two movie adaptations, Rankin and Bass The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus (1985) and Mike Young's The Life and Adventure of Santa Claus (2000). The former is told through claymation while the latter is told through animation. The characters also make an appearance in a graphic novel illustrated by Michael Ploog and dialogue from L. Frank Baum's story. In 2017, another graphic novel was released by IDW Publishing with illustrations by renowned Oz fan and comic illustrator Eric Shanower (covers below). So, how does one bring the different residents to your neck of the woods? Well, you can get a copy of any of the adaptations listed above. You can also listen to one of the various story adaptations out there like the Audible reading or the IWOC reading as seen below. However you choose to engage with these characters is completely up to you. Personally, I would love to start seeing stuffed animals that represent the different characters. That would be awesome! Well, that will close us out for another month and until next time, I'll be seeing you somewhere into the Oz-verse.
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Our final Villains in Oz focuses on a Thanksgiving in Oz story. In this story adapted from Marvelous Land of Oz, Ozma of Oz, and Volkov's Urfin Jus and the Wooden Soldiers, we get to meet the infamous Tyrone the Terrible Toymaker. This character, who seemingly shares characteristics of the Nome King and Urfin Jus, is introduced to Dorothy from a frightened Jack Pumpkinhead. In this post, we'll learn about his origins, his only media legacy, and ways you can enjoy this gangly curmudgeon. Tyrone's story begins sometime after the death of the Wicked Witch of the West. Living in a castle high atop Ku-Ka-La Mountain, located in what could possibly reside in the Winkie Country, as Jack Pumpkinhead welcomes Dorothy to the "Winkle Country" in the movie/book, and mentions it as the former home of the Wicked Witch. Anyways, Tyrone was hoping to become a successful toymaker; however, when his plans fell through, he decided on taking the evil path. Thus, he has vowed to rule over the Emerald City with his army of toy soldiers, once he obtains the powder(keg) of life, of course. Once he gets the powder of life, Dorothy and her new friends pursue Tyrone to stop him from bringing his army of toy soldiers to life. When Dorothy arrives at the toymaker's castle, she has to use a song to win over the good in his heart. It is quite a fascinating story and obscure at that. This villain's story was only brought to life in the movie, "Thanksgiving in the Land of Oz" (a.k.a. as "Dorothy in the Land of Oz"), which you can check out online by clicking the picture above. Another fascinating piece of merchandise that released with this movie was a novelization of the book, "Dorothy and the Green Gobbler of Oz" by Romeo Muller. As to be expected, you get more information from the book that may not have been made clear in the movie. You can get a copy of the book online. Aside from the book, if you want to get a copy of this movie, you can always get a copy of the movie for yourself or get a copy of the poster for the movie. Below are the DVD cover (left) and promotional poster (right). There unfortunately is not a lot out there, but that means there is always room for making T-shirts and other items in the future. Well, that will do it for another year of Oz explorations. Which post did you enjoy the most? Let me know in the comments; and, however you choose to spend your Thanksgiving this year, don't forget to check out Tyrone's villain story; and until next month, when we return for a whole new year of Oz exploration activities: A Year of Ozian Sidekicks. I'll be seeing you somewhere in the Oz-verse.
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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. |