WOW! We made it to our THIRD year of celebrating the Land of Oz. In our THIRD year, we are leaving the year of magic and moving into our YEAR OF THE GEOGRAPHY OF OZ. Geography and cartography are big elements within the Oz community as we are world-building this amazing and magical land through visuals, media, and other interactive elements. This year, we will explore regions, realms, and areas all within and outside of the World of Oz. I say, world because the Land of Oz is much bigger than you might think. Check out the maps on the homepage to get a glimpse. Also, the most recent Baum Bugle did a whole new illustration of David Maxine's map above to include a large continental look at the World of Oz. Get yourself a copy now to experience it for yourself. Starting off our year, we look to the realm of BURZEE, the "suggested" birthplace of SANTA CLAUS and the famous Forest of Burzee. It is located SOUTH of the Quadling Country, across the Deadly Dessert. Looking at the map above, created by Oz cartographer, David Maxine, we see that the realm of Burzee shares its land space with some other more notable regions that we visited in Baum's The Road to Oz. We also see that Burzee is located to the WEST of the Laughing Valley of HoHaHo, where Santa Claus resides to this day. There is not much to notate in terms of different places to visit; however, the forest inside the region of Burzee is described in the video below from Oz fan, Raymond Wohl, who reads from the book, The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, a book written by L. Frank Baum. Raymond also put together a 6-part video series where he reads to whole story aloud with illustrations and depictions from the book along with an appearance from Santa Claus himself. When it comes to Burzee, even though there are not any notable places to visit aside from a broken-down house where Santa Claus is left, Shiegra's cave, the realm of the Awgwas, and the area where the Council of Immortals meets, we do have some notable creatures and characters that reside in the Forest (or Realm) of Burzee and its surrounding areas.
Check out a parade of characters from the intro of the 1985 film ("The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus") by Rankin and Bass, most of whom are the immortals from the council of immortals who visit Ak in the Forest of Burzee. Burzee makes its appearance in quite a number of books, where we can learn about many of the features and physical attributes that reside within the region and its connecting areas. For a complete list of books featuring the Forest of Burzee and its adjoining areas like the Valley of HoHaHo, check out the Burzee Oz Wikia page. Burzee also makes appearance in a couple media adaptations that have been done over the years. First, in 1985, Rankin and Bass made a claymation film entitled "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus" (cover below left) and in 2000, Mike Young Productions released an animated film with the same title (cover below right). I definitely recommend including both films in your Christmas playlist as they are both very enjoyable to watch and surprisingly quick as well. It is also been suggested that the Forest of Burzee appeared in the film, The Magic Cloak of Oz (1914), since the fairies inside that story created the magic cloak inside the Forest of Burzee. Also, feel free to check out the comic series done inside the Forest of Burzee. For a complete list of adaptations featuring the Forest of Burzee, click here. So, how can you bring this region of Oz to your neck of the woods? One way is to re-create your own diorama of the landscape of Burzee or The Laughing Valley of HoHaHo. You can use the books and the movies as inspiration to bring to life your own interpretation. I think it would be fascinating to have a VR walkthrough of each location like walking through the Laughing Valley while hearing the laughing in the wind. Another way is to create a Christmas-scape that is inspired by the Forest of Burzee or Santa's home in the Laughing Valley of HoHaHo. You can always use the Christmas in Oz ornaments or toys and place them under a tree. You can find these items from various Oz-themed stores like the All Things Oz Museum or The Oz Museum. Whatever you decide, feel free to share your thoughts and final projects below for other followers to see. This fellow Oz fan re-created the Forest of Burzee in their interpretation through yarn art. Whatever you decide on to inspire you this Christmas, feel free to share your inspirations in the comments below. I, and other Oz fans, would love to see your work. My Christmas in Oz corner is starting to come together. I have Oz Christmas cards and a Wizard in Oz Christmas stocking as a foundation. I also just ordered a Wicked Witch of the West nutcracker as I have a Scarecrow and Tinman nutcracker already. So, it is up to you and how you find inspiration this holiday season. Until next time, when we visit another location in Oz, 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. |