As we roll through our year of obscure Oz, we find out that Toto is not the only animal of Oz and apparently the animals of Oz can talk perfect American English. Of course, we know that the Cowardly Lion was an animal who would talk; however, in honor of International Cat Day on August 8th, we have a few other feline friends that grace our presence through the Oz books. First up, is the first ever cat introduced in Baum's Oz (outside of the Cowardly Lion), the Hungry Tiger. Introduced officially in the third book, Ozma of Oz, Dorothy and friends come across the Hungry Tiger, whom the Cowardly Lion knows, and he has quite a story. Apparently, he is always hungry for babies but because of his conscience, he won't eat them, as babies are the only that can satiate him. So, he remains ever hungry like a vampire, even though he eats other foods. The Hungry Tiger has made a few appearances in various adaptations, but the most recent is his appearance in Boomerang's Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz. To learn more about the Hungry Tiger, check out this Ozian page. Below, you will see a clip from the episode, "Lost Appetite", featuring the Hungry Tiger. In the episode, Wilhelmina cast a spell on the Hungry Tiger to take away his hunger and transfer it to one of the monkeys in order to win the Pie Eating Contest. The next cat that is introduced in the Baum series is Eureka, a sassy talking cat that definitely get herself in trouble. She is introduced in the book, Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz, which is by far one of the darker Oz books written by Baum, and is described as looking like she has pink fur due to the multi-colored suns that reside in the Vegetable Kingdom. As Dorothy is introduced to her, she doesn't realize she can talk which only leads her to the conclusion that they must in Oz as only animals can talk in the Land of Oz and no where else. Eureka has made a few appearances in media form including in comic form, as imaged above, in the Marvel comic, which can be purchased here. You can always see if its available at your local library, which is a way better option in my opinion. Another form that is more recent is from the show Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz, which shows a different take on Eureka, who lives in the land of Purrville (which is made up for the show) and apparently only the Scarecrow can understand her as he has the brains for multiple languages. For more information on Eureka, check out the Oz Wiki page. Below, you will find a clip from the episode feature Eureka. Our third feline friend from Oz is Bungle, a glass cat with pink brains, emerald eyes, and scarlet heart. Bungle is introduced in the seventh book of Oz and lives with Dr. Pipt and his wife, who created her in the first place. Bungle can be seen in the show Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz in the episode, "Welcome to the Bungle", where Bungle is a glass cat brought to live with the intent of destroying anything mouse-related. Bungle unfortunately does not appear in the 1914 movie, "Patchwork Girl of Oz", which is available online. A clip from Welcome to the Bungle is shown below. For more about Bungle and what you can catch her in, click here. Fascinatingly enough, the glass cat makes an appearance of sorts in the Wicked books and has different names such as Grimalkin (or "Malky" for short) or Shadowpuppet. For more information on this kitty cat and his story, click here. The final feline friend that we introduced to in the Baum series is THE WOOZY! One of the more fascinating animals in the the Land of Oz. The Woozy is a creature that was found in the Munchkin Country by Ojo and his companions in the seventh Oz book, The Patchwork Girl of Oz. He has the square shapes that make up his head, torso, and legs with a tail that specifically three hairs and really tough skin that prevents him from getting hurt. When he gets upset, he shoots fire from his eyes. The first appearance of The Woozy is in the 1914 film, The Patchwork Girl of Oz, and we can see Ojo trying to pull the hairs from the Woozy's tail, just as described and illustrated in the book. Check out the movie at the link above. Other appearances include its appearance in the episode of The Oz Kids, "The Return of Mombi" as well as in Boomerang's animated TV show, Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz, in the episode, 'Beware the Woozy", which uses a huge portion of the book in the episode as they are trying to find the antidote to the "Perfume of Petrification" (in the book, its called the Liquid of Petrification). As you can see, the Woozy has quite a different appearance from the movie and book and actually talks; so, go ahead and check out the clip below. As you can see, many feline adaptations have only been done on the animated TV show, but at least they are out there publicly and we are seeing a multi-dimensional Oz that connects to the Wizard of Oz movie. As we depart, there is a final media adaptation that was released recently on YouTube of the Patchwork Girl of Oz (released last year) and it was produced by ThunderToad Animation Studios. Check it out below to see another adaptation of the Woozy and the Glass cat of Oz and be sure to see it soon, in case it gets removed! It is a very simple adaptation but it clings very closely to the source material, which is not done very often. Who was your favorite feline of Oz? Please comment below and we will be seeing 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. |