Hello all from the crimson country in the South of Oz: the Quadling Country. This February, we are looking at all types of magical creatures in this wonderful land, where even the flora have a sentient life of their own. First introduced in Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Dorothy and her friends met with a cluster of trees that were both violent and defensive. They waved their branches to block anyone from going into the southern part of Oz. In this post, I will showcase the various iterations of these wild and crazy conifers, their origins and magical characteristics, and how you can bring these feisty forest denizens to your neck of the woods. The origin of these fighting trees is never directly stated nor it is stated as to how they were magically enchanted as well as why they were so hostile towards visitors (although, hostility does seem to be trend in Oz). However, it can probably be implied that the trees were probably put there by Glinda to help protect the country from unwanted visitors. This could have happened when Glinda rose to power in the Quadling Country after defeating the Wicked Witch of the South. It might also be assumed that since she has a wide array of magical abilities that she could have been the ones to enchant them. What are your theories about the origins of these daring dendrograms? Let me know in the comments. The legacy that the fighting trees have left is a decent amount. Of course, there was the most notable version in MGM's The Wizard of Oz (1939). Outside of that, these cantankerous conifers make their appearance in other adaptations as well, which can be seen throughout this post. Now, you must be wondering, "how can I experience these trees in my neck of the woods?" Of course, there is always the option of watching one of the adaptations mentioned in this post like one of the many episodes of Boomerang's "Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz" (like from the episode, "Beware the Woozy", see below). You can access this show on many different streaming services for a small fee. Of course, you can always check out an illustrated version like the graphic novel that Marvel put out in 2011 or 1975. Outside of those options, you can always video games that features the fighting trees like the Wizard of Oz Match-3 game (see below). A whole section of the game takes place in the Apple Tree Forest. I did recently discover a new TV show on an app called AmebaTV that features a retelling of the story in what looks like an 8-bit animation. You can check it out here. It does look like for a small fee you can get access to all episodes. A scene from the fighting trees episode is below. There are so many options of ways you can experience these fighting flora and it's all up to you. Before I leave you, there is one place where you can experience the real world version of these trees. In North Carolina, there is a small interactive amusement experience that allows you to walk down the yellow brick road with Dorothy and her friends. Along the way, you will see a wide variety of trees with "faces" that are definitely inspired by these volatile villains. Click on the picture below for more about the park. Well, that should be about it with our journey through magical Ozian creatures for this month and until next time, I'll be seeing you somewhere in the Oz-verse.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Posts by Years
All
Archives
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. |