Land of Oz/Characters: Difference between revisions

* [[Tagalong Kid]]: Inverted; she's the leader, and the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion are the tagalongs.

* [[Trapped in Another World]]: In the first book.

 

=== Scarecrow ===

* [[Demoted to Extra]]: Despite being one of the iconic Oz characters and a major character in Baum's books, he's delegated to very minor roles (and often doesn't appear at all) once Ruth Plumly Thompson takes over the series.

* [[Determinator]]: As much of his character as being a sweetheart. He was so determined to earn enough money to support his fiancee that he didn't stop working, even after losing his limbs to the cursed axe. If there's a situation where the axe has to come out, he does not stop unless all the threats are missing their heads or he is literally too damaged to move.

* [[Family-Unfriendly Violence]]

* [[The Heart]]: In spite of his insistence that he doesn't have one.

 

=== The Wizard, AKA O.Z. Diggs ===

 

An Omaha, Nebraska sideshowman, ventriloquist, and [[Master of Illusion|magician]], who came to the [[Magical Land|Land of Oz]] by accident in a hot air balloon. He tells Dorothy and her friends they must first kill the Wicked Witch of the West before he will grant the favors they seek from him. After accomplishing this mission, Dorothy discovered him to be a [[The Man Behind the Curtain|humbug]] (not a real wizard). After being exposed by Dorothy he finds a way to help the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Cowardly Lion get what they desire most, brains, a heart, and courage. He then leaves the Land of Oz the same way he first arrived, by a hot air balloon. After returning to America, the Wizard found his way back to Oz once again, where he was invited to stay and become a real wizard. He has learned much real magic from Glinda the Good, and is now one of Ozma's closest advisers.

The wicked witch who rules the Winkies from her Yellow Castle. When the Wizard of Oz sends Dorothy and her friends to defeat the witch, she uses the Winged Monkeys to capture them. The witch then tries to get the Silver Shoes away from Dorothy, who throws a bucket of water on the witch, not knowing it will make the witch melt away forever. With the Wicked Witch of the West gone, Dorothy, her friends, and the Winkies are set free.

 

* [[Bad Boss]]: She must had been this if her [[Mooks]] celebrated her death.

* [[Dark Is Evil]]

The daughter of the former King of Oz, Pastoria, and the rightful ruler of Oz, she was discovered and restored to her throne, where she has ruled ever since. Her subjects love and trust her, and she is good and kind to them in return.

 

* [[Amnesiacs Are Innocent]]: Ozma exploits this with her Fountain of Oblivion

* [[Big Brother Is Your Friend]]: Glinda and Ozma form a benevolent dictatorship. Given the lack of needing ''resources'' in Oz, this is pretty much just means that they keep a monopoly on stronger magics, and keep people from hurting each other. Ozma is the carrot. That this is a good thing is played completely straight.

* [[A Child Shall Lead Them]]

* [[Deadpan Snarker]]: Most notably as Tip; as Ozma this trait is a lot more understated and almost seems to be absent -- though there are times when she'll be subtly mischevious or gently crack fun of a situation just for the hell of it.

* [[Everything's Better with Princesses]]

* [[Flower in Her Hair]]

* [[Gender Bender]]

* [[The Hero|The Heroine]]

* [[Iconic Characters]]: Princess Ozma appears to be the model for [[A New Hope|Princess Leia]] and [[The Phantom Menace|Queen Amidala]].

* [[Kid Hero|Kid Heroine]]

Like Jack Pumpkinhead, the Sawhorse was given life by Mombi's Powder of Life, though in the case of the Sawhorse Tip called him to life to serve as a riding animal on his and Jack's trip to the Emerald City. Being made entirely of wood (and "shod" with gold, to keep his wooden hooves from wearing out), he's both faster and more durable than any normal horse and in subsequent books is generally seen pulling Ozma's carriage.

 

* [[Deadpan Snarker]]: Occasionally, especially towards Jack Pumpkinhead.

* [[The Stoic]]: Insult him, threaten him, leave him standing by the road for days, send him into mortal peril -- he never minds and is never fazed.

 

=== The Gump ===

 

Originally the Gump was a mounted head over the mantle in the great hallway of the Royal Palace in the Emerald City. It has antlers like an elk, but it's up-turned nose and billy goat chin whiskers give it an air of absurdity. The Tin Woodman uses the Gump as a head along with two large sofas for a body, four palm leaves for wings, an a broom for a tail to fashion a means to escape the Army of Revolt. Tip then applies the last of the Powder of Life to bring bring this strange creation to life. Thus the Gump becomes an unlikely aerial transport for Tip and his friends in their escape from Jinjur and the Army of Revolt. After tranquility and order is finally restored to the Emerald City, the parts of this strange flying machine are returned to their original function, with the Gump returning to its place over the mantle, where he sometimes strikes up conversations with shocked visitors.

 

* [[Deadpan Snarker]]

* [[Giant Flyer]]: possibly the weirdest flying creature ever.

 

=== Mombi ===

 

An old woman who secretly engages in the practice of magic. Although she has developed many powers, she is not simply a witch, but more of a sorceress. Her best magic involves the creation of very [[Master of Illusion|realistic illusions]]. She uses these powers in an attempt by rebels to retain control of the Emerald City and to foil Glinda the Good's move to restore the rightful heir to the throne of Oz.

* [[Author Appeal]]

* [[Big Bad]]

* [[Exotic Weapon Supremacy]]: General Jinjur's knitting-needles.

* [[Femme Fatale]]: She's not above using her looks to get her way.

* [[Straw Feminist]]: She is Baum's [[Affectionate Parody]] of the American suffrage movement (which he supported).

* [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]]

 

=== Army of Revolt ===

 

An [[Amazon Brigade|army of girls]] from all over the Land of Oz that Jinjur assembled to conquer the [[The City|Emerald City]], depose King Scarecrow, and run the government to suit themselves. They looted the city upon its capture, picking out the emeralds and other jewels which decorated the streets and buildings. Their uniforms include a green sash around the waist and a skirt in four colors; blue, yellow, red, and purple representing the four countries of Oz. Each of the four companies of girls wear their skirts so that the color of their country are to the front. Their weapons are [[Exotic Weapon Supremacy|two long, glittering knitting-needles]] stuck through the knot of their hair at the back of their head.

 

=== Tik-Tok ===

 

[[Robot Names|Tik-Tok]] is an incredible [[Robot Buddy|copper mechanical man]]. He has a [[Clock Punk|wind-up clock mechanism]] for thinking, speaking, walking, and other movements. He was made by Smith & Tinker at their Works in Evna. He was purchased by King Evoldo and named [[Robot Names|Tik-Tok]] because of the sound he makes when wound up. Dorothy finds him in the rock chamber where he had been placed by Evoldo. He proves to be quite invaluable to her in the challenges she faces in this adventure which carries them deep into the Nome King's underground domains. Tik-Tok becomes an honored member of Ozma's retinue in the Emerald City, joining in many other adventures in the Land of Oz.

* [[Clockwork Creature]]

* [[Iconic Characters]]

* [[Non-Human Sidekick]]

* [[Robo Speak]]: The oldest version of this trope.

 

=== The Nome King ===

 

Although the Wicked Witch of the West is the most famous of Oz's villains (thanks to [[The Wizard of Oz (film)|the popular 1939 film]]), the Nome King is the closest the book series has to a primary [[Big Bad]]. He appears again and again to cause trouble for the Land of Oz. He's described as looking like an demented Santa Claus. Originally his name was Roquat the Red, but in ''The Emerald City of Oz'' he was reformed after a dunking in the Water of Oblivion; he soon returned to his evil ways, but forgot his name, and started calling himself Ruggedo.

* [[Pet the Dog]]: In ''Tik-Tok'', he rescues Betsy from being thrown into the Slimy Cave. (While being in the Slimy Cave would probably have not been too bad on its own, Ruggedo was in the process of throwing a huge tantrum, [[Baleful Polymorph|turning people into musical instruments]] and calling for torturers. Since Betsy was a [[Tagalong Kid]], Kaliko presumably thought that she was safer waiting out the situation in his house.) This functions to set him up as a good replacement King later in the book, since his role before that point consisted of following his boss's orders and advising him against foolishness.

* [[Servile Snarker]]

 

 

* [[I Just Want to Be Special]]: Invoked after he loses the race with the Sawhorse and realizes that in a fairy world a normal horse like him [[Can't Catch Up]], so he wants to go back to California, where he ''is'' special.

* [[Put on a Bus]]: Along with Zeb, he returns to California and is never seen in the series again.

 

== Road to Oz ==

 

=== Shaggy Man ===

 

A kindly old wanderer, dressed all in rags. His basic philosophy of life centers on love and an aversion to money and material possessions. His one possession of value is the Love Magnet. He first meets Dorothy on her Uncle Henry's farm in Kansas. They become lost and have a series of adventures, culminating at a grand birthday party for Ozma in the Emerald City of Oz. In later stories we learn that the Shaggy Man becomes a full time resident of Oz, where Ozma appoints him Governor of the Royal Storehouses.

 

=== Button-Bright ===

 

A little boy who accompanies Dorothy and the Shaggy Man on their adventures in the Land of Oz. They find him lost on the road while they are hunting for Butterfield. He has blue eyes, pretty curls, a chubby round face, and always wears a sailor suit. Button-Bright appears to be 2 or 3 years younger than Dorothy. To almost every question his answer is "Don`t know," or similar words. In later appearances he is older and more verbose, but has gained a knack for getting lost. In the adventure recounted in ''Sky Island,'' we learn he comes from Philadelphia and his real name is Saladin Paracelsus de Lambertine Evagne von Smith.

* [[Mood Swinger]]: She's usually the happiest, most cheerful person around, laughing and dancing about without a care -- but when she's lost, lonely or upset, she'll cry loudly and declare herself "the most miserable girl in the world." Only to be all smiles again when someone shows her any amount of kindness.

* [[Non-Human Sidekick]]

** Interestingly enough, in her first appearance, in ''The Road to Oz.'' she tells Dorothy that she doesn't know any kind of magic, because "we who live on the rainbow among the fleecy clouds have no use for magic." However, in ''Tin Woodsman of Oz,'' she has become a rather accomplished magic-user and, despite spending much of the book [[Baleful Polymorph|stuck in the form of a canary]], performs several helpful magics. Possibly, she began learning magic in anticipation that she might get stuck on the ground again.

 

 

=== Ojo the (Un)Lucky ===

 

A poor Munchkin boy who lives with his uncle Unc Nunkie in the Northern part of Oz, and is first thought to be a common Munchkin, but in later books is revealed to be the lost prince of Seebania. He's the primary protagonist of ''The Patchwork Girl of Oz'' and the later ''Ojo in Oz.''

 

=== Bungle The Glass Cat ===

 

Bungle's body is made entirely of clear glass, with a blood-red ruby stone in her chest for a heart, two emeralds for eyes, and several bright pink marbles in her head for brains. She was made and brought to life by Dr. Pipt and his Powder of Life, for the specific purpose of catching mice for his wife. But the Glass Cat turned out to be exceptionally vain, and unwilling to do any work.

 

=== Scraps, the Patchwork Girl ===

 

A living doll given "too many marbles", she's eccentric (read: insane) even by Ozian standards, yet is quite friendly. She has an enduring crush on the Scarecrow.

 

=== The Woozy ===

 

A strange, yet friendly creature made up of only squares and flat surfaces, and who therefore prides himself on [[A Worldwide Punomenon|"being square."]] He's good-natured and helpful, but insists that he can be very ferocious when angry, fire flashes from his eyes, and he has the most terrifying growl of any animal. {{spoiler|The part about the fire turns out to be true, the part about the roar turns out to be very, very false.}}

 

=== Betsy Bobbin ===

 

A little girl who was shipwrecked along with her donkey, Hank, Betsy is another American country girl left to wander. She's more or less another Dorothy, and Princess Dorothy takes a great interest in her welfare.

 

=== Queen Ann Soforth ===

 

Queen of Oogaboo, a tiny kingdom within the greater Oz, Ann is bored of her quiet life, where all she really does is watch over her kingdom and fight with her sister, Salye. While Anne is 'old enough to make jelly,' it's explained that she's only Queen since her father wandered off, and her mother followed him, leaving Ann to 'rule.' As a result, she's convinced that the world outside of Oogaboo is infinitely more interesting and worth ruling over. She orders the men of Oogaboo to form an army, with only one, Jo Files, agreeing to be the lone Private. While she doesn't want to shed any blood (she might faint at the sight, after all), she determines to conquer the rest of Oz, knowing that Ozma doesn't even keep a Private Soldier anymore. What she ''doesn't'' know is that Glinda's been paying attention to her book of records, and magically diverted the mountain pass that leads from Oogaboo into the rest of Oz, instead dropping Ann and her army out in the desert...

 

=== Jo Files ===

 

The sole private of Queen Ann's army, Jo Files is intelligent, well-read and brave -- which is why he declines to be an officer like the others. For all his talk about battle and conquest, though, he's a polite and friendly person who always apologizes if he thinks he's hurt someone, and when commanded to conquer pretty young ladies, he immediately resigns from the army because that would be "impolite." He grows very close to Princess Ozga over the course of the story.

 

=== Quox ===

 

A young dragon in the service of the fairies, as punishment for being disrespectful towards his elders. He takes it in good humor, though, serving as a beast of burden for the party for parts of the book and even comes to their rescue at a crucial moment.

The ruler of the Flatheads. Although supposedly an elected ruler, he always counts the votes himself and therefore is always "reelected".

 

 

=== Coo-ee-oh ===

 

* [[God Save Us From the Queen]]

* Magitek: Some of her spells fall into this- particularly, she uses magic to operate her submarines and the retractable bridge between her island and the shore.

 

=== Red Reera ===

 

A Yookoohoo- a magical being with great powers of transformation- Red Reera is characterized by her fondness for things other people dislike (such as [[Reptiles Are Abhorrent|lizards]], huge spiders, and wolves) and her disdain for human company.

 

* [[Voluntary Shapeshifting]]: Can transform herself and her pets into any form she desires. She can do it to others as well, but does not do so without their permission.