Monthly Archives: August 2019

War Between the States of Being

Posted on August 28, 2019 by Nathan

Erica Olivera’s presentation on Theosophy and its influence on L. Frank Baum at the latest OzCon included some information on the four kingdoms, those of mineral, vegetable, animal, and human. The animal-vegetable-mineral division is part of general knowledge, as well … Continue reading →

Posted in Alchemy, Animals, Biology, Characters, Christianity, Evolution, Greek Philosophy, History, John R. Neill, L. Frank Baum, Magic, Oz, Oz Authors, Philosophy, Prejudice, Religion, Science, Snobbery, Theosophy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Winter Woes

Posted on August 23, 2019 by Nathan

Aru Shah and the Song of Death, by Roshani Chokshi – The second book in this foray into Hindu mythology sees Aru blamed for the theft of the love god’s Kamadeva’s bow and arrow, and are tasked with proving their … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Book Reviews, Corporations, Dreams, Hinduism, Humor, Jasper Fforde, Monsters, Mythology, Religion, Rick Riordan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

A Portable Port of a Prequel

Posted on August 22, 2019 by Nathan

I finished the Game Boy Color version of Dragon Warrior III last week, so I might as well say a bit about it. You probably already know this, but the series was always Dragon Quest in Japan, but became Dragon … Continue reading →

Posted in Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Language, Magic, Names, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What Makes a Fairy?

Posted on August 21, 2019 by Nathan

Happy birthday to Ozma, Fairy Ruler of the Land of Oz! I’ve looked before at how Ozma was basically retconned into being a fairy, but what exactly does that mean? A fairy, in L. Frank Baum’s mythology, can be basically … Continue reading →

Posted in Characters, L. Frank Baum, Magic, Oz, Oz Authors, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Saving the World While We’re Young

Posted on August 15, 2019 by Nathan

I’ve seen the topic come up of how everyone tends to be young in Japanese role-playing video games, to the extent that people in their thirties are considered old. I noticed this in Final Fantasy VII, where everyone seems to … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Comics, Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Gender, J.R.R. Tolkien, Magic, Prejudice, Relationships, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

We Are Family

Posted on August 14, 2019 by Nathan

This post on the Merry Old Land of Oz Facebook group got me thinking about how most of the kids who visit Oz tend to be only children. Okay, to be fair, it’s possible they have siblings we don’t know … Continue reading →

Posted in Atticus Gannaway, Characters, Dick Martin, Families, Jack Snow, John R. Neill, L. Frank Baum, Oz, Oz Authors, Rachel Cosgrove Payes, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

I Have the Power!

Posted on August 10, 2019 by Nathan

Hell’s Super, by Mark Cain – This comedic look at the popular conception of Hell is narrated by Steve Minion, a rich guy in life who became the superintendent in Hell, conscripted to fix everything that breaks. The fact that … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Cartoons, Celebrities, History, Humor, Mythology, Oz, Religion, Star Trek, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Banana Slammer!

Posted on August 10, 2019 by Nathan

In my ongoing viewing of cartoons based on video games, I knew there was a Donkey Kong Country series, but not that much about it. Made by the Canadian animation company Nelvana, the same one that made the Care Bears … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Cartoons, Donkey Kong, Humor, Magic, Music, Relationships, Television, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Superfueled Elasticycle

Posted on August 8, 2019 by Nathan

SPOILERS! Doom Asylum – Beth really liked Frankenhooker, and this was the only other film with Patty Mullen, who played the titular character and was also a Penthouse Pet. And like Frankenhooker, this is a comedic horror film. Mullen plays … Continue reading →

Posted in Cartoons, Families, Humor, Names, Relationships, Revisiting Disney, Technology, Television, VoVat Goes to the Movies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Glutton for Punnishness

Posted on August 7, 2019 by Nathan

Something I’ve looked at before is the nature of puns in the Oz series, and how they can serve different purposes. Some are purposely made by the characters, some are asides, and others are just kind of part of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Characters, Humor, John R. Neill, L. Frank Baum, Language, Oz, Oz Authors, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment