Tag Archives: bunbury

Heffalumps and Woozies

After two years when it just wasn’t possible, we finally had an in-person OzCon International this year. It was in Pomona, California again, and it was one day and some change, so I initially thought it wouldn’t make sense to … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Art, Atticus Gannaway, Celebrities, Characters, Eric Shanower, Food, Jack Snow, John R. Neill, L. Frank Baum, Oz, Oz Authors, Places, Plays, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Glutton for Punnishness

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

Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign

The program books at the Winkie Convention/OzCon International, edited by David Maxine, have some pretty good essays and other material. My first contribution appeared in this year’s, which also included Robert Pattrick’s story about the Tin Woodman and Tin Soldier … Continue reading

Posted in Eloise Jarvis McGraw, Eric Shanower, Humor, John R. Neill, L. Frank Baum, Language, Oz, Oz Authors, Places, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Meatless Mortality

We know that flesh-and-blood people and animals are pretty much functionally immortal in Oz. They can be potentially be destroyed, but won’t die of old age or disease, and even being torn into pieces isn’t necessarily fatal. What I sometimes … Continue reading

Posted in Characters, Food, John R. Neill, L. Frank Baum, Magic, Magic Items, Melody Grandy, Oz, Oz Authors, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

What’s the Punishment for Puns?

It’s well-known that L. Frank Baum was a notorious punster, and some of the authors who continued the Oz series were even worse in that respect. Puns are delivered in several different ways in the books, some being delivered intentionally … Continue reading

Posted in Characters, Humor, L. Frank Baum, Language, Magic, Magic Items, Names, Oz, Oz Authors, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

You Will Be Assimilated

It’s become a cliché in the Oz series that the magical land is full of insular themed communities where the inhabitants either want to turn visitors into beings like them, or sometimes just keep them as slaves. In Ruth Plumly … Continue reading

Posted in Dick Martin, Eloise Jarvis McGraw, John R. Neill, L. Frank Baum, Magic Items, Oz, Oz Authors, Places, Ruth Plumly Thompson, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Southern Hozpitality

Now we turn to the Quadling Country, literally the “little four” country. The name suggests that it’s the fourth of the main Oz countries to be united. It’s probably at least partially inspired by the Southern United States, which explains … Continue reading

Posted in Dick Martin, Eloise Jarvis McGraw, Eric Shanower, L. Frank Baum, Maps, Oz, Oz Authors, Places, Rachel Cosgrove Payes, Ruth Plumly Thompson, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Patchwork Relationships

Jared Davis recently wrote about relationships and sexuality in Oz, a topic that I’d addressed before. Jared and J.L. Bell have also commented on how a passage in The Tin Woodman of Oz has taken on a different but perhaps … Continue reading

Posted in Characters, Families, Gender, Jack Snow, Jared Davis, John R. Neill, L. Frank Baum, Oz, Oz Authors, Relationships, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Let’s Get Baked

Ruth Plumly Thompson was known to have brought several of her original creations from short stories and poems into the Oz world, including Pumperdink, Sun Top Mountain, the Land of Patch, and the Forgetful Poet. This raises the question as … Continue reading

Posted in Advertising, Authors, Book Reviews, Corporations, Douglas Adams, Fairy Tales, Food, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, John R. Neill, L. Frank Baum, Marin Elizabeth Xiques, Oz, Oz Authors, Places, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Keep on Rockin’ in a Tree World

Trees bearing unusual items are a regular occurrence in the Oz series, so it’s kind of interesting that they weren’t really part of Oz as it was first envisioned. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has fighting trees, but otherwise trees … Continue reading

Posted in L. Frank Baum, Melody Grandy, Oz, Oz Authors, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments