Tag Archives: handy mandy

We Are Family

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

Never Enough Oz

Lost Lands of Oz: The Rain King Is Missing, by Dr. Janet Kelly – This book is intended to teach values to kids, and as an adult reading for fun, I can’t say how successful it is in that respect. … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Book Reviews, Characters, Games, Humor, Jared Davis, L. Frank Baum, Magic, Marcus Mebes, Melody Grandy, Oz, Oz Authors, Phyllis Ann Karr, Places, Ruth Plumly Thompson, Sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

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

A Child’s Garden of Curses

While children’s media obviously tend not to contain many actual curse words, characters in them do often use milder swears. Sometimes they’re as simple as minced oaths like “darn” and “heck,” but other writers get much more creative. I’m sure … Continue reading

Posted in Cartoons, Characters, John R. Neill, L. Frank Baum, Language, Magic Items, Melody Grandy, Nursery Rhymes, Oz, Oz Authors, Ruth Plumly Thompson, Super Mario Bros. Super Show, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Royal Ships of Oz

While I don’t think shipping has ever been quite as common for Oz as for many other fandoms, it’s definitely been gaining prominence as of late. Not surprisingly, one of the main targets is the beautiful and powerful Ozma, who … Continue reading

Posted in Characters, Chris Dulabone, Gina Wickwar, Jared Davis, Jeff Rester, John R. Neill, L. Frank Baum, March Laumer, Marcus Mebes, Melody Grandy, Oz, Oz Authors, Phyllis Ann Karr, Relationships, Ron Baxley Jr., Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

The Way to Way-Up

Ruth Plumly Thompson’s two stories about the Kingdom of Way-Up are not explicitly linked to Oz, but as she wrote them not long after retiring as Royal Historian of Oz, it’s not surprising there are some definite similarities. Way-Up is … Continue reading

Posted in Characters, Chris Dulabone, Fairy Tales, Magic, Magic Items, Oz, Oz Authors, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Carpeting the Gaps

The Magic Carpet of Oz, by David Hulan – I was in communication with David back when I first joined the International Wizard of Oz Club more than twenty years ago. He offered me some advice on the Oz stories … Continue reading

Posted in Characters, L. Frank Baum, Magic Items, Oz, Oz Authors, Places, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Nome Invasions

I’ve already discussed the constant invasion attempts of the former Nome King, but this time I’d like to take a closer look at the individual attempts. The first occurs in The Emerald City of Oz, in which King Roquat’s goal … Continue reading

Posted in Characters, Magic Items, Oz | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Wutz the Deal with This Wizard?

The idea of villains wanting to conquer Oz is pretty much a cliché at this point. While it’s largely apocryphal Oz stories in which this plot device is overused, there is precedent for it in the Famous Forty. Would-be conquerors … Continue reading

Posted in Characters, Oz | Tagged , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Mandy, Merry Maiden of Mount Mern

Today, I’m going to feature another personal favorite Oz character, Handy Mandy from the book that bears her name. She’s a fun character, impulsive but also quick-thinking when necessary, with a distinct speech pattern. Oh, and she also has seven … Continue reading

Posted in Characters, Oz | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments