Tag Archives: the curious cruise of captain santa

Jinnicky’s Body

We’re now up to the Oziana from the year I was born, 1977. The front cover shows the royal palace of Oogaboo, as drawn by Albert Chronic. The introductory page has a political cartoon by Bill Eubank that isn’t really that … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Art, Characters, Comics, John R. Neill, L. Frank Baum, Magic, Magic Items, Melody Grandy, Monsters, Names, Oz, Oz Authors, Places, Poetry, Politics, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Golden Ozianaversary

The 2021 issue of Oziana, the fiftieth anniversary edition of the publication, has been released, and I’m in it quite a bit. I’m flattered, but I kind of wonder if my stuff wouldn’t have been better off spaced out somewhat. … Continue reading

Posted in Characters, Chris Dulabone, Christmas, Easter, Eric Shanower, Holidays, John R. Neill, L. Frank Baum, Magic, Marcus Mebes, Marin Elizabeth Xiques, Oz, Oz Authors, Relationships, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Birds of a Feather (and a Few Without)

I don’t think I’ve ever really written specifically about the birds in the Oz series, and there are quite a few of them. When Dorothy first arrives in Oz, she sees “birds with rare and brilliant plumage” in the Munchkin … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Arabian, Characters, Eloise Jarvis McGraw, Humor, John R. Neill, L. Frank Baum, Language, Marcus Mebes, Monsters, Mythology, Oz, Oz Authors, Poetry, Rachel Cosgrove Payes, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Christmas, Toys, and Oz

I might do a re-read of The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus this year, seeing as how I have the new edition with Eric Shanower’s illustrations. I guess it depends on how soon I finish the library books I … Continue reading

Posted in Bill Campbell and Irwin Terry, Characters, Christmas, Eric Shanower, Holidays, Jack Snow, L. Frank Baum, Magic, Oz, Oz Authors, Places, Rachel Cosgrove Payes, Ruth Plumly Thompson, Toys | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

From Olympus to Oz

As a fan of both the Oz books and classical mythology, I have an interest in works that combine the two. Such stories are often controversial, though, both for religious reasons and because crossovers always bring in a lot of … Continue reading

Posted in Characters, Chris Dulabone, Greek Mythology, Hinduism, Hugh Pendexter, Jeff Rester, L. Frank Baum, Marcus Mebes, Marin Elizabeth Xiques, Mythology, Norse, Oz, Oz Authors, Religion, Roman, Ruth Plumly Thompson, Semitic | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

The Patchwork Map of Oz

One of the tropes I came across on TV Tropes for the Land of Oz is that of the Patchwork Map, which definitely applies to Oz and the surrounding nations. A dry desert surrounds the entire nation, even though this … Continue reading

Posted in Dick Martin, L. Frank Baum, Maps, Marcus Mebes, Oz, Oz Authors, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

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

Heck of a Job, Brownie

As I’ve written before, the idea that Santa Claus’s helpers are elves was not universal until relatively recently. In fact, Ruth Plumly Thompson’s The Curious Cruise of Captain Santa refers to them as brownies, which in a way makes more … Continue reading

Posted in British, Celtic, L. Frank Baum, Mythology, Oz, Oz Authors, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , | 11 Comments