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This article focuses on the classic story, "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz".
For the character known as the Wizard of Oz, see Walsh.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a children's novel featured on ABC's Once Upon a Time. It was written by American author L. Frank Baum and published in 1900.

Traditional Plot

Dorothy Gale lives with her Aunt Em, her Uncle Henry, and her dog Toto on a small farm in the great Kansas plains. One day, an enormous cyclone hits the farmhouse. Aunt Em and Uncle Henry can hide in the storm cellar, but before Dorothy and Toto can reach the cellar, the cyclone picks up Dorothy's house with her and Toto inside of it. The house lands in a beautiful world where Dorothy is greeted by three short men in blue clothing and a short old woman wearing a white gown and pointed hat.

The old woman tells Dorothy she is now in the Land of Oz and claims to be the Good Witch of the North of the Gillikin Country. The witch tells Dorothy that when she arrived, her house landed on and killed the Wicked Witch of the East, the Munchkin Country's vicious former ruler. The only thing that remains of the witch is her magical silver shoes given to Dorothy by the Good Witch of the North. Dorothy tells the witch that she wishes to return home to Kansas, so the witch tells Dorothy of a powerful wizard who rules over the Emerald City in the center of Oz. She gives her a magical kiss on the forehead, which will protect her, and sends her down a yellow brick road, which leads to the Emerald City.

Along the way, Dorothy comes across a cornfield and meets a talking scarecrow who befriends Dorothy and comes with her on her quest to the Emerald City in hopes of the wizard, giving him a brain. Eventually, the two come upon a man made entirely out of tin who has become completely rusted. Dorothy and the Scarecrow find an oil can and use it to restore the movement of the Tin Woodsman, who tells them that he was once in love with a woman and planned to marry her, but the old woman she was a servant for did not want her to leave, so she paid the Wicked Witch of the East to prevent him from marrying her; which she did by enchanting his ax so he would continue to chop off parts of his body. Every time he chopped off a body part, a tinsmith would help him replace the body part with tin. He eventually chopped off all of his body parts and became completely made of tin, but when the tinsmith made his body parts, he forgot to put in a heart for him, and without a heart, he could no longer love the girl he used to be in love with. Dorothy and the Scarecrow invite the Tin Woodsman along the way so that he can receive a heart from the wizard.

The three of them enter a spooky woods where a ferocious lion attacks them. They soon discover the lion is nothing but cowardly and lacks courage. The lion joins the group seeking courage from the wizard. The four of them face kalidahs, creatures with the head of a tiger and the body of a bear. However, they are managed to escape but soon come across a field of magical poppies that puts Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion, and Toto fast asleep. Since the Scarecrow and Tin Woodsman are not made of flesh, they can carry Dorothy and Toto across the poppy fields, but the Cowardly Lion is too heavy for them to lift. The Tin Woodsman seeks help from a talking mouse known as the Queen of the Field Mice. The queen and her subjects help them by carrying the lion across the poppy fields ending his slumber.

The four finally reach the beautiful, green Emerald City where they are given a pair of green spectacles at the gate and are told by the gatekeeper they must wear them to protect their eyes from being blinded by the dazzling sights of the city. The four each meet with the wizard in his throne room individually who appears to them in four different forms; he appears to Dorothy as a giant, floating head, he appears to the Scarecrow as a beautiful, winged woman, he appears to the Tin Woodsman as a giant lizard creature. He appears to the Cowardly Lion as a blazing ball of fire. They each state their requests, and the wizard tells each of them he shall not grant their wishes unless they destroy the Wicked Witch of the West, who rules over the Winkie Country.

The witch saw the four of them coming to destroy her, so she sent her armies after them to no avail; first, she blew her enchanted silver whistle once and summoned a group of wolves whose heads were chopped off by the Tin Woodsman, then she blew the whistle twice and summoned an army of angry crows whose necks were strangled by the Scarecrow, then she blew the whistle three times and summoned a swarm of black bees that all died after stinging the Tin Woodsman. Finally, she blew the whistle four times and summoned her Winkie slaves who were scared away from Dorothy and her friends by the Cowardly Lion. The witch finally resorted to using her magical Golden Cap, which could only be used three times to summon her army of Winged Monkeys who tore up the Scarecrow, threw the Tin Woodsman against sharp rocks, and captured Dorothy, Toto, and the Cowardly Lion. The witch made Dorothy her slave while she starved the lion until he agreed to be her slave. The witch wanted Dorothy's silver shoes and was able to use trickery to steal one. An angry Dorothy threw a bucket of water on the witch, which melted her, allowing Dorothy to recover her stolen shoe. The citizens of the Winkie Country rejoiced after being freed from the witch's tyranny and helped Dorothy restore the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodsman and made the Tin Woodsman their new ruler.

Dorothy took the witch's Golden Cap and used the cap to command the Winged Monkeys. Her first request was for them to fly her and her friends back to the Emerald City. After arriving in the Emerald City, Dorothy and her friends discovered that the wizard was not a wizard at all, but nothing but a short old man hiding behind a curtain. He explained that he was once a magician from Omaha who traveled in a hot air balloon with his first two initials, O.Z., on the balloon, when the balloon got caught in a vicious storm crashed into the Land of Oz. Since Oz's citizens did not know of hot air balloons, they all assumed he was a wizard because he came from the sky and their country's name was on the balloon. The people of Oz built a great big city for him and proclaimed him as their ruler. He did not want to hurt anyone's feelings, so he used machinery to fool everyone into thinking he was a wizard and made everyone wear green glasses so the city would appear green when in reality, it was not.

Dorothy and her friends were furious at first and were disappointed that they would not receive their wishes. However, the wizard explained to the Scarecrow, Tin Woodsman, and Cowardly Lion that they already had what they sought. The three were still not happy, so as placebos, he placed a bag full of bran, needles, and pins inside the Scarecrow's head as a brain for him, he placed a phony heart made of velvet and sawdust inside the Tin Woodsman's stomach as a heart for him, and he made the lion drink a green liquid as courage for him. Their wishes are granted except for Dorothy's, who still wishes to return home. The wizard repairs his hot air balloon to take Dorothy back to Kansas and gives his throne to the Scarecrow, proclaiming Oz's new ruler. The balloon, however, sets off too early, taking the wizard and leaving Dorothy in Oz. Dorothy uses the Golden Cap a second time to ask the monkeys to return her home, but she is told they cannot cross the desert that surrounds Oz. She is told by a soldier with green whiskers to seek help from Glinda, the Good Witch of the South, who rules over the Quadling Country.

The four venture into the Quadling Country, where the Cowardly Lion defeats a giant spider terrorizing a forest's animals, so they proclaim him the King of the Beasts. Along the way, the four encounter Fighting Trees, a country made entirely out of china, and armless creatures known as Hammer-Heads. Dorothy uses her final wish and asks the Winged Monkeys to carry her and her friends over the mountains. Dorothy finally meets with Glinda, who tells her that she always had the power to go home all this time and that the Silver Shoes can take her anywhere she wishes to go. Glinda takes the Golden Cap from Dorothy and commands the Winged Monkeys to take Dorothy's friends to their new given kingdoms, orders them never to bother others, and gives the cap to the King of the Winged Monkeys, thus freeing them of its spell. Dorothy bids goodbye to her friends and clicks her heels three times as she and Toto are transported back to Kansas with Aunt Em and Uncle Henry.

Trivia


"The princess was angry, and she knew, of course, who
did it. She had all the Winged Monkeys brought before her,
and she said at first that their wings should be tied and they
should be treated as they had treated Quelala, and dropped
in the river. But my grandfather pleaded hard, for he knew
the Monkeys would drown in the river with their wings tied,
and Quelala said a kind word for them also; so that
Gayelette finally spared them, on condition that the Winged
Monkeys should ever after do three times the bidding of the
owner of the Golden Cap. This Cap had been made for a
wedding present to Quelala, and it is said to have cost the
princess half her kingdom. Of course my grandfather and all
the other Monkeys at once agreed to the condition, and that
is how it happens that we are three times the slaves of the
owner of the Golden Cap, whosoever he may be."
"And what became of them?" asked Dorothy, who had
been greatly interested in the story.
"Quelala being the first owner of the Golden Cap,"
replied the Monkey, "he was the first to lay his wishes upon
us. As his bride could not bear the sight of us, he called us all
to him in the forest after he had married her and ordered us
always to keep where she could never again set eyes on a
Winged Monkey, which we were glad to do, for we were all



Show Adaptation

  • The Wicked Witch of the West is green-skinned, rides a broomstick and often dresses in black with a pointy black hat, all of which is based on the 1939 movie adaptation by MGM (none of these elements are featured in the novel). ("New York City Serenade", "Witch Hunt" et al.)
  • The Winged Monkeys are people transformed by the Wicked Witch into her pets rather than being a race of reluctant servants controlled by a magic cap. ("Witch Hunt", "It's Not Easy Being Green", "A Curious Thing")
  • The Wicked Witch is the older half-sister of the Evil Queen from "Snow White", and daughter of Cora (who is the miller's daughter from "Rumpelstiltskin", and the Queen of Hearts from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland). ("Witch Hunt" et al.)
  • The Wicked Witch begins turning green out of intense jealousy for her sister, while she was in the Enchanted Forest for the first time. She then becomes entirely green after her return to Oz. ("It's Not Easy Being Green")
  • The magic shoes are silver as they are in the book, but are simply called slippers. The "slippers" part is a reference to the movie The Wizard of Oz, where Dorothy's magic footwear is ruby slippers. ("It's Not Easy Being Green" et al.)
  • It is the Wicked Witch, not Dorothy, that exposes the Wizard of Oz's true persona. She turns him into one of her Winged Monkeys. ("It's Not Easy Being Green")
  • The Cowardly Lion, Tin Man, and Scarecrow are not present when Dorothy visits Oz as a young girl, although the Wicked Witch seeks a brain, heart, and courage as ingredients for a time travel spell. ("Bleeding Through," "Kansas")
  • The Witch of the East is a good witch and is not wicked. ("Kansas")
  • The Witch of the South, Glinda, is the keeper of the Great Book of Records; a fact introduced in The Emerald City of Oz, one of L. Frank Baum's sequels to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. In Once Upon a Time's adaptation, the book tells the future of Oz as well as the past and present whereas in the novels it only records things as they happen. ("Kansas")
  • Dorothy's house does not kill the Witch of the East (or anyone else), and lands in the West instead of the East. ("Kansas")
  • When she comes to Oz for the first time, Dorothy arrives alone without her dog Toto. Toto comes with her the second time years later. ("Kansas", "Our Decay")
  • The Wicked Witch falsely gives the impression she melts as a result of Dorothy throwing water on her. ("Kansas")
  • The Wicked Witch of the West, while disguised as the Wizard of Oz, gives Dorothy the silver slippers to send her back to Kansas. ("Kansas")
  • When Robin Hood enters Oz, the magic portal lands on the guard and the guard's feet are sticking out,[2] just like the Witch of the East from the novel.
  • A plot about Mr. Gold's heart being poisoned and the chase for a cure in the form of the Elixir of the Wounded Heart, is paired with a flashback story in Oz; an indirect reference to the novel, where the Tin Man longs for a heart and travels with Dorothy to the Emerald City to get one from the Wizard of Oz. ("Heart of Gold")
  • The Scarecrow later appears when Dorothy returns to Oz. In the series, he has a brain, but the Wicked Witch of the West wants to take it as an ingredient for her time travel spell. With the help of Hades, she succeeds in taking the brain, leaving the Scarecrow's fate unknown. ("Our Decay")
  • The Tin Man, named Stanum, is a childhood friend of Zelena's who is later cursed to become a Tin Man by the Wicked Witch of the North. ("Where Bluebirds Fly")
    • When Robin Hood and Will Scarlet hug in Oz, there is an overhead shot where a tin man appears lying on the side of the Yellow Brick Road.[3] However, it is not known that if this tin man is Stanum, or a different one. ("Heart of Gold")
  • The Cowardly Lion is a fierce lion that lives in the forest with the Crimson Heart, who later attacks Stanum and Zelena when they come for the heart. ("Where Bluebirds Fly")

Characters Featured

Original Character Adapted as First Featured in
Aunt Em Auntie Em "Ruby Slippers"
Boq Boq "Our Decay"
The Cowardly Lion The Cowardly Lion "Where Bluebirds Fly"
Dorothy Gale Dorothy Gale "Kansas"
Glinda, the Good Witch of the South Glinda "Kansas"
Good Witch of the North Witch of the North "Kansas"
Quadlings Quadlings "Our Decay" (mentioned)
Royal Palace Guards Oz guards "It's Not Easy Being Green"
The Scarecrow The Scarecrow "Our Decay"
The Tinman Stanum "Where Bluebirds Fly"
The Wizard Walsh "It's Not Easy Being Green"
Toto Toto "Our Decay"
Wicked Witch of the East Witch of the East "Kansas"
Wicked Witch of the West Zelena "New York City Serenade"

Species Featured

Original Species Adapted as First Featured in
Munchkins Munchkins "Our Decay"
Winged Monkeys Flying monkeys "New York City Serenade"

Locations Featured

Original Location Adapted as First Featured in
Dorothy's house Dorothy's house "Kansas"
Emerald City Emerald City "It's Not Easy Being Green"
Kansas Kansas "Kansas" (mentioned)
Munchkin Country Munchkin village "Our Decay"
Oz Oz "It's Not Easy Being Green"
Poppy field Poppy field "Ruby Slippers"
Royal Palace of Oz Emerald Castle "It's Not Easy Being Green"
The West The West "Kansas"
Yellow Brick Road Yellow Brick Road "It's Not Easy Being Green"

Items Featured

Original Item Adapted as First Featured in
Poppies Ground poppy dust "Tallahassee"
Poppies "Into the Deep"
Silver shoes Silver slippers "It's Not Easy Being Green"
The Tinman's axe Stanum's axe "Where Bluebirds Fly"
The Scarecrow's brain Golden brain (allusion) "Kansas"
The Scarecrow's brain "Our Decay"
The Tinman's heart Crimson Heart "Where Bluebirds Fly"
Mr. Gold's heart (allusion) "Heart of Gold"
Regina's heart (allusion) "It's Not Easy Being Green"

Elements Featured

Original Item Adapted as First Featured in
Cyclones Cyclones "It's Not Easy Being Green"
The Lion's courage Prince Charming's sword hilt (allusion) "The Tower"

References

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