Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz: No-Sleep Sleepover

Dorothy and Ozma are hosting an old-fashioned Kansas-style sleepover, complete with pillows and sleeping bags, snacks, and everything you need for a makeover. The Patchwork Girl even brings new pajamas for everyone. Frank and Lyman are spying on them and report back to Wilhelmina, who is determined to crash their party. Then all this happens:

Dorothy uses the Ruby Slippers in an attempt to get close to the pillow monster, but succeeds too well, and the monster grabs her. Wilhelmina flies by to gloat, and the monster grabs her, too! Leaking stuffing, he marches to Wilhelmina's castle and crashes Frank and Lyman's attempt at a sleepover (how do you play Jenga with bananas?), while Dorothy's friends follow the stuffing trail in a balloon. Patchwork Girl pops a bunch of the monster's stitches while the Tin Woodman flies around him with a trailing rope, both incapacitating and destroying him. Dorothy and Wilhelmina emerge from the pile of pillow stuffing, and Dorothy produces pajamas for Wilhelmina, Frank, and Lyman, and invites them to the sleepover. Everyone is having a great time, except Wilhelmina isn't too pleased with the bunny ears on her new pajamas.

This was just a silly one. I think Dorothy may start having more luck with things if she just includes Wilhelmina in the fun from the start. I'm still not sure Wilhelmina's heart is quite as interested in getting the Ruby Slippers as her aunt wants her to be, and maybe she and Dorothy would be better as friends than enemies. Still, I doubt their relationship is going to change much at all. I was amused at the Lion bringing in the makeover supplies, and ending up with curlers in his mane. This harkens back to some of Bert Lahr's shtick in the Wash and Brush Up Co. in The Movie. The statue garden that the gang hides behind also reminds me of the classic illustration from The Road to Oz where Neill's sophisticated, fashionable Dorothy looks on a statue of her younger self as illustrated by W. W. Denslow in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz: Wand-erful

You know how I thought I was done with these? Not even close, as it turned out! new episodes showed up on the Boomerang channel this morning, so I guess I get to keep going with these after all. So, in this one, Dorothy and the gang are trying to teach Toto how to fetch, but he keeps bringing back the wrong thing. Ozma then alerts them to an oncoming storm, the biggest one Oz has seen in centuries. Glinda (at last!) comes and tries to create a bubble over the entire Emerald City to protect it, but she seems to have lost it. The hunt is on, which Frank and Lyman then relay to Wilhelmina, who gets the idea to find it first and create a bubble around herself to protect her while she steals the Ruby Slippers. Using her wand detector, she barely beats Dorothy to the Munchkin house where Glinda left the wand. Using the Ruby Slippers, Dorothy beats her back to Wilhelmina's castle, but Frank gets the drop and puts them in a magic-proof cage. Toto is free, however, so Dorothy throws him a sick so that he'll fetch the wrong thing—the wand! Dorothy creates bubbles around them all, they fly back to the Emerald City, and Glinda is able to put up a bubble just in time to save everyone from the storm.

This wasn't the greatest episode, but it certainly had its moments. The big new addition is not only Glinda, but they use the title Glinda the Good. Even though she looks a lot like Billie Burke from The Movie, there are indications that her role may be more like it is in the books, which is good. My big complaint is that, towards the end, the Scarecrow is seen drinking cocoa. We know that the Scarecrow can't drink. For that matter, earlier in the episode, he asks Dorothy if he has straw in his teeth. Since when did the Scarecrow have teeth? What's even more disturbing is that there's a piece of straw stuck in them!

Today's Oz Comic

Well, yes, I suppose the home seen in today's edition of CowTown would indeed make a good candidate for a show you might see on HGTV.

This Week's Oz Short Story

The second story in the 1995 edition of Oziana is "A Princess of Oz" by Dave Hulan, with illustrations by James Vincent III. Trot, bored one day, decides to explore Ruggedo's old caverns under the Emerald City, where she discovers Delva and a group of her Delves excavating under the palace. She is pressed into service and outfitted into a mining outfit, with digging gauntlets that prevent her from reaching the transportation pills in her pocket. She has no choice but to dig, looking for silver. Eventually, Trot realizes that the Delves plan to collapse the Emerald City into the ground so they can collect all the city's silver. Fortunately, an encounter with a sympathetic woodchuck lets her get to a pill, and she wishes herself to e where Ozma is. Fortunately, that's in Glinda's palace with the Wizard, so the three greatest magic workers in Oz put their heads together and deal with the Delves. (Trot, meanwhile, puts on fresh clothes and has her first real meal in days!) The problem solved, Ozma officially bestows Trot with the title Princess of Oz for her bravery and resourcefulness.

I like how Hulan takes all kinds of elements from all over the Oz books and combines them into a new story. And Trot is terrific in this tale. And I think that's about all I have to say about it!

Oz in Jeopardy!

I told you this was a busy week! The third semifinal in the 2018 Teachers Tournament featured no Oz clues, and it was won by Larry. So for the two-game finale, we have Steve, Larry, and Claire duking it out for bragging rights and a whole bunch of money. So, in the first match, on May 17, 2018, the Double Jeopardy! round had the category The Month of May, with this clue for $1600:

Larry signaled first and correctly responded, "What is emerald?" He went on to handily win the first match—but they were only halfway through! In the second match, the game for May 18, 2018, again in the Double Jeopardy! round there were two linked categories, Are You There God? and It's Me, Margaret. In the latter category, the $1200 clue read:

Again, Larry rang in first, and again he responded correctly, this time with, "Who is Margaret Hamilton?" Again, Larry went on to a convincing win, and so he won the whole tournament, $100,000, and a spot in the next Tournament of Champions. Not bad!

Oz in Jeopardy!

I told you there were a lot of Oz clues in this year's Teachers Tournament! The next day after my last entry in this series—the second semifinal, broadcast May 15, 2018 (L. Frank Baum's birthday, no less)—we got this $200 clue in the Music category in the Jeopardy! round:

Rachel, the teacher at the center lectern, rang in first and correctly responded with, "Who is Elton John?" She went on to finish with a final score of $25,900—and it wasn't enough, as Claire ended with $31,801 and went on to the tournament finals. And we'll find out how well she does in an upcoming entry!

Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz: One Winged Wally

While playing hide and seek on the yellow brick road, Dorothy and the guys are terrorized by the Wheelers, who act like they own the road and run over anyone who gets in their way. Getting off the road and out of their way, the gang meet Wally, a flying monkey with only one wing. He's run away from home because he can't fly straight and keeps messing things up. Dorothy decides to help him get a new wing and takes him to Ozma. After several interesting attempts, Ozma confesses that she can't do monkey wings, so they go to see the crooked magician, Dr. Pipt. Sure enough, Dr. Pipt is able to create a new wing for Wally, but it's made from some rare ingredients, and he can only make the one. It's also going to take some time for the wing to set before Wally can use it properly. Walking back to the Emerald City, the Wheelers come after them again, and this time Dorothy stands up to them. The Wheelers surround them, the Ruby Slippers won't work because of all the dust that's getting kicked (rolled?) up, and the Wheelers are actually winning. In desperation, Wally grabs them all and flies them out of there, but his new wing pops off and is pulverized under the Wheeler's wheels. Never mind, says Wally, I can at least do this, and uses his circular flying to snare the Wheelers in a vine and carry them off, where his erratic flying causes the Wheelers to crash into everything in his path. Wally receives a medal for his bravery and sacrifice, and is welcomed back into his family, who realizes how much they miss him.

They did a great job with both the Wheelers and Dr. Pipt, I think, staying true enough to their literary roots while at the same time giveng them their own characterizations that fit in perfectly with this show. And unlike Lost in Oz, I will eventually see more of Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz, if Boomerang (the cable channel, not the streaming service) ever shows more episodes (there are currently thirty-nine shorts and an extra-long finale). Alternatively, I may soon get this DVD, which has the next seven episodes on it. I can tell by the show's streaming site that I still have to see Tik-Tok, Glinda, the Wizard, and even Zog, plus it looks like there may be a visit to Bunbury. The Halloween episodes should be a lot of fun, too. But until then, I have another Oz show watch-a-thon I will probably undertake soon, but I have other stuff to catch up on first. And by it's nature, I don't think this show will quite so easily lend itself to an episode-by-episode recap.

Lost in Oz, Chapter 26: We Speak Mirror

Dorothy and her friends have no trouble crossing the no-longer-deadly not-even-a-desert anymore. They even pick fruits off a lunchbox tree on their way back to Emerald City. The transdesert tunnel leads them into the city, where they hide out in Reigh's place to figure out a plan to get the Magic Belt away from Guph. Realizing that the only person Guph trusts is himself, they decide to use his own reflection to influence him. Since the magic workers don't have the powers to do that, it's up to Reigh and Dorothy to come up with a technological solution, and they eventually create a floor-length mirror with Reigh acting as Guph's reflection. His ego stoked by the new anonymous gift, Guph gets rid of his old compact and the reflection in it that he consulted with before. It takes some doing and some false starts, and they eventually have to turn Guph against his majordomo, Shaledon (yes, they went there with the rock puns), but they finally convince Guph to get rid of the Magic Belt so that it can't be stolen and used against him. It takes more skulduggery and Reigh's camouflage tech to find it, and then West has to create a portal through a fall in the Stick River (which is a pretty impressive effect) for Toto to retrieve the belt, but they succeed in the end. Once Guph sees the whole gang in his mirror with the belt, he tries to ornamentize them—which is a very foolish thing to do with a mirror, and Guph turns himself into an ornament instead. Glinda gives Roquat the Belt and starts to make arrangements to transport everyone, Nomes and Ozites, back to their respective homes, when Dorothy has an idea: What about reopening the transdesert tunnel for good, and allow the Nomes to reunify with Oz again? Sure enough, one of the last shots we see is peaple of all types—Munchkins, pastries, utensils, and even Nomes—living their lives in the Emerald City. So, Dorothy decides it's finally time to go back to Kansas. But Evelyn points out that she's also made so many friends in Oz, and grown up so much. They can therefore go back to Kansas, or make a new home in Oz. Just as she's about to answer—the closing theme starts!

About the only new additions are the lunchbox tree, and the Phanfasms get a mention (I don't think they've come up before), alongside the Growleywogs as a potential enemy of Guph. But this episode wrapped the show up very nicely. If we get no more Lost in Oz, it's a very satisfying conclusion, but I really hope we get more. I'd love to see Dorothy, Evelyn, and Toto stay in Oz, and the next season could be made up of one-off adventures or a series of shorter story arcs. I really like this version of Oz, and it would be a lot of fun to explore it without the country being in peril the whole time. It's also possible that they set up a second season with the story of how the Tin Woodman went missing. The lack of Nick Chopper was, in my opinion, the most glaring omission, so an arc involving a search for him would be a good way to continue the series and introduce the character at last. We also have no mention at all of Ozma yet, and a new Lost in Oz Wizard would also make for a good addition. There are also lots of characters from the books that haven't beet reintroduced yet, so the potential is there for this show to go on for some time.

Oz in Jeopardy!

As I mentioned in my last of these posts, Jeopardy! went without a lot of Oz clues for a very long time. There wasn't even a mention in the College Championship, one of the show's annual tournaments, which this year was held in April. But boy, did they make up for it in May during the Teachers Tournament! After a week of preliminary matches, the May 14, 2018 match was the first semifinal. The winner would go on to play in the two-game final match. And it urned out that in the Double Jeopardy! round, the $1200 clue in Characters in Broadway Musicals would have a big effect. Here's that clue:

Steve, at the left side lectern, rang in first and responded, "What is Wicked?" Being incorrect, he lost $1200. Erika, on the right, rang in next and said, "What is The Wizard of Oz?" and also lost $1200 for being incorrect. Scott, in the middle, then rang in and correctly responded with, "What is The Wiz?" and his score went up by $1200. Unfortunately, Scott was never able to build on that huge swing in the scores, and he ended up with nothing at the end of the match, and didn't go on to play in the final. The winner turned out to be Steve—and you'll just have to keep reading these posts to find out how he came out in the end.

This Week's Oz Short Story

I started off the 1995 edition of Oziana with "Pigmentation" by Gili Bar-Hillel, illustrated by Eric Shanower. This is a short, sweet little slice-of-life story in which Percival, one of the nine tiny piglets, is upset about looking like all his brothers and sisters and not standing out at all. He gets blamed and scolded for things, some of which he didn't even do, and finally decides to do something about it after a long conversation with Bungle and Eureka. Percival decides to become a color-changing pig, and practices for some time until he can debut his new talent during Dorothy's birthday.

I doubt there's much more to say, actually. It's important to remember, of course, that everyone is an individual, and has their own thoughts and opinions and reactions, no matter how much we are inclined to group people together. I think the Ozmites doing this would have better served Percival and his siblings.

Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz: Rise of the Nome King

Larking about in the countryside, Toto finds a magnifying glass. Dorothy shows the Tin Woodman how it makes things look bigger, but then the Tin Woodman notices the flower is still bigger even after Dorothy takes the glass away. Sure enough, it's a magic magnifying glass that actually makes things bigger. (Hmm, could this be how the DatWoO version of Prof. Wogglebug got to be the size he is?) Dorothy takes it back to the Emerald City, but not before accidentally looking at Billina, who starts growing. (Ever since her introduction, Billina has had numerous cameo appearances, usually popping out of the TinWoodman's torso.) Dorothy uses the glass to reverse some shrinking spells, but then gets tricked into using it on the Nome King! He grabs the glass, then uses it on himself and becomes a giant! He picks up Ozma and puts her in a jar, and basically takes over as the new king of Oz. Of course, one of his first acts is to ban all eggs and chickens. Overhearing this, Dorothy gets an idea, and the Fab Five go off in search of—you guessed it—Billina! In the ensuing battle, as Billina pelts the Nome King with eggs firing from her hindquarters (!), the Nome King drops the magnifying glass, and Dorothy uses it on herself and her friends! Now that they're bigger than him again, the Nome King runs off. Ozma reminds everyone that she's still in a jar—and that's where it ends! We never see everyone shrink again or Ozma restored to her throne—or, for that matter, all that mess from giant eggs washed off the palace.

Well, I guess they can't all be winners. This was sillier and more disjointed than most of these cartoons, but I wasn't expecting high drama anyway, so I get what I was looking for. In this episode we are introduced to Kaliko (apparently he and the Nome King are the only Nomes in Oz), and one of the Munchkins refers to spending some time in the Valley of Clowns. If this is a reference to Dot and Tot of Merryland, then the producers are looking at books beyond Baum's Oz books! (Since Zog, from The Sea Fairies, is the title character is a later episode, that's probably the case.) The Nome King growing so big could even be a reference to what happened to him in Kabumpo in Oz.

Today's Oz Comic

Today in CowTown, we get a glimpse into what the Oz crew is allegedly doing today.

Lost in Oz, Chapter 25: Escape from the Nome Kingdom

Everyone's thoughts turn to getting back to the Emerald City, but the Nomes have done a pretty thorough job of stripping their kingdom of its magic and other resources. Still, if there's a problem, Dorothy figures there's a way to solve it. Scarecrow, Reigh, and Patchwork try to figure out a path across or through the Deadly Desert. Reigh manages to figure out the controls of Crush Canyon, so that's at least one possibility. Dorothy, Toto, Ojo, Evelyn, and Roquat try to find a means of transportation. They find a hovercar with no magic to power it, but Evelyn spots a whistle box at the edge of the incinerator. The hovercar just manages to limp its way to the box, Ojo opens it, and they use the magic inside to power up the car. The lava of the incinerator starts acting up, however, and knocks the car over, almost spilling Roquat, Dorothy, and the box overboard. Roquat reluctantly drops the box into the lava to save himself, and the resulting magic lava destroys the car, too. So they're back at square one. Meanwhile, West, Cyra, and Glinda are looking for magic, and find a few trace elements. Their big discovery, however, is that the Nome throne acts as a magic amplifier. Back in the Emerald City, the Nomes are enjoying their new life, but Guph realizes they're not actually doing any of the work needed to actually run the city, particularly the farm. He orders the Nomes to start working, and starts turning them into ornaments when they don't work fast enough. Back in the Nome Kingdom, the parties get together and report on their progress, then West discovers a new source of magic: the sand in the Deadly Desert! Using the throne, with a boost from Cyra and Glinda, West manages to channel that magic back into the desert and brings it back to life. As it's neither deadly nor a desert anymore, everyone can just cross it to Oz. Look out, Guph, the people of the Emerald City are coming home!

Good stuff, even if finding the whistle box full of magic ultimately did no good. And Patchwork refers to a choggenmugger, another reference to the books. Only one more episode to go!

Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz: Jinxed

Queen Ozma must give her State of the Merry Old Land of Oz speech by sundown, or she can't be queen any more. But while rehearsing, she and Dorothy say "prosperity" at the same time, Dorothy calls "Jinx!" and now, because it actually is a curse in Oz, neither one of them can talk! Ozma can't give her speech, and Dorothy can't command the Ruby Slippers without a voice, so everything is in a bit of a pickle. But Ozma and Dorothy lead everyone to the magic vault, where they find a basket that can take them anywhere if it's covered by a cloth made up of fabrics from all the lands of Oz. Good thing, too, because they have to find the horn of a yak-yakkity-yak to reverse the curse. Fortunately, the Patchwork Girl comes by with all kinds of fabric to make a dress for Ozma. She makes the cloth, the basket is covered and it turns into a balloon, and then Patchwork Girl kisses the Scarecrow right before they take off. Bad move, now the Scarecrow can't talk, either, because he's so overcome by emotion. (Nice bit of continuity with the previous story!) The Tin Woodman now takes over as party leader, but the balloon crashes and the Tin Woodman lands in a river, rusting his jaw shut! So now it's up to the Lion. They find the yak-yakity-yak and the Lion tries to take a horn, but it doesn't work. The yak gets mad, the Lion eats some peanut butter he found in the Tin Man's chest, and now he can't talk, either! There's only one member of the party who can get things worked out now—Toto! It seems the yak can understand barking. So Toto explains the situation and makes a deal to use the horn—which is not on the yak's head, but it's a brass instrument he keeps in his fur! One blast on it restores Dorothy's voice, so now she can fix everyone else's voices, take the yak to a tropical beach to warm up, and get everyone back to the Emerald City and restore Ozma's voice right before she has to give her speech.

Hmm, I don't think I have much to add here. It was funny that Toto managed to save the day in the end. I also liked the switch of the horn not being on the yak's head, but a musical instrument. (They do a lot of fun stuff with magical musical instruments on this show.) And Patchwork Girl is still really cool.

Today's Vintage Oz Comic

This vintage installment of Doonesbury is from the early '90s, as B. D. is off in Saudi Arabia dealing with the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. It just goes to show how ubiquitous Oz is to quickly convey a mood or perception.

Oz in Jeopardy!

There was quite a stretch there of games without any Oz clues. I almost posted one that was about a phrase that was also the title of a song from Wicked (the clue didn't mention Wicked at all, however, so I decided against presenting it). In fact, this next clue, from the April 27, 2018 match, isn't really all that Ozzy, either, unless you have some background. From the category The Matilda Effect (no, I hadn't heard of it, either) in the Double Jeopardy! round, we had this clue at the top for $400:

Tom, the challenger in the middle who eventually ended up in a very distant third place, at least got this one right when he rang in first and responded, "What is a suffragette?" Matilda Gage was, in fact, one of the most famous and well-known suffragettes of the late nineteenth century, a major figure in the struggle to get women the right to vote. However, she also clashed with other leaders of the movement, especially Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and as a result she was eventually marginalized within the movement. She is also an important historical figure, however, because she was the one who encouraged her son-in-law, L. Frank Baum, to start writing down the fanciful stories he told his four sons and their friends. So she is considered by many Oz fans to be the mother of Oz, even though she didn't live long enough to see The Wonderful Wizard of Oz become a surprise bestseller.

This may have been a particularly long dry spell of Oz clues, but boy, would they make up for it in the coming weeks! I'll tell you more about those in a future blog entry.

Lost in Oz, Chapter 24: The Nome King's Belt

Now that everyone knows about the Belt, both the Ozites and the Nomes are racing to find it. Glinda claims it was destroyed, and even shows a history record of the Wizard destroying the Treasury of Oz, but Roquat isn't convinced. Ojo recognizes the old Treasury as the current home of the Munchkin farm, so the gang heads out to see if they can find it—not knowing that they're being shadowed by Kaliko the whole time. West finally manages to summon a locator charm, and all the old treasures that were thought destroyed are discovered behind a false wall. But where the Belt should be is another element. West uses it to find the Belt, which is embedded under a pillar. But just as they are about to take it to Glinda, Kaliko pops out of the shadows and takes it for the Nomes. Dorothy, West, and Ojo use their flashlights to keep Kaliko out of the shadows so he con't escape, but he manages to get out of the farm and into the city. As son as he finds a shadow, he takes the Belt to Guph, who uses it to transport all the people in Emerald City to the Nome Kingdom, and the Nomes to the Emerald City.

Well, we finally get the Wizard, even if it's only a vague character in a flashback. Now that we're barreling along toward the end of the season, the stakes are really starting to ramp up, and it looks like we'll be in for some exciting times in the final two episodes.

Today's Oz Political Cartoon

It seems North Carolina is having some of the same issues with hog waste as we are with cattle waste here in our neck of the woods (yes, I live in farm country). Dennis Draughon is a cartoonist who has a few comments about the Legislature's attempts to clean up. (Another Ozzy connection is that those pigs might be related to Pigasus, the flying poetical pig from Pirates in Oz and The Wishing Horse of Oz, who was also a favorite character of John Steinbeck.)

Today's Oz Political Cartoon

It seems Rudolph Giuliani had some recent words about the investigations into the Trump campaign. It seems that Kevin Siers at the Charlotte Observer had an Ozzy reaction to it.

Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz: Brain Power of Love

Ozma treats Dorothy to some new clothes, and takes her to the Emerald City's top seamstress, the Patchwork Girl! And I am going to stop here and just tell you that their version of the Patchwork Girl is adorable! Here, let me show you:

Anyway, as Scarecrow wanders by, he gets all weird and goofy, like his brain isn't working. Everyone else thinks his brains are going bad or he's under a spell or something. In fact, here's a video clip: Yes, this is also the DatWoO introduction of Professor Wogglebug. By the way, nice callback to the Scarecrow's wrong math theorem from The Movie. And how much do you want to bet that Dorothy got that quiz out of an issue of Cozmo? So now that Wilhelmina thinks the Patchwork Girl is a witch who can steal brain power, she kidnaps Patchwork Girl in order to learn her secret. This sets the gang out on a quest to rescue her, and of course it's the Scarecrow who thinks up the plan to save her. All is well, and Patchwork Girl has a new hero to like: Scarecrow!

This is an important episode, because it shows just how much the producers are taking from the books, especially by introducing Patchwork Girl as a recurring character. And she is just a great character in this show. She's not quite as wildly impulsive as she is in the books, and by running a dress shop she now also has elements of Jenny Jump. Okay, the plot is slight and Scarecrow's plan is pretty unlikely (which just goes to show how silly Wilhelmina is), but the characterizations in this one just make it extra special.

Lost in Oz, Chapter 23: Saving Cyra

With everyone back in Oz, job one is to save Cyra, West's mother. Glinda pours every element in the periodic table of magic at the figurine that Kaliko turned her into, but she is unsuccessful. It seems the Nomes have developed their own takes on magic that Glinda can't crack. Desperate and feeling alone, West turns to the only other person who knows anything about Nome magic: her aunt Langwidere! West doesn't really trust her, but Langwidere talks her into creating a door in the picture she's in. But Dorothy, Evelyn, and the gang get to West just in time and convince her to stop and leave Langwidere where she is. They assure West that she's not alone and that they will figure out a way to free Cyra. But West is still upset, and starts crying. Good thing, too, because it turns out her tears can disenchant Cyra! Cyra then has a joyful reunion with West, and then another one with her childhood friend Evelyn. While all this is going on, Roquat is on his way to the Emerald City, tailed by Kaliko who is carrying the ornamentizing scepter. Guph still believes that Roquat knows where in Oz the Magic Belt is, so he's let Roquat escape to lead him to the Belt. The episode ens with Roquat running in and warning Glinda and our heroes that Guph is coming, and Dorothy is determined to stop him.

Yeah, things are really starting to move along now! Things are clearly getting set up for a dramatic conclusion, and I'm looking forward to it. I was also intrigued, however, by a couple of little throwaway signs. Since Langwidere is trapped in a painting in Smith's studio, we see him briefly talking to his partner, Tinker (yes, introducing another new character from the books!) about selling one of their robots to an evil queen. I suspect this is about the Lost in Oz version of either Tik-Tok or the Giant with the Hammer, and setting things up for the next season! I've also decided that I'd like to see a flashback season to Evelyn and Cyra as kids in an '80s version of Oz.

While I'm looking forward to the last three episodes, they may be put on hold for a few days, as I have other stuff going on this weekend that will probably preclude me from watching. But I really hope I can wrap this up next week, as I'm still enjoying this show immensely.

Oz in Jeopardy!

A fun category in the Jeopardy! round of the March 14, 2018 match was Perfect Responses for Jeopardy! because all the correct responses are already questions. And it's even Ozzy, because the $400 clue was:

Allison, the challenger in the middle, responded, "What is 'Why can't I?'" There then followed an amusing exchange between her and Alex about how you don't have to add "What is" to the front, as it's already a question. But that habit is too well ingrained in Jeopardy! fans and players, and they continued to do it anyway fro the rest of the category. Despite her Ozzy success, Allison never got into the groove, and finished in a distant third place.

Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz: Rules of Attraction

It's Valentine's Day, which is Dorothy's favorite holiday. She has to teach her friends about it, however, as it's apparently not an Ozian holiday. Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion make her extravagant gifts, but Ozma gives her something from the magic vault: the Love Magnet. It's a little too powerful, however, as everyone falls in love with Dorothy while she's holding it, even the Lollipop Guild. The smothering gets a little overwhelming. Dorothy figures out that she can give the Love Magnet away, so then everyone falls in love with Scarecrow, then Tin Man while they have it. (I think I understand why Ozma keeps it in her vault!) Finally, Dorothy tosses it up as high as she can, only for Wilhelmina to catch it! She's been watching, and figures that if she has the Love Magnet, Dorothy will love her so much she'll give Wilhelmina the Ruby Slippers. Only trouble is, the Magnet only works on native-born Ozians, so Dorothy is immune! Last we see of it, Wilhelmina is zooming away with it on her broom, followed by lovesick Frank and Lyman.

So now we have this cartoon's version of the Love Magnet. This is some powerful stuff! Not much else is added to this version of Oz. This is a particularly light and frothy episode of this generally light and frothy series, but any fans of old movies or classic cartoons will get a kick out of the various comedic chase scenes as Dorothy is running from her admirers, including the classic corridor gag.

Lost in Oz, Chapter 22: The Eclipse

Timing is everything in this episode. Axel figures out the exact time and place they need to be to maximize the effectiveness of the eclipse's influence over the magic journal. Trouble is, Reigh is still locked up, and they have to rescue him first. So it's off to the local animal shelter where Dorothy, West, Toto, Patchwork, and Evelyn have concocted a plan. Of course it doesn't go quite right. It doesn't help that Reigh is heavily sedated—he is a wild lion, after all. But they eventually get him out, and everyone meets in the woods so that the Ozians can head home. Without the penny, however, they can't go fourth. With no time to go back and find it, West has to use her innate magic, which she can't access without Dorothy. So Dorothy, to help her friends, tells Evelyn she's going back. Having only just gotten her back, however, Evelyn isn't letting Dorothy out of her sight—so she goes with them, too! This episode ends with Dorothy, Toto, West, Scarecrow, Reigh, Patchwork Doll, and Evelyn all whirling back to Oz in the Gales' white station wagon! Axel, meanwhile, has been put in charge of the museum until Evelyn gets back.

Another episode light on actual story advancement, but the rescue of Reigh is played for laughs as it pads the episode out. Best new character is Brenda, who appears to be the only human at the shelter. She's not much of a people person, and isn't too fond of cats, either. When she sees Patchwork running around as Reigh screams in fear of her, she loses it and drives the van off at top speed. I suspect she may be thinking about a career change. We also get a couple of flashbacks to when really little Dorothy first adopts Toto as a puppy, and they are even cuter together than they are in the "present" day. And no, we didn't see anything with Guph and the Nomes, so we'll just have to wait until the next episode to see what's been happening in Oz.

Oz (sort of) in Jeopardy!

A quickie today, and not actually about Oz but an important contributor. It was the February 20, 2018 game and two of the categories, next to each other, were March, and Of Dimes. In Of Dimes for $800:

Rob, the defending champion, rang in first and responded, "What is, 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?'" which was wrong. John, the challenger in the middle, then rang in and came closer with, "What is, 'Hey Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?'" which was also wrong. The other challenger, Damien, wisely didn't try. The correct response is "What is 'Brother Can You Spare a Dime?'" and this is Ozzy because Harburg also wrote the lyrics for the songs in The Movie, including "Over the Rainbow".

Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz: Lion's Share

The Cowardly Lion is invited to officially become the King of Beasts. Of course, he's afraid of the forest! Dorothy, Scarecrow, and Tin Man go along for moral support, however, and along the way meet Lion's old friend the Hungry Tiger, who acts as a guide. They have trouble crossing the Trick River, and head up Sky High Mountain. Already dealing with his fear of the dark and water, the Lion just can't cope with his fear of heights, until a rak snatches Dorothy and carries her to the top of the mountain. That does it! The Lion overcomes his fear, races to the rak's nest, and saves Dorothy. He's earned his crown!

This was a nice spotlight on the Lion and the true meaning of courage. And for fans of the books, we get the Hungry Tiger, the Trick River, a rak, and I believe the DatWoO debut of the intertwined O-Z logo. (And I will add, I forgot to mention the orks in "Ojo the Unlucky", although they're not a lot like the Ork in The Scarecrow of Oz.)

This Week's Oz Short Story

I'm going to do something I don't usually do with this week's story: There are going to be some major spoilers in this write-up on "Ghosts in Oz" by Marie Richardson, with illustrations by Benjamin Fang, in the 1994 issue of Oziana. So if you really don't want to know more, you may want to stop reading now. But the joy in this story is in where it goes, so I think, in this case, it may be worth it. It starts off pretty simply, with Dorothy, the Wizard, and a few other celebrities, on their way back from Glinda's in the Red Wagon, meet up with Simon T. Inphinium. He was the last person to die in Oz, right before Oz became a fairyland and its inhabitants made immortal. The nature of the spell gave him a sort of incorporeal immortality, not at all unlike a ghost. He was, so far as anyone knew, the only ghost in Oz—until more ghosts started showing up at his place. He was eventually crowded out of his home by the mischievous spirits, so Ozma transported them all to the palace, where they at least had some room. It doesn't go much better there, however, and more ghosts keep coming into the country! Ozma and the Wizard finally figure out why, and the new penchant in the Great Outside World for busting ghosts is responsible! Yes, believe it or not, this is a tangential crossover with Ghostbusters (without actually using any copyrighted or trademarked names, naturally)! Once they know why it's happening, the Wizard then creates a machine to send them back to the United States— or so he thinks! The machine works, the ghosts are gone, but the Magic Picture shows them now in a land of perpetual winter with only a single lamppost illuminating the woods. So yes, this is also a crossover with the Chronicles of Narnia (again, without actually violating any copyrights)! I thought this was very clever back when I first read this nearly twenty-five years ago, and I still think it's pretty clever now. Plus, just seeing the affect of having so many ghosts in Oz is fun. The Cook in the Emerald Palace seems to be a formidable character who really doesn't like so many visitors in her kitchen. She should get a story of her own.

And that's it for 1994. I have big plans next weekend, and so may take the week off, but before too long I will crack open 1995 and see what's in store there.

Lost in Oz, Chapter 21: Kansas Magic

Dorothy and the gang all start exploring the museum, and West manages to find several stones and gems with magic, nearly enough to recharge the journal. But four elements are missing, so Reigh, Patchwork, and Toto head out into the city to find them (once Axel and Reigh discover what properties all of the items with magic have in common so that Reigh can create a magic detector). Dorothy, Scarecrow, West, Evelyn, and Axel find a few more items in the museum, including an old penny. It appears to be enough to recharge the journal, but when Axel, reading the page, says "Go forth," the resulting tornado kind of fizzles out. It seems Kansas just isn't quite magical enough to pull it off. Reigh, meanwhile, discovers that the Kansans are afraid of him, making him overconfident when confronted by Animal Control. They sedate Reigh and capture him, and the gang must save him in the next few hours before the solar eclipse passes through town, because an eclipse can enhance magic (as Ojo discovers in Evelyn's old issue of the Tin Man comic book—which is based on a true story, you see). Of course, in their haste to gather up all the magic and rescue Reigh, nobody notices the penny rolling away. Meanwhile, in the Nome Kingdom, Guph wants Roquat to tell him where the Magic Belt is, but Roquat has no idea. He regrets all the bad decisions he made as king and all the people he turned into ornaments. Xandort, Guph's lackey, who is having second thoughts, releases Roquat.

Now things are starting to ramp up again! It's fun seeing the Ozians' reactions to Kansas, as well as Dorothy, Evelyn, and Axel discovering that there's real magic in Kansas. It looks like this eisode took place last year on August 21 (Ozma's birthday, no less), as seen in this website about last year's eclipse in Kansas. And yes, the Tin Man finally makes an appearance in this show, even if is just as the lead character in a comic book (which first showed up in the previous episode and I forgot to mention). We also get name checks for the Phanfasms, the Growleywogs, and Bunbury, so the writer of this episode has read at least The Emerald City of Oz.

Today's Oz Comic

Well what do you know! It turns out, according to today's edition of bacön, that Toto could talk in The Wizard of Oz after all. And he appears to have something very important to say.

Oz in Jeopardy!

When I saw the category Authors' Fictional Places in the Jeopardy! round of the February 7, 2018 game, I was hopeful that this would yield something Ozzy. But they got through the whole category and found this clue at $1000:

So, yeah, no Oz. So imagine my surprise when the defending champion, Sean, rang in and responded, "Who is Baum?" Okay, it turned out to be Ozzy after all! But because he got it wrong, Sean lost $1000. Neither of the challengers even tried to guess, "Who is C. S. Lewis?" (Those who know of it know, I'm sure, that Calormen is south of Narnia.) Sean did not go on to win the match, and ended up as only a two-day champion.

Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz: Ojo the Unlucky

While watching Ozma's Magic Painting, Dorothy sees Ojo the Unlucky not doing well at just about anything, so she decides to go help him out. None of her Kansas remedies (four-leafed clover, salt over the shoulder, that sort of thing) works, so Ozma tells her that Ojo must drink from the Fountain of Refresh in Ev. They find the fountain, but are captured by guards before Ojo can drink and are confronted by the king of Ev—the Nome King! But Ojo's "bad" luck causes the jail door to fall on the Nome King. As they're heading back to Munchkinland, Dorothy points out to Ojo how much of his "bad" luck really worked out well in the end, and therefore whether he is lucky or unlucky is just a matter of perspective.

Another fun one, but with a nice little message at the end. We get Ojo, the Magic Carpet (albeit a much different version than the one in Ozma of Oz), a magic fountain, and Dorothy even mentions Zeke. We also get a good look at the map of Oz (spoiler: it looks a lot like this one. So lots of nice little references to both the books and The Movie.

Lost in Oz, Chapter 20: Going Forth

If you're in Oz, and activate the magic journal that got Dorothy there in the first place, where do you think you end up? Of course, Kansas! Dorothy and Toto are extremely happy to be home, but what can they do about West, Scarecrow, Ojo, Reigh, and Patchwork? Being the kind of person she is, Dorothy is determined to get her friends home, but quickly realizes that if her friends are out and about, there could be problems. So she goes to the museum with Toto to find Evelyn, while the rest decide to explore the house and see if there is any sort of magic at all. It turns out that Evelyn works in a museum, and has been using her time since Dorothy went to Oz to see if any exhibits in the Hall of Mystery (run by new character Axel) have magic. So far no luck, and her search is interrupted when Dorothy and Toto show up at her office. Yay, happy reunion, but then they have to head home to take care of the Ozians. West, having procured a vial of the powder of life from Kaliko, is tempted to use it on the ornament that was her mother, but decides to hold back and see if it can be used to get her friends home. When Evelyn and Dorothy get home, West tells them about the powder, and Evelyn pulls out a box of stuff she kept from her trip to Oz to see if any of them have magic. But it's Axel, bringing by a stone, who is the biggest help, as West manages to activate the stone's magic. Suddenly, it looks like there may be some magic in Kansas after all, and with that a chance to get back to Oz and stop King Guph!

There were lots of neat character moments in this one. Patchwork interrogates Dorothy's figurines (he thinks the unicorn is uppity). Evelyn is clearyl upset when she sees her old friend Cyra turned into an ornament, and vows to protect West in Kansas the same way Cyra protected Dorothy in Oz. Looking through the kitchen cupboards, Ojo bemoans the lack of six-leafed clovers, liquids of petrification (Aha!), story blossom flowers (hey, a Jack Snow reference!), or any other kinds of magic. Despite the fact that this half of the season seems to have a lot more padding to fill out less story, I am still really enjoying this show, and I'm looking forward to seeing how things turn out. And I really hope there's a season 2!

Today's Oz Comic

I think a certain aquaphobic Oz character is visiting The Wizard of Id today.

Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz: Mixed-Up Mixer

Since the cook has a day off (she's getting her spatulas sparkled), Dorothy decides to teach Ozma how to bake her famous chocolate chip cookies. Ozma's ignorance about anything having to do with a kitchen causes her to replace the vanilla with the potion of life, however, which causes the mixer to come to life. Full of magic, the mixer starts mixing things up, including the legs of Toto, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Lion. (Toto walking around on the Tin Man's legs is very cute.) The mixer then heads out into the countryside and eventually towards Wilhelmina's castle, but Wilhelmina steers it back towards the Emerald City. Using the Ruby Slippers, Dorothy and the guys get back before the mixer, where Ozma's mirror gives Dorothy an idea. She confronts the mixer, and uses the mirror to reverse the Potion of Life (P. O. L.) into a Liquid of Petrification (L. O. P.), stopping the mixer and undoing all of its mixups. Dorothy then shows Ozma something simpler to make in the kitchen, but Ozma goes a little overboard and fills the kitchen with toast.

This story really didn't need Wilhelmina, Frank, and Lyman, as they really don't contribute much, although Lyman gets in an interesting mixup. The big takeaway for me is the validation of my childhood mislabeling of the Liquid of Petrifaction. Yes, for several decades I thought it was the Liquid of Petrification. So now at least my name for it is somewhere out there, even if it isn't canon. Also, Dorothy and Ozma are really cute in their oversized chef hats (which Dorothy keeps wearing through the whole episode, for some reason).

Lost in Oz, Chapter 19: Shortcut to Emerald City

A lot happens, but it can all be summarized very quickly: Kaliko takes West, Ojo, Reigh, and Patchwork to the Nome Kingdom, and puts them in Dorothy's house. Dorothy, Toto, Scarecrow, and Roquat find the shortcut tunnel, but something goes wrong and they find Dorothy's house, with the others inside. Guph comes by, snatches Roquat, gives back Dorothy's journal, and says, "Go forth!" Cue theme song and credits for a cliffhanger ending!

We do get some nice callbacks to events from the books. Kaliko takes West and company back to the Nome Kingdom in a souped-up version of the Gump, powered by the Powder of Life. The titular shortcut is reminiscent of the Nomes' tunnel under the desert in The Emerald City of Oz. This version of the tunnel, however, was a cooperative effort between the Emerald City and the Nomes, however, which leads to the revelation that relations between the two soured after the Wizard stole the Nome King's Magic Belt. Yup, they're going that route!

I'm curious to see what happens in the next episode, and just where the next magic cyclone is going to take everyone. I have a sneaking suspicion they're eventually going to get back to Oz, however.

Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz: Locket Locket in My Pocket

Ozma and the Munchkins throw an old fashioned Kansas-style country fair for Dorothy. Wilhelmina gets jealous, and uses a magic locket to turn into Dorothy's double. The wearer looks like whatever is in the picture in the locket, so Lyman draws a picture of Dorothy (after a few false starts). Dorothy keeps winning prizes and passes them along to the Munchkins, but Wilhelmina then comes along and grabs them, causing the Munchkins to resent Dorothy. They demand Ozma revoke Dorothy's princesshood (or is it princesship?), but then Wilhelmina turns up, causing the two Dorothys to convince the others which one is real. Eventually, Dorothy removes the locket, exposing Wilhelmina, who takes off in a huff. All is forgiven, and Dorothy is still a princess.

This was just a fun, silly one, with all kinds of fun little character moments. Nobody new turned up from the books, but the ballonapig sure could have. Wilhelmina just wants some of the goodies, but her auntie keeps bugging her to get the Ruby Slippers. The Wicked Witch of the West also isn't quite sure how looking like Dorothy will help Wilhelmina get the Ruby Slippers, and keeps leaving messages on Wilhelmina's compact. At one point Dorothy and her friends play Keep Away with the locket, causing Toto, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion to all look like Dorothy (mostly). And after leaving, Wilhelmina keeps popping back in to take more goodies, continuously interrupting the Munchkins' attempts to apologize to Dorothy.

At this stage, I think I can say that I am really enjoying this series. It's generally played for laughs, and definitely should not be taken as a serious attempt to adapt Oz, but if one approaches it with the right expectations, I think most people will enjoy it.

Lost in Oz, Chapter 18: The Magic Map

West, Ojo, Reigh, and Patchwork investigate, and discover that Dorothy never left Oz, but got stuck in the desert. They start mounting a rescue. Guph, meanwhile, now calling himself King, sends Tred, the best tracking wheeler in the desert, and Kaliko, the Shadow Nome, out to get our heroes. Guph wants to remove all the obstacles that would get in the way of him taking over Oz. Consulting the map, Scarecrow figures it will take the sandboat ten weeks to get Dorothy, Toto, Roquat, and him to the Emerald City, but then Dorothy discovers that folding the map can shorten their journey. It comes in handy when Tred finds them, as they are able to hold him off. Meanwhile, Kaliko appears in West's house and gets in a battle with Cyra, but Kaliko eventually turns her into an ornament right before West can get away. She gets to the guys, but Kaliko is there, right behind Reigh. Dorothy, meanwhile, trying to outmaneuver Tred, ends up capsizing the sandboat, and Tred gets stuck in the sand. Only by working together can they get out, and Dorothy convinces Tred to help them. The last we see of them, they're trying to get to a mine shaft that leads to a tunnel to the Emerald City. Finally, when West is late to her magic lesson, Glinda gets involved and goes looking for West.

Another let's-move-the-plot-along-but-not-too-much episode, but things are starting to come together. Kaliko as a stealth shadow nome, who can move from place to place instantly through shadows, is a complete reinterpretation of his character from the books. Frankly, he may be the most dangerous character in she show so far.

This Week's Oz Short Story

The second story in the 1994 edition of Oziana is "Nine Tiny Piglets" by Kimberly Doyle, with illustrations by Maria Brown. This is a short little tail that elaborates and brings together the two origins of the Nine Tiny Piglets, first encountered in Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz. It tursn out, they are indeed the children of Professor Grunter Swyne and his wife, Squealina. It also turns out that they all lived on the island of Teenty Weent, which isn't too far from Lilliput. After the piglets settled in Oz, they convinced he Wizard to bring their parents there, too, and Prof. and Mrs. Swyne now have a lovely little retirement farm in the Munchkin Country. See? All neatly explained!

Since that was so short, I will also use this entry to look at the rest of this issue of Oziana. The cover is a gallery of portraits of several Oz characers, rendered by Allison McBain. There is also a quiz that, if you answer correctly, reveals a magic spell from the books. Pretty clever, but I cottoned on to it pretty quick.

Next week, the final story for 1994!