Happy Birthday, John Dough!

Created as a giant gingerbread man as part of an Independence Day celebration, John Dough is one half of the title characters in L. Frank Baum's 1906 novel John Dough and the Cherub. He hitched a ride on a giant firecracker and ended up on the Island of Phreex, somewhere out in the Nonestic Ocean. Through a series of adventures, he finally ended up as the king of the twin kingdoms of Hiland and Loland. He showed up a few years later in Oz as the first foreign guest at Ozma's birthday party in The Road to Oz. So, here's a little video to celebrate the legacy of King John Dough and how he got there in the first place:

Happy birthday, John Dough

For the fifth year in a row, it's my pleasure to wish a happy birthday to his most delicious majesty, King John Dough the First of the twin kingdoms of Hiland and Loland. He's not looking too bad for a 104 year old gingerbread man, is he?

I was stumped trying to figure out a link to celebrate this year, but happened to stumble across the Internet Children's Digital Library this morning. They've recently put up a bunch of L. Frank Baum's books, fully illustrated. And yes, one of them is John Dough and the Cherub. It looks pretty good there! So if you still haven't taken a look at this book, go ahead and dip in right now. At least you may be able to figure out in the opening chapters why I always bring him up on this particular day.

Happy Birthday, John Dough

Once again, His Most Frosted Highness, King John Dough I of the twin kingdoms of Hiland and Loland, is celebrating his birthday today. Congratulations.

(It is, I might add, not at all a coincidence that this well-baked day also happens to fall on our nation's birthday as well. For the full details, take a look right here.)

Happy Birthday, John Dough!

Yet again, it's time to celebrate the birthday of the King of the dual country of Hiland and Loland. (Gee, I keep putting up these birthday greetings, but he never returns the favor.) The best part is, you can read about his adventures once again in a bright, crisp new edition of John Dough and the Cherub, available right here from Hungry Tiger Press.

Oh, yeah, and I guess it's also a kind of big deal that our country turns the big 2-3-2 today, as well.

Happy birthday, John Dough!

Wow, he's 101 today, and doesn't look a day over 42. Good news, this year you can actually buy a copy of John Dough and the Cherub, courtesy of the fine folks at Hungry Tiger Press.

Speaking of Hungry Tiger, Laura and I are out the door later this morning to head to this year's Winkie Convention, which should be the biggest and best Oz Club convention since the mega-blowout Centennial Convention in 2000. This year, thanks to this being the Club's fiftieth anniversay, and both the Ozmopolitan and Munchkin cons not being held this year, everyone who wants to come to a con will be heading to California. I haven't looked forward to the con this much for at least a year.

Of course, since I'll be on the road, my internet access will be a bit spotty. Asilomar, at least, has wi-fi, so I could at least do a little live blogging from the convention itself.