The Army of Revolt appears in L. Frank Baum's second Oz book titled The Marvelous Land of Oz, published in 1904. It is an Army comprising four hundred pretty young girls and led by General Jinjur. The Army successfully conquered the Emerald City of the magical Land of Oz and occupied it for a short time when the Scarecrow was the ruler.
Army of Revolt.
Appearance[]
- "There was not an ugly face among the soldiers of the Army of Revolt, and their uniforms were also remarkably brilliant. The silken waist was emerald green, and the skirt had four distinct colors of blue, yellow, purple, and red with the color of each soldier's home country in front. It was fastened with four buttons of the same colors, with the top button being color of the girl's home country. For weapons, each girl carried two long, glittering knitting-needles stuck through the knot of her hair."
- ―The Marvelous Land of Oz (1904)
History[]
The Army of Revolt was assembled at the command of General Jinjur with the purpose of conquering the Scarecrow and taking the throne from him. They were unhappy that the Emerald City had been ruled by men for so long, and also thought that the gems which decorate the city could be better used for jewelry. They were confident of victory, knowing that no man would ever harm a girl.
They marched on the city and, by jabbing with their knitting-needles, were able to overcome the Guardian of the Gates and the Army of Oz. They occupied the captured city until Glinda arrived with Princess Ozma, the rightful ruler. Jinjur was captured, the army was disbanded, and the girls were sent home to their mothers. (The Marvelous Land of Oz)
Members of the Revolt[]
- General Jinjur - Leader
- Mombi - Chief Advisor
- Plump Girl - Guardian of the Gate
- and hundreds of others
Background[]
General Jinjur and the Army of Revolt are believed to have been intended as a satire of L. Frank Baum's mother-in-law, the suffragist/abolitionist Matilda Joslyn Gage, whose beliefs Baum shared.[1]
Other authors' works[]
In Eric Shanower's unfinished comic book proposal General Jinjur of Oz (c. 1986), Jinjur's Army is reassembled by order of Ozma to protect Oz from a Nome Kingdom invasion.
The anonymous 2008 web-fiction "Four Views of General Jinjur" features a section narrated by low-ranking girl in the Army of Revolt.
Adult-oriented Alternate Oz authors March Laumer and Jonathan Markoff have created several Army of Revolt members, often with spice-based names.
In the Dorothy Must Die universe, the Army of Revolt is the primary antagonist of the novella "The Straw King," where their battle against an army of animals is quite bloody.
In media[]
In the 1960 television adaptation of the novel, being replaced by Lord General Nikidik's army of men. They appear in The Wonderful Land of Oz (1969) and the 1981 stage play of The Marvelous Land of Oz. The latter gives the second-in-command of the Army the name Colonel Cardamom, so that Jinjur can have someone to talk to for expositional purposes.
In 1986 Panmedia anime, Jinjur is the secondary antagonist in the second story arc, based on Baum's second book. She and her Army do not have any noble goals of reform, but are simply villainous warlords who want to rule Oz out of selfishness.
Even before the above item, the 1960 TV episode Shirley Temple's Land of Oz replaced the all-female army with a conventional all-male army led by Lord General Nikidik, who proudly proclaims himself to be evil.