Wooglebug in The MarvelousLand of Oz.
Professor H.M. Wogglebug, T.E. is a fictional character and a Highly Magnified & Thoroughly Educated Wogglebug who lives in the magical Land of Oz. He is introduced in L. Frank Baum's second Oz book titled The Marvelous Land of Oz, published in 1904.
Description[]
Professor Wogglebug is a normal wogglebug who was magnified to a size several thousand times larger than normal; he stands fully as tall as a man. He has a great, round body with slender arms and legs, delicate feet, and toes that curl upward. His body is rather flat, the back being a glistening dark brown, and the front striped with bands of light brown and white. He has a long neck, and his head is much like man's except that his ears and nose end in curling antennae. His black eyes are rather bulging, but his face is by no means unpleasant.
He wears a dark blue swallow-tail coat with a yellow silk lining and a flower in the button-hole. His white duck vest stretches tightly across his body. His knickerbockers are of fawn colored plush and fasten at the knees with gilt buckles. On his head he wears a tall, silk hat.
Being thoroughly educated, the Wogglebug uses a great many long words when he speaks. He also enjoys puns, considering them eminently proper among educated people.
History[]
The Wogglebug, in the Royal Athletic College. As seen in the Royal Book of Oz.
The Wogglebug was once a regular bookworm, who lived in a schoolhouse for three years where he would listen in on the lessons of the teacher, Professor Nowitall. One day the professor caught him crawling across the hearth, and decided to use him for an impromptu lesson on wogglebugs. His magnified image was projected on the wall and, taking advantage of a sudden distraction, he escaped, remaining in that magnified condition.
During his early travels, the Wogglebug saved the ninth life of a tailor. In gratitude he furnished the giant insect with his stylish costume. The Wogglebug met up with the Scarecrow and his companions, and joined them in trying to overthrow the Army of Revolt that had conquered the Emerald City. When Princess Ozma was discovered and restored to her rightful place as ruler of Oz, the Wogglebug was appointed to the post of Public Educator and became an important advisor to the Princess. (The Marvelous Land of Oz)
As "Professor Wogglebug", he runs the College of Art and Athletic Perfection in the southwestern part of Munchkin Country. The students at the College take school pills that give a student knowledge without having to attend lessons, so that the student's time can be applied to Athletic pursuits. He also invented Square Meal Tablets, which contain a six course dinner in one small pill. (The Patchwork Girl of Oz)
The Wogglebug is also an accomplished composer and poet. He composed "Shining Emperor Waltz" in honor of the Tin Woodman. For Ozma's birthday he wrote "Ode to Ozma" and read it at her birthday banquet. It was written in very good rhythm and was well received by those in attendance. (The Road to Oz)
One day, the Wogglebug thought up the idea to write the Royal Book of Oz, which would contain the genealogies of all the important personages therein. He went to the Emerald City, where Ozma agreed to his idea, and he then set to work interviewing everyone. (The Royal Book of Oz)
Sovereign Sixty/Supreme Seventy-Five[]
The Woggle-Bug gets a temporary job during his visit to America. As seen in The Woggle-Bug Book.
Although of ordinary size, The Wogglebug's father was, according to the Wogglebug, "a famous Bug-Wizard in his day, and claimed descent from the original protoplasm which constituted the nucleus of the present planetary satellite upon which we exist." (The Woggle-Bug Book)
According to an animal king the Wogglebug met on his journey, the Wogglebug was a member of the extinct insect species Sullivanthauros. (The Woggle-Bug Book)
- It is possible this species is extinct in the outside world but alive in Oz, or that the king is merely mistaken.
Following his adventures with Tip and party, the Woggle-Bug accompanied the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Jack Pumpkinhead on a trip to the United States aboard the Gump to visit Dorothy. (Queer Visitors from the Marvelous Land of Oz)
During the trip, the Woggle-Bug was separated from his friends and came to reside in a city for a time, where he fell in love with a particular dress and whoever happened to be wearing it at the time (for he couldn't distinguish between the dress and the wearer, being a woggle-bug). (The Woggle-Bug Book)
He eventually met up with his friends and returned to Oz. (Queer Visitors from the Marvelous Land of Oz)
Background[]
Baum originated the term "wogglebug" on Coronado Beach in California, when a little girl picked up a sand crab and asked what it was. The term popped into his head. Maud Baum liked it, and advised her husband to include it in his current Oz book, then about one-third written.[1]
Book appearances[]
- The Marvelous Land of Oz (first appearance)
- Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz
- The Road to Oz
- The Emerald City of Oz
- The Scarecrow of Oz
- The Magic of Oz
- The Royal Book of Oz
- The Wonder City of Oz
Sovereign Sixty/Supreme Seventy-Five[]
References[]
- ↑ Katharine M. Rogers, L. Frank Baum, Creator of Oz: A Biography, New York, St. Martin's Press, 2002; p, 123.
Photos[]
From "The Marvelous Land of Oz" Illustrator: John R. Neill (1904)
The Cover of "The Woggle-Bug Book", Illustrator: Ike Morgan (1905)
Fred Mace in The Woggle Bug play (1905)
The Woggle Bug Game of Conudrums (1905)
From The Emerald City of Oz, Illustrator: John R. Neill (1910)
From "The Magic of Oz" Illustrator: John R. Neill (1919)
Gil Fields in The Wonderful Land of Oz (1969)
Tom Dunn in The Children's Theatre Company's The Marvelous Land of Oz play (1981)
Marc Lewis as the Bug in his revival of the 1905 play (1987)
The Oz Kids (1996)
Priklyucheniya v izumrudnom gorode (1999), Voiced by Anatoliy Petrov
The Bug from "Sylvie and the Wogglebug", Voiced by Patrick Montello (2016)
The Bug from Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz, Voiced by John Paul Karliak (2018)
Trey Gilpin in Dobama Theatre’s world premiere of "The Land of Oz" (2022)
Daniel Mozakowski as the Bug in Offsite Connecticut Theatre's TYA revival of the 1905 play (2023)
Wogglebug in the Marvel Comic Oz series
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