Flipper is an Ork explorer, and a friend to Cap'n Bill and Trot and part of their party during their first adventure in Oz.
Description[]
He looks just like his fellow Orks, and has a shrill, high-pitched voice. Unlike most of his race, Flipper has a restless nature and likes to travel and explore. He can fly for days at a time without stopping.
The Ork drinks only water. In his opinion, the other things in a beverage like lemonade spoil the good water.
History[]
He was often warned by his father about the dangerous two-legged creatures called men, but when he had completed his education and left school, he left Orkland and set out to explore the world. After encoutering dangerous fluffy birds and floating airships, he tried to return home but found that he was lost.
Trying to find his home, he has flown pretty much all over the world. He was astonished how many little countries there are, hidden away in the cracks and corners of this big globe of earth.
Flipper appears from the water in the cavern with Cap'n Bill and Trot.
He was investigating a whirlpool when the suction of the air drew him into the ocean. He would have drowned had he not been rescued by some Mermaids and carried to an underground cavern. After exploring a bit he met Trot and Cap'n Bill and they traveled together for a while. After crossing the Deadly Desert the Ork left his companions in Jinxland to continue his search for his homeland.
He found Orkland and was welcomed with a great celebration in his honor. When that was over, he returned to Jinxland to check on his friends, whom he found in great trouble. After another quick trip back home, the Ork returned with fifty fellow Orks and helped depose the cruel King Krewl of Jinxland. He and three cousins then carried his human friends (and the Scarecrow) across the mountains into Oz, and then returned to Orkland for a surprise birthday party for the Ork's uncle. (The Scarecrow of Oz)
Behind the scenes[]
Flipper's name is given only once, in Chapter Three of The Scarecrow of Oz. At all other times he is referred to simply as "the Ork".
Flipper is also the name of the ship in L. Frank Baum's earlier novel Sam Steele's Adventures on Land and Sea.