The city of the Mangaboos
The Land of the Mangaboos is an underground fairyland inhabited by the Mangaboos that is located in Boboland. It is also sometimes called the Vegetable Kingdom.
Description[]
The Land of the Mangaboos is lit by six glowing balls suspended in the air far above the ground. The central and largest is white, and arranged around it are smaller balls of rose, violet, yellow, blue, and orange. They generate no heat, but the dazzling light is blinding when experienced up close. The landscape below is splendidly colored by the variegated lights.
The land itself contains mountains and plains, lakes and rivers, and some towns and villages consisting of many glass buildings. These buildings are made of such clear glass that one can see through the walls and ceilings as easily as through a window. They are not constructed by the Mangaboos, but grow large and fine over the course of many years. There are no stairs in their houses, since they are not needed.
In the Land of the Mangaboos, it is possible to walk through the air, although the people usually move along the ground in the ordinary way. The Wizard of Oz suggested that this might be possible because they were close to the center of the earth where the attraction of gravity is weaker.
The Mangaboos have two methods of ridding themselves of unwanted visitors. Some they throw into the Garden of the Clinging Vines where they are crushed and devoured by carnivorous plants. Others are forced into a cave in the mountains known as the Black Pit.
History[]
The Garden of the Mangaboos
Dorothy Gale and her cousin, Zeb Hugson, fell through a crack in the earth caused by a California earthquake. After falling for a very long time, they landed in the Land of the Mangaboos and were taken to the house of Gwig the sorcerer. The Wizard of Oz arrived soon after and was forced to destroy Gwig.
The Mangaboo Prince decided to do away with his guests, so Dorothy and the Wizard picked the next Princess who was standing ripe on her bush. The Princess, thanks to her advisors, also decided to get rid of the unwelcome visitors, and eventually they were forced into the Black Pit. (Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz)
Background[]
The Land of the Mangaboos is a significant element in two modern Oz novels, Melody Grandy's The Disenchanted Princess of Oz and Scott Dickerson's Ruggedo in Oz.