For other versions of the character, see Ozma.
- "Yes", said the old Witch Mombi, nodding her head. "That is the Princess Ozma, who was brought to me by the Wizard who took her father's throne when she was just an infant. She is the true ruler of Emerald City. "
- ―The Marvelous Land of Oz (1904)
Ozma (also referred to as Princess Ozma or Queen Ozma) is a fictional character invented by L. Frank Baum, author and creator of the Oz legacy. She makes her debut appearance in Baum's second Oz book titled The Marvelous Land of Oz, published in 1904. However, she is first introduced as an adolescent orphan boy of Gillikin descent called Tippetarius but nicknamed "Tip", who serves as the main protagonist in the story and whose true identity is not revealed until the end of the novel.
Ozma lives in the magical Land of Oz, and is a born and raised Ozian, who is the last living descendent of Royal Blood, therefore Ozma is the highest figure of authority in the entire country. In each of Oz's four divided quadrants of the North, South, East and West, many witches and sorcerers have claimed certain territories and taken residence there, ruling over the native clans; yet by law, Ozma is still considered the head-leading ruler of Oz as a whole.
The Half-Human Fairy Child of King Pastoria and Queen Lurline[]
Ozma is the long-lost daughter of the long-deceased King named Pastoria, who once ruled Oz in a small Kingdom, long before the great humbug Wizard arrived.
In the forty Oz books, it is revealed Ozma's mother was an ethereal enchantress and beautiful Fairy Queen named Lurline, who was of a mysterious higher power. Lurline is also responsible for creating the realm of Oz by separating it from the rest of our world with her fairy magic many, many centuries ago.
Ozma is a human descendent from Royal-blood as Lurline chose her mortal mate who is hinted to be Pastoria. When Pastoria became King of the land and to take Oz's Imperial Throne Lurline departed from him and left the land of Oz forever with her band of "fairy-children" to carry on with her duties and find more unclaimed lands to enchant. Even though Lurline is much like Ozma's birth mother, Ozma refers to Lurline as her "Fairy Godmother." However, Glinda, the Good Witch of the South who rules the southern quadrant in Oz called Quadling Country, looks after Ozma like a motherly figure to fill in for the permanent absence of Lurline.
Ozma's and Lurline's ancestors come from a very long line of a fairy-race, though Baum never elaborates too much upon them. This makes Ozma half mortal and half fairy, even though she does not bare magic wings attached to her body to fly, she naturally can perform simple magic as it runs in her blood. Ozma is one of the very few individuals and Ozians in Oz authorised to legally practice the magical arts whenever she wishes to do so. Especially when an emergency, good or bad has taken place.
- It is also known in Oz that the characters of Ozga, Ozana, and the Mist Maidens are related to Ozma.
Princess Ozma & Immortality in Oz[]
When Princess Ozma took her rightful place back as the official heir to the Royal Throne to rule, thus fulfilling Oz's prophecy, with the help of Glinda, she stopped the aging process in Oz forever. In addition, this spell also eliminated any unpleasant diseases or fatal deaths in general and none of the beings of Oz ever become deathly ill or die unless they are cruel and evil, such as the Wicked Witches who once dwelled in various quadrants of Oz. This spell is also so powerful, no Ozian is forced to age a single day in appearance if they do not wish to. In a few of Baum's last Oz books, it is said that Ozma eventually cut Oz entirely off from all the other outer worlds, making the land invisible to outsiders and sealing any portals or dimension openings. This was done to keep Oz from being discovered or possibly invaded by unwanted intruders. But before securing Oz's realm, Ozma invited some mortals from our world to relocate and live there permanently.
The most notable characters are Ozma's best friend Princess Dorothy Gale of Kansas, her pet dog Toto, the Wizard of Oz himself, Dorothy's Aunt Em, her Uncle Henry, Billina the talking hen, Eureka the pink and purple kitten, the homeless Shaggy Man, Betsy Bobbin, and her pet Hank the talking mule, Trot, little Button Bright, and Cap'n Bill. These people mostly all reside in Oz's imperial capital aka the Emerald City. They live in the city's Royal Palace of Oz with Ozma, where they can stay forever and are surrounded by luxury and comfort. Ozma is said to own a Magic Picture in her chambers, which can magically show her different scenes taking place of what is happening from anywhere in the entire world. Ozma uses this picture to bring people (mostly children) who have endured painful and unfortunate lives, to live in Oz, and where they're given a second chance at a "happily ever after."
Ozma loves rescuing and taking care of the less fortunate or those who have no one to look after them.
However, this amazing anti-aging spell of Ozma's is only affective and useful when in Oz. If any Ozian ventures beyond the Deadly Desert or back into our world, they would start to age rapidly, within a matter of seconds until they looked their true age. Luckily, this most likely will not happen because no one who lives in Oz ever wishes to leave because it is such a wonderful and glorious place where marvelous and magical things are natural and indeed possible.
Appearance of Princess Ozma...[]
- "Glinda walked to the canopy and parted the silken hangings. Then she bent over the cushions, reached out her hand, and from the couch arose the form of a young girl that gave the order of a mature woman. She was very fresh, healthy and extremely beautiful as the dew from a Spring May morning. Her lovely eyes sparkled like two large emeralds, and her glossy pink lips were tinted like a tourmaline. All down her back floated tresses of ruddy gold locks, with a slender solid gold circlet that was entrusted with jewels confining them at the brow. Two lovely blossoms were adorned on each side of her head and her elegant robes of silken green gauze floated around her like a cloud, and dainty satin slippers shod her little feet."
- ―{{{2}}}The Marvelous Land of Oz (1904)
- It is stated several times by Baum in his Oz books that other than the characters of Glinda the Good, Polychrome the rainbow fairy and Lurline the sky goddess, nothing and no one in Oz or in the normal world is as beautiful, mesmerizing, sweet, glorious and marvelous and true as Queen Ozma, not even Princess Dorothy Gale. So she along with her mother Lurline, Glinda and Polychrome are without any doubt and without a question the fairest and prettiest things in all the fairylands, the lands of Oz and in the normal world and the magical universe as well. And all four of them are the loveliest and most gorgeous characters in the whole books series.
As a half-fairy, Ozma is immortal, and would never age even if she were to live outside of Oz. Baum described Ozma as having the appearance of a young human girl no older than sixteen, and to be as fresh and clear as the purest dew drop on a Spring May morning. The greatest and utmost vision of loveliness, glamour, grace and elegance and pure beauty in the land of oz. She had large, lovely bright green eyes that sparkle like emeralds and speak truth and health under her long eyelashes. Her lips are soft and tinted like the finest pink tourmaline, and her long, thick curly and richest hair is a dark ruddy blonde with hints of gold, amber and ember that shines so beautifully and so stunningly when it catches the sunlight. and her whole entire features and figure was fabulously divine and wonderfully majestic. Above all she is without a doubt the prettiest, loveliest, fairest and most gorgeously beautiful, breathtaking, radiant, sublime and divine in all the lands of Oz.
Ozma never wears anything that would be described as casual. In the Oz books, she is illustrated wearing elegant frocks and extravagant robes of fine rich fabrics of many layers, which gracefully flow around her. Her authentic and luminous clothing is of weightless sheer gauze or silk. These dresses are always of pure white or shades of green in colour. The majority of all her wardrobe is decorated with soft feathers, pearls, glass beads and expensive jewels that are all sewn into the hems of the dresses to weigh the lightness of Ozma's attire down. Ozma's feet are dressed in silk pantyhose, and she wears satin slippers with bejeweled buckles.
To complete her unique look, Ozma always wears either a solid gold crown that rises a foot above her head or a head accessory of two solid gold bands encrusted with emeralds that reads "OZ ", right at the middle of her forehead, being the focal point of her trademark headpiece. Either side of her head is also adorned with giant perfumed blossoms.
Ozma carries a magic golden scepter with her that also reads "OZ " and is encrusted with thousands of sparkling stones and gems of real diamonds, rubies, sapphires, rainbow tinted tourmaline, glowing limestones, polished turquoise, and chips of topaz. Above all Queen Ozma had the best resemblance and divine figure and unrivaled beauty like that of mother earth, the goddess of nature, spring and the earth. and her glorious and most angelic form was shapely and stately as any other goddesses of earth, spring or nature or the forests itself. And simply the fairest, grandest and most angelic, drop dead gorgeous, extraordinary, alluring, marvelous and wonderful and exquisite of all those earthly fairies, gods and goddesses.
Personality & Mannerisms[]
In Ruth Plumly Thompson's book Kabumpo in Oz, Ozma declares that she has no interest in romance.
In the Oz books it is implied several times that Ozma can do no wrong. Like many of Baum's characters; Ozma is pure of heart. Not only does Ozma look like a real Princess and a real queen, but she acts like one as well. Anyone who meets her knows by just looking at her that she is unquestionably of Royal blood. Her movements are dignified, smooth, elegant and graceful, her manners imply proper etiquette. She is also portrayed as an extremely compassionate, excelled, resourceful and benevolent and perfect little ruler, who never loses her temper or resorts to acts of violence.
She does not believe in destroying even her worst enemies no matter how wicked or atrocious they may be. Despite her young age Ozma is intelligent, eloquent and collected beyond her years and a very powerful ruler who rules all the land of Oz fairly and very wisely, always consulting reliable figures such as Glinda the Good, when in trouble, doubt or in need of simple assistance. Ozma goes out of her way to make sure all of her subjects are happy, healthy, content and safe from harms way. (Her personality changes somewhat in Ruth Plumly Thompson's Oz books, however; where she occasionally does resort to acts of violence against her foes, such as having Mombi executed).
Despite being a child who is young at heart and full of excitement, Princess Ozma can be extremely mature, resilient and serious when it's time to work instead of play. And incredibly divine and beautiful on the inside and outside.
- "Ozma made the loveliest Queen the Emerald City had ever known; and, although she was so young and inexperienced, she ruled her people with wisdom and Justice. For Glinda gave her very good advice on all occasions; and the Woggle-Bug, who was appointed to the important post of Public Educator, was quite helpful to Ozma when her royal duties grew perplexing."
- ―{{{2}}}The Marvelous Land of Oz (1904)
Ozma lives in the Royal Palace of Oz in the center of the Emerald City. And is protected by her royal bodyguard, the Soldier with the Green Whiskers. She is a incredibly busy and proactive little ruler, who looks very carefully after the comfort and welfare of her loyal subjects. She tries to make them all happy and peaceful, if any quarrels arise, she decides them justly. She is always ready and willing to listen to anyone who is unhappy, which is not common in Oz, but anyone who needs counsel or advice, Ozma is always there. (The Emerald City of Oz) She spends an hour each day listening to the troubles of her people, surrounded by all the important personages of Oz. ("The Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger") She always eats breakfasts alone and spends the morning over state matters, which leaves her afternoons free to play with her chums or take a refreshing walk in her royal rose garden arm in arm with her best friend who looks up to her, Dorothy Gale. (The Royal Book of Oz) When she sits on her throne and makes laws and settles disputes, she is as dignified and demure as any queen, but in her private apartments and with old and trusted friends she is a joyous and lighthearted girl who enjoys having as much fun and play as possible. (The Patchwork Girl of Oz)
History of Oz: Fairy Queens & Mortal Kings[]
Long, long ago, before the Wizard crossed over the Deadly Desert, arriving via hot-air balloon, Oz was just like any other place on earth. It was ruled by a very old yet kind and gentle King of human mortal blood named Pastoria. Now it is rumored that Pastoria was also once madly in love with a beautiful enchantress named Lurline, the Fairy Queen who processed great magical powers only for good and is credited for making Oz a fairy country by enchanting it and cutting it off from the rest of the world centuries ago. When she first chose the land where she wanted to make Oz. Lurline used her magic to create it's breathtaking landscapes, making sparkling rivers and rocky mountains with high waterfalls, pine filled forests and thick jungles, rainforests, vast hills and colorful flowery meadows. And after it was finished, Lurline cut the land off from the rest of the world and named it Oz. She and Pastoria, along with the people of the fairy Kingdom lived amongst all of these lovely sights for a long time in harmony and bliss.
Lurline and Pastoria eventually came together as one and had a beautiful baby girl whom Lurline named 'Ozma', the first fairy child of Oz. The daughter of the two was half human and half fairy, making her immortal like Lurline even though Pastoria was not. After that Lurline left the land of Oz to continue enchanting other lands and created other realms similar to Oz. She put Pastoria on the Throne and left Ozma in his care before parting ways and disappearing forever with her band of fairy-children to began new duties. Lurline can be viewed as a mother-nature like figure as she has many invisible fairy children, who are the guardian angels to the lands Lurline has enchanted. They watch over all the living things, such as the trees, rivers, and soil. They keep the lands, such as Oz beautiful and fresh, bringing in the light cool breezes of spring and shade to hot sunny places, and carry the rich pollen which can be found within the spring flowers and little buttercups. They tend to the dying plants in the lands and nurse them back to health and create the moist morning due to feed the green grass that grows.
The King Pastoria lived a long and wise life and he became very, very old with wrinkled skin and a long white beard. Now, widowed and left on his own with a baby infant and without the guidance of Lurline, Pastoria was not a very powerful King and was only getting older. He lived in a rather small Kingdom, in the middle of the land. His people were happy and content as his subjects, but the land of Oz was still inhabited by two Wicked Witches of the East and West quadrants and who also had many people from Oz enslaved. The Wicked Witch of the West had a Golden Cap and the charm of this cap allowed her to command her Winged Monkeys, who were Slaves to the cap, make the Winkies her Slaves also. And the Wicked Witch of the East used the magic of her Silver Shoes to keep the Munchkin people tightly in her bondage.
The Witches were very powerful indeed and could do as ever they pleased to anyone or thing that was unlucky to cross the Witches paths. These Witches cast many spells upon innocent people, turning them into random house or kitchen objects such as flowerpots or candle sticks. The Wicked Witches tried many, many times to overthrow Pastoria and take over all of Oz as a whole. Unfortunately, Pastoria himself did not know anything about practicing the magic arts, for he depended on Queen Lurline's magic. So he could not defend himself or his people. The Witches in Oz could have easily taken over and stole the King's Throne and enslaved his subjects to their own pleasing. The only thing that stopped them from truly doing so, was the other two Good Witches Locasta Tattypoo aka the Good Witch of the North who ruled over the northern quadrant called Gillikin Country, and Glinda the Good Witch of the South, who ruled the southern quadrant known as the Quadling Country.
The two Good Witches used all the power and sorcery they knew to protect poor Pastoria and his people from harm's way. But they were not strong enough to banish the Wicked Witches out of Oz or put an end to them and the Wickedness that dwelled within the land of Oz all together.
Then the Wizard finally came, out of the clear blue sky. He was aloft in a large aircraft of sorts which came slowly descending down from the clouds up above. When it finally came to the ground, Pastoria's subjects and even the Witches of Oz themselves were astonished by his unexpected arrival. The Ozians had never seen such a peculiar invention. Inside the basket that was attached to the giant balloon was a man, he called himself "Oscar Diggs", and enthusiastically introduced himself as a great Wizard and gifted Magician. And the people of oz believed him as they saw him preform magic tricks right before they're very eyes. The people of Oz asked if the Wizard would be the ruler of the land and he agreed that he would look after Oz and someday rid the land of its Wicked Witches if they promised to obey his every wish and demand. The people of Oz were gullible people and believed him and his promises. Thus, building the famous Emerald City in his honor and constructing the Yellow Brick Road that lead to the main entrance.
Shortly after the Wizard overthrew King Pastoria, he simply disappeared from Oz for a long, long time. The only thing he left behind was his baby daughter, the fairy child, Princess Ozma who one day would get old enough to use the magic she had, that ran in her blood, to claim her place as the rightful Heir to her father's Throne. This worried the greedy Wizard as he wanted the Throne all to himself. So one late night, the Wizard snuck into the Palace of Pastoria, and snatched the baby Princess up and disappeared into the dark night. He gave the baby Ozma to a Witch near by named Mombi who lived in the North lands of Oz. Mombi was not as gifted or as powerful as the Wicked Witches in Oz, but she was still very ugly inside and very Wicked nonetheless. Mombi agreed to the Wizard's offer and favor to keep the baby hidden away from the Palace and to never let anyone know where Ozma was.
Mombi transformed Ozma to disguise her as a ragga-muffin boy named Tip to work as her personal servant and kitchen slave for many years. Much like the story of Cinderella.
From Kitchen Boy Tip to Lovely Princess Ozma: A Cinderella Story...[]
Mombi transformed the infant Ozma into a boy and called him Tip (short for Tippetarius). Ozma, in the form of Tip, was raised as a boy and had no memory of ever having been a girl. As Tip, Ozma created Jack Pumpkinhead. Glinda the good witch forced Mombi to transform the boy Tip back into Ozma, who was then installed as Oz's ruler (although many realms within Oz were and remain unaware of her authority). (The Marvelous Land of Oz)
When word came to Ozma that the Royal Family of the neighboring Land of Ev had been imprisoned by the Nome King, she organized a rescue party and set out to liberate them, crossing the desert on a Magic Carpet. In Evna, Dorothy Gale joined their party and they continued on to the Nome Kingdom. The Nome King offered them an opportunity to save the royal family of Ev, who had been turned into ornaments in his palace, but it was a trick and soon Ozma herself was transformed into a carved emerald grasshopper. She was rescued (along with everyone else) by Billina the hen and the entire party escaped back to Ev, having confiscated the Nome King's Magic Belt. The Ozites attended the coronation of King Evardo XV and then returned to the Land of Oz. (Ozma of Oz)
When the Nome King planned to invade Oz and destroy it in revenge, Ozma discovered his plans with her Magic Picture. She was surprisingly nonchalant about the threat, refusing to either prepare for war or escape the country, but merely waiting for their inevitable enslavement. When the Scarecrow suggested a non-violent way to turn back the invaders, Ozma agreed and was able to protect her kingdom. (The Emerald City of Oz)
She and Dorothy went to the Flatheads and the Skeezers to try to stop a war from breaking out between them. (Glinda of Oz)
Oz Book Appearances[]
*Famous Forty*[]
- The Marvelous Land of Oz (first appearance)
- Ozma of Oz
- Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz
- The Road to Oz
- The Emerald City of Oz
- Little Wizard Stories of Oz
- The Patchwork Girl of Oz
- Tik-Tok of Oz
- The Scarecrow of Oz
- Rinkitink in Oz
- The Lost Princess of Oz
- The Tin Woodman of Oz
- The Magic of Oz
- Glinda of Oz
- The Royal Book of Oz
- Kabumpo in Oz
- The Cowardly Lion of Oz
- Grampa in Oz
- The Lost King of Oz
- The Hungry Tiger of Oz
- The Gnome King of Oz
- The Giant Horse of Oz
- Jack Pumpkinhead of Oz
- The Yellow Knight of Oz
- Pirates in Oz
- The Purple Prince of Oz
- Ojo in Oz
- Speedy in Oz
- The Wishing Horse of Oz
- Captain Salt in Oz (mentioned)
- Handy Mandy in Oz
- Ozoplaning with the Wizard of Oz
- The Wonder City of Oz
- The Scalawagons of Oz
- Lucky Bucky in Oz
- The Magical Mimics in Oz
- The Shaggy Man of Oz
- The Hidden Valley of Oz
- Merry Go Round in Oz
- The Giant Garden of Oz
The Wicked Years[]
- Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (mentioned)
- Son of a Witch (as Tip)
Background[]
Ozma's appearance and origins changed frequently as the series of Oz books progressed. In her initial appearance, she was described as a cherubic little girl with red-gold hair; however, all subsequent appearances of the Princess show her as dark-haired. John R. Neill, the illustrator of Baum's Oz series, established the characteristic look of Ozma, strongly influenced by Charles Dana Gibson's "Gibson girl" and by the beauties in the Art Nouveau poster art of Alphonse Mucha. Neill drew many pictures of Ozma between 1904, when she first appeared in The Marvelous Land of Oz, and his death in 1943, and during those years her image developed and changed.
According to The Tin Woodman of Oz, Princess Ozma appears to be fourteen or fifteen years old, and thus several years older than Dorothy. The Shaggy Man of Oz (written by Jack Snow, long after Baum's death) explains that she is several hundred years old, and was one of a band of fairies who waited on Queen Lurline, who left her behind to rule Oz.
As ruler of Oz, Ozma frequently encounters difficulties in trying to reign as monarch. The story featuring her the least is The Lost Princess of Oz, in which she has been enchanted, and Dorothy Gale forms a search party with the rest of the famous Oz characters, learning the uses of the Magic Belt, and using its powers to eventually free Ozma.
It is also believed that the fictional character of the Childlike Empress from the fantasy children's book The Neverending story, written and published in 1979 by German author Michael Ende was loosely based on the character of Ozma. Both are rulers of the lands which they reside within and are immortals of Royal blood and who are both extremely angelic, luminous, intelligent and graceful beyond their years.
Modern Works[]
In The Wicked Years:[]
In Gregory Maguire's mature revisionist Oz novels Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West and Son of a Witch, "Ozma" is the hereditary title of the Queens of Oz. According to Nanny and other believers in Lurlinism, the Fairy Queen left her daughter Ozma to rule the country in her absence. According to Lurlinist belief, the various rulers named "Ozma" were - more or less - reincarnations of the same being; Ozma "bears herself again and again like a phoenix."
By contrast, according to Elphaba's father Frexspar (and presumably other Unionists as well as the more secular citizens of Oz), the Ozmas are a hereditary dynasty of Gillikinese origin. There were, as Frex said, "three hundred years of very different Ozmas," including:
- Ozma the Mendacious. A dedicated maunt (Unionist nun), she lowered rulings in a bucket from the topmost chamber in a cloister
- Ozma the Warrior temporarily conquered the Glikkus and commandeered the emeralds which were eventually used to decorate the Emerald City.
- Ozma the Librarian. Said to have done nothing but read genealogies for her whole life long.
- Ozma the Scarcely Beloved kept pet ermines. She heavily taxed the farmers in Oz to begin construction of the Yellow Brick Road network.
- Ozma the Bilious, so called because of her chronic digestive troubles. A large woman, "the size of a lake narwhal," Ozma the Bilious died of an "accident" involving rat poison, leaving her husband Pastorius to rule until their infant daughter Ozma Tippetarius reached adulthood.
- Ozma Tippetarius, daughter of Ozma the Bilious. About the same age as Elphaba, she was too young to take the throne upon the death of her mother. Her father Pastorius ruled as Ozma Regent until the Ozmas were deposed by the Wizard. Ozma Tippetarius makes a cameo appearance in Son of a Witch, in the form of Tip.
In Out of Oz, it is revealed Ozma was just an infant about the age of Elphaba at the start of Wicked. When the Wizard steals the throne and overthrows the Royal Family, most people believe she was murdered with her father. Others believe she has been enchanted into a sleep of eternal youth, and is concealed within a cave where many believe she will return in Oz’s darkest hour. Eventually it is finally revealed in Out of Oz that La Mombey kidnapped her and put an enchantment upon her to disguise her as a boy and make her age at a slower rate. As Tip, he travels to the neighboring lands of Ix and Fliaan, with La Mombey. Tip makes a brief appearance in Son of a Witch when Liir comes across him and La Mombey travelling through the outback of north Quadling Country. He then appears in Out of Oz where Rain finds him hiding in a wardrobe in her room at Shiz University. He appears older than he did when Liir met him, being a similar age to Rain at the present time. Both Rain and Tip develop feelings for each other until Rain breaks the enchantment by using the Grimmerie book, transforming Tip to Ozma and back into a girl. Thus, revealing Oz's official ruler.
James Wallace Trilogy[]
In Magician of Oz (2009), by James C. Wallace II, Princess Ozma plays a central role, both at Glinda's Red Brick Palace where she first meets Jamie Diggs, the great grandson of O. Z. Diggs, and again at her own palace in Emerald City, where she presents Dorothy with a "Gift of Friendship" from Jamie Diggs, who she informs is to become her new Royal Magician once O.Z. Diggs retires.
In Shadow Demon of Oz (2010), by James C. Wallace II, Princess Ozma once more joins in the adventure when she accompanies Jamie Diggs, his best friend Buddy and Dorothy in a balloon journey to the Winkie River and the Dark Red Wooden Covered Bridge to investigate the origins of the Shadow Demon. She also sends Toto and Bungle the Glass Cat to Mount Munch in order to assist Jamie Diggs and his best friend, Buddy as they battle the Shadow Demon.
In Family of Oz (2011), by James C. Wallace II, Princess Ozma plays a central role once more in reuniting the members of the Diggs family who have been transported to Oz by means of a Magic Box at a magic convention in Columbus, Ohio. She also joins the family as they travel by means of a magic hovercraft at the banks of the Munchkin River to watch Jamie Diggs, the Cowardly Lion, the Queen of the Field Mice and her subjects, along with the Playing Card Army of Jamie Diggs as they battle Cobbler the Dog, a mechanical pet built by H.M. Wogglebug, T.E., who has been possessed by the spirit of the Wicked Witch of the East. Princess Ozma declares Cobbler the Dog the Unwilling Villain. In addition, Princess Ozma is greeted by Queen Lurline, who returns from the heavens above, to declare her rule, blessed by Love.
Dorothy Must Die[]
Ozma is a key character in Danielle Paige's Dorothy Must Die series. The prequel novellas tell how she took power in Oz much like how it happened in the original books, the difference being it left the Scarecrow bitter to lose the throne. At some point Glinda turned evil and had to be magically sent away. When Dorothy returns to Oz via Glinda's red slippers, the Scarecrow tells Dorothy not to trust Ozma. Ozma tries to befriend Dorothy, but eventually the magic of the shoes corrupts Dorothy's mind, making her greedy, entitled and power-hungry. When Ozma sees that the shoes are turning Dorothy evil, she tries to make Dorothy remove them, but out of anger Dorothy does a magical attack on Ozma's brain, leaving her with brain damage, as she is in the first book when Amy Gumm meets her after a tornado brings her from Kansas. Ozma's Tip personality, a separate soul that resided in Ozma's subconscious, survives and changes his name to Pete, befriending Amy when he is able to take control of Ozma's body.
The Chronicles of Oz[]
In the podcast The Chronicles of Oz, season two has Tip narrate their adaptation of The Marvelous Land of Oz, with occasional interruptions by a female voice who later turns out to be Ozma. Unlike the source material, the spell that turned Ozma into Tip created Tip as a whole new person, with Ozma residing in his subconscious. In order for Ozma to take over so she can save Oz, Tip has to give up his existence. It is implied afterward that Tip continues on in Ozma's subconscious. Season three was an adaptation of Ozma of Oz, with Ozma as even more of a central character than she was in the book, following her journey to Ev to both free the royal family of Ev from the Nome King and prove herself as a worthy ruler of Oz.
Ozma In Fashion[]
Designer MARCHESA made a fantasy line of elaborate Haute Couture dresses based off of and inspired by none other than the Princess Ozma.
Ozma in Film[]
L. Frank made many Oz films decades before before the 1939 movie.
The Patchwork Girl of Oz[]
In a 1914 film created by Baum's film company, The Patchwork Girl of Oz, Ozma who is played by Jessie May Walsh, appears briefly to preside over Ojo's trial. Ozma's throne is guarded by the Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger, and she consults with the Wizard of Oz before making her decision to allow Dr. Pipt to try his magic.
Shirley Temple TV special[]
Shirley Temple portrayed the beautiful Princess Ozma of Oz in a very charming but very low budget 1960 television production of The Land of Oz, in which she was merely disguised as Tip (in fact, not too different from Baum's 1905 musical, The Woggle-Bug), only with her memory wiped, after already serving as Oz's ruler for many years.
- Note, that Shirley Temple was a big Oz fan as a child and even tried to snag the role of Dorothy Gale as she was the first choice to play Dorothy when MGM made their movie The Wizard of Oz in 1939. But Shirley lost to Judy Garland.
(If Shirley did play Dorothy, Over the Rainbow would've probably been a little tap number!)
The Wonderful Land of Oz[]
She appears briefly in Barry Mahon's The Wonderful Land of Oz, portrayed by Joy Webb.
Dorothy in the Land of Oz[]
In Dorothy in the Land of Oz, Dorothy and her crew report to Ozma (whom Dorothy has never met before), voiced by Joan Gerber, after defeating Tyrone the Terrible. Ozma arranges for Aunt Em and Uncle Henry to live in Oz, and accidentally brings in the Wizard as well.
The Marvelous Land of Oz (1981)[]
Christopher Passi made a cameo as Ozma after portraying Tip for the duration of a filmed stage version of The Marvelous Land of Oz by Thomas W. Olson, Gary Briggle, and Richard Dworsky in 1981 by The Children's Theatre Company and School of Minneapolis.
Return to Oz (1985)[]
Ozu no Mahotsukai[]
In Ozu no Mahotsukai, Ozma's transformation into Tip was so thorough that, despite bearing almost no physical resemblance whatever to Tip, she is a tomboy throughout the entirety of the series.
The Oz Kids[]
In The Oz Kids, Andrea (Shay Astar), Glinda's ambivalent daughter, bases her fashion, but little else, on Ozma, who never appeared in the series.
Adventures of the Emerald City: Princess Ozma[]
Ozma also appears in the Russian animated Adventures of the Emerald City: Princess Ozma (2000) based on The Marvelous Land of Oz.
Dorothy meets Ozma of Oz[]
She also appears in the 1987 Canadian Dorothy Meets Ozma of Oz based on Ozma of Oz. and in a 2005 direct to video CGI version of The Patchwork Girl of Oz where she is voiced by Lisa Rosenstock.
Lost in Oz[]
In Lost in Oz (pilot), an unaired 2002 pilot for a WB drama show, Ozma appeared as a young, helpless girl kept eternally young by the Wicked Witch of the West. The main characters of that show rescued her and returned her to the good witch. However, throughout the show, she does not have any lines except for birefly screaming in fear.
Tin Man[]
In the Oz revisionist miniseries Tin Man, D.G.'s childhood doll resembles Ozma.
Oz the Great and Powerful[]
Ozma does not appear and is never mentioned in the 2013 film Oz the Great and Powerful; it is unclear if she even exists in this continuity. However, Glinda possesses some traits of Ozma, such as being the daughter of the deceased king overthrown by the Wicked Witch Evanora, and her crown is similar to Ozma's headwear. In the unproduced sequel, it is most likely that Ozma ends up as Glinda and Oscar's Daughter, since Glinda is the Oz counterpart of Dorothy's late mother making Ozma Dorothy's counterpart.
Emerald City[]
In the series Emerald City, she is rescued from Mombi’s house by Dorothy and Lucas who represents the Scarecrow. It is explained she had been kept male as Tip by being made to take a black magic elixir potion, and without it became female suddenly. Facing a gender identity crisis, she runs off with a human version of Jack to the city of Ev where it is revealed by a chemist her “medicine” was hiding her true self.
After hearing this, Jack tries to forcefully kiss her which causes her to push him off a balcony. Thinking she killed him but unbeknownst to her just paralyzed badly to the point he is reconstructed to become a Tin Man, she considers jumping off a bridge but is stopped by guards who take her to an orphanage run by Glinda. In this version, Glinda does not know she is really Ozma.
Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz[]
She is a recurring character in this cartoon based on the 1939 film, though like Patchwork Girl she wasn't present in that film and was added to flesh out the cast.
Gallery[]
Credits[]
- The Patchwork Girl of Oz (1914): Jessie May Walsh
- The Shirley Temple Show (1960): Shirley Temple
- The Wonderful Land of Oz: Joy Webb
- Return to Oz (1985): Emma Ridley
- Emerald City (2017): Jordan Loughran
- Code Name: S.T.E.A.M.: Kari Wahlgren (voice)
Trivia[]
- One of Baum's granddaughters was named Frances Ozma Baum (later Mantele), to whom Baum dedicated The Lost Princess of Oz. She was usually known by her middle name, though she also developed the nickname "Scraps" in childhood.
- Ozma is the second example in Baum's writing of a female-to-male-and-back transformation, the first being Prince Marvel in The Enchanted Island of Yew.