Speedy is an American boy who twice visited the Land of Oz.
History[]
Speedy is an orphan. When he was two years old, his parents died while exploring the southern Pacific Ocean; their ship was wrecked in a hurricane. The boy lives with his Uncle Billy, a talented inventor, in a large rambling house in Garden City, Long Island, New York. Speedy's devotion to his uncle prevents him from staying in Oz when his adventures are done.
Uncle Billy's full name is William J. Harmstead; Speedy was named William after him. The boy acquired his nickname from his prowess at baseball and track and field. It is unknown whether the elder William is Speedy's paternal or maternal uncle: Speedy's family name might be Harmstead, or something else. However, the fact that Billy has adopted Speedy makes it likely that his name was changed to Harmstead, even if it was originally something else.
Book appearances[]
- The Yellow Knight of Oz (1930) (first appearance)
- Speedy in Oz (1934)
Background[]
Like Peter Brown, Speedy lacks a normal nuclear family. The guardians of both boys (Speedy's uncle and Peter's grandfather) are eccentrics who tolerate and support the boys' trips to Oz.
Ruth Plumly Thompson utilized these two boy heroes, Speedy and Peter, in five of the eight Oz novels she wrote between 1927 and 1934.
Speedy only rarely appears in non-canon works, as the copyright on The Yellow Knight of Oz did not expire until 1 January 2026. He makes several appearances in the Oz books of March Laumer. In Ruth Waara's Umbrella Island of Oz, Speedy returns eight years later to reunite with Terrybubble, Reeda, and Waddy.
In the Who's Who in Oz entry for Terrybubble, Jack Snow mistakenly puts Speedy in Peter's hometown of Philadelphia.