The Stork is a female stork with big feathers and a long neck. She lives in the magical Land of Oz, and like all the animals in Oz, she can talk and communicate with humans and other living beings. She is also a mother stork, with a nest of babies.
History[]
On Dorothy's first visit to Oz, the female Stork helped her and her companions by rescuing the Scarecrow, who had gotten stuck on a wooden stick pole in the middle of a large river. The pole was being used as a paddle to move the group along the wooden raft they had all been aloft on. The raft was made by the Tin Woodman who built it to cross over a raging river while traveling to the Emerald City to see the great Wizard. Luckily, the bird saved the Scarecrow when he got stuck and left behind. Then the Scarecrow wanted to repay her kindness, but she said that she always likes to help anyone in trouble. Once she saved the Scarecrow, she flew away to attend to her little babies. (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz)
Behind the scenes[]
While she was clearly portrayed as a mother stork in L. Frank Baum's book, Jack Snow misgendered the character as "he" in Who's Who in Oz.
The stork is left out of most film and television adaptations of the novel. A rare exception is the 1986 Panmedia anime.
The 1939 movie has a large stork-like bird in the scene where Dorothy and the Scarecrow meet the Tin Man, however this is probably an accidental appearance rather than an allusion to the book. See The Hanging Munchkin for more details.
The Chronicles of Oz audio drama podcast features the Stork Guards, who serve as flying border patrol for the Emerald City. While instructed to arrest Dorothy and her party to prevent the chaos of the Munchkinland civil war from expanding elsewhere into Oz, the mark of the Good Witch of the North on Dorothy's forehead compels the Stork to let them pass and rescue the Scarecrow from the river. The Stork Guards later play a role in the Emerald City's defense during General Jinjur's invasion.
Appearances[]
Print[]
- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (first appearance)
- The Lavender Bear of Oz
- A Promise Kept in Oz
Performing arts[]
In Merryland[]
The Storks are the caretakers of the babies in the Third Valley of Merryland. They have long legs, and are pure white, with splashes of black on their wings. They are solemn-looking, but can speak.
Their primary duty is to fill bottles with sweet milk from the milk fountain and distribute them to the babies. When the Valley gets crowded, one of the storks will bundle up a baby and deliver it to the outside world. (Dot and Tot of Merryland)