Tititi-Hoochoo, the Great Jinjin, also known as the Private Citizen, is an enormously powerful immortal who dwells on the other side of the world from the Land of Oz.
Description[]
He has a majestic and commanding appearance that excels the stately kings and queens who make up his court. His facial features are beautiful and dignified, his manner composed. His eyes are black, with sparks of red fire in their centers. He dresses in a white robe with a dragon emblem on his chest.
He can appear and disappear at will. His powers are poorly understood, but clearly immense. He rules a court a fairy kings and queens, who (like the Queen of Light) have responsibility for various aspects of human experience. The Great Jinjin alone does not have such a responsibility; he is qualified for his role of overlordship because he is, in this sense, a "private citizen."
The Great Jinjin has no heart, but instead possesses a high degree of reason and justice. Although he is merciless he never punishes without reason. (Tik-Tok of Oz)
Kingdom[]
The country ruled by the Great Jinjin is a lovely place. There is an immense castle surrounded by vistas of trees and shrubbery. The Hollow Tube has one end there, near a great marble fountain, and is tended by Tubekins.
This kingdom is one of the chief residences of fairies who minister to the needs mankind. It is also the home of the Original Dragon and many of his offspring.
Background[]
L. Frank Baum may have derived the name Tititi-Hoochoo from Hiti-Hiti, an 18th-century king of Tahiti who encountered the H.M.S. Bounty expedition. (Both are rulers on the other side of the world.) In his story "The Pea-Green Poodle," one of the Animal Fairy Tales, the canine hero is called Pippo-Tib, a name that plainly derives from Tippu-Tib, a Zanzibarian warlord of the late 19th century. In "The Tiger's Eye," there is a character named Titicontoo.
These names are also reminiscent of the numerous mock-Japanese names in Gilbert & Sullivan's play The Mikado.