Oz Wiki
Register
Advertisement

Umbrella Island is a little aerial domain, that floats smoothly and soundlessly through the sky on a giant umbrella.

Description[]

The island is lush and tropical, and supports a population of 769 people, 46 cows, 37 sheep, 22 horses, and 13 dogs, plus a herd of goats and a flock of Umbrella birds (numbers unspecified). The human inhabitants braid their hair and beards in extravagant styles, and braid the tails and manes of their animals as well. Each resident carries an umbrella or parasol at all times, as a makeshift parachute in case the island tips. The animals are similarly equipped.

History[]

Originally, The place was a normal island, located in the Nonestic Ocean 70 leagues off the coast of Ev. Silkworm breeding and silk production brought prosperity to the inhabitants. When King Sizzeroo developed a yen for travel, his wizard Waddy used a combination of magic and mechanics to convert the island to a flying domain. The Umbrellians' travels have even taken them "into the realms of Reality on the other side of the rainbow...."

After seven years of coasting the air currents, the Umbrellians meet Speedy and Terrybubble for an unusual adventure. (Speedy in Oz)

Background[]

Umbrella Island is similar to L. Frank Baum's Sky Island from the eponymous novel. Ruth Plumly Thompson would introduce additional flying islands Stratovania in Ozoplaning with the Wizard of Oz and Kapurta in The Enchanted Island of Oz.

All the flying islands in the Oz series trace their literary ancestry to Laputa, a setting in Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels (1726).

Ruth Waara wrote a series of stories featuring the Umbrellians. A few of these have been published in Oziana. As Speedy in Oz remains under copyright until 1 January 2030, these stories have not been published in a mainstream format.

Advertisement