| The Woozy | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Real Name |
The Woozy |
|
First Appearance |
The Patchwork Girl of Oz (1913) |
|
Original Publisher |
Reilly & Britton |
|
Created by |
L. Frank Baum |
Origin[]
The Woozy is a four-legged creature who lives in the Land of Oz.
The Woozy is dark blue in color and made up of all squares, flat surfaces and edges. Its head is an exact cube and its body is in the shape of a box twice as long as it is wide and high. All four of the Woozy's legs are four-sided, as is its stubby tail. The creature's thick, smooth skin is impenetrable and has no hair except for three stiff, stubby hairs on the end of its tail. The Woozy has no ears, but hears through two openings in the upper corners of its head. Its flat nose is in the center of his square face, and his mouth is formed by the opening of the lower edge of its head, though he has no teeth. He is a little bigger than Toto.
The Woozy loves to eat honey-bees, but also enjoys other foods. He can run quickly, and jump very high, but he cannot climb at all. When the Woozy gets angry, it has the ability to flash fire with its eyes. It also has what it believes to be a mighty and terrifying growl which is, in fact, not terrifying at all.
The Woozy is shy by nature, and doesn't mingle much in society, but he's also fearless. He is even-tempered and difficult to upset, though the word "Krizzle-Kroo" makes him angry because he doesn't know what it means.
The Woozy originally lived in the Munchkin Country; it survived primarily on a diet of honey bees, which it jumped into the air to catch. The Munchkin farmers who raised the honey bees drove the Woozy into the forest and confined it with a fence. Since the Woozy couldn't climb, and the fence was too tall for him to jump over, he could not escape his prison. While inside the fence he had no food to eat, and he lived in a cave with a perfectly square opening big enough for a goat.
Ojo the Unlucky, the Patchwork Girl, and the Glass Cat encountered the Woozy on their way to the Emerald City. In return for as much bread and cheese as he could eat, the Woozy offered a favor in return. Ojo asked for his three (and only) hairs, to be used in a magical antidote to the Liquid of Petrifaction. Although he was unhappy about this request, the Woozy agreed because he is a square animal who stands by his word. Unfortunately, the hairs could not be pulled from his tail by anyone in the party. They agreed to take the Woozy with them, and after some thought, realized that he could escape by burning a hole in the wooden fence with his eyes. However, Ojo insisted that it would not be allowed to eat any honey bees during the journey because it may cause trouble with the people nearby; instead Ojo would continue to feed the Woozy bread and cheese.
When the group arrived in the Emerald City, the Woozy elected to remain there while the others continued their search for the other ingredients Ojo needed.
The Woozy later traveled with Dorothy's party during the search for the missing Ozma.
Film Origin[]
The Woozy was locked in a pen, bearing a sign which read "Beware the Woozy". The Patchwork Girl climbed in because Ojo needed the hairs from the Woozy's tail. She introduced herself to him, the two danced together, and then she told him of their quest. When she couldn't remove the hairs, he told her to make him angry so he would flash fire from his eyes so he could escape. He then joined the party.
The Woozy accompanied them to the Emerald City, and then when Ojo was arrested for picking a Seven-Leaf Clover, the Woozy went on trial with him.
The Woozy then joined a group of animals that followed Nickodemus the Mule in Noland, helping him to rescue a little girl from some bandits. He was also present later when the animals helped defeat the Roly-Rogues.
Public Domain Appearances[]
Books:
- The Patchwork Girl of Oz
- The Scarecrow of Oz
- The Lost Princess of Oz
Films:
- The Patchwork Girl of Oz
- The Magic Cloak of Oz
Notes[]
- When L. Frank Baum introduced the Woozy, he referred to the creature as "it." Yet by the end of the first paragraph describing the Woozy, "it" became "he." The Glass Cat similarly went from neuter to feminine pronouns upon her introduction in the same book.
- Baum called the Woozy the only one of its kind "that has ever lived" — but offered no origin for the unique being.