The Wizard of Oz

Cover of Look-in no. 29, July 1981.

Excerpt from "The Wizard of Foz" from Muppet Magazine.

The cast of The Muppets' Wizard of Oz.

The Wizard of Oz refers to a series of books written by American author L. Frank Baum, the first of which, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, was published in 1900. Baum wrote thirteen sequels to the original novel, and a total of forty books written by a variety of authors belong in the series' canon. None of the sequels, however, have reached the heights of popularity achieved by the first book, which has been adapted for the stage and screen on multiple occasions.

It is well-known that the popular 1939 MGM musical The Wizard of Oz was Jim Henson's favorite film, and the Muppets have made numerous references to it over the years. While most of these references have been based on the film, the Muppets' 2005 adaptation, The Muppets' Wizard of Oz, was based on the novel, as indicated by such inclusions as the Kalidahs and the silver slippers, as opposed to the ruby ones that Judy Garland so famously wore in the film.

Synopsis

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz tells the story of a Kansas farmgirl named Dorothy Gale who is being raised by her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry when a tornado sweeps through their home and airlifts it, with Dorothy and her dog Toto inside, to the Land of Oz. When the house lands in Munchkinland, it crushes the Wicked Witch of the East and liberates the Munchkins she had enslaved. With guidance from the Tattypoo, the Good Witch of the North, Dorothy travels down the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City where she hopes the Wizard will be able to send her back home. Along the way, she befriends the Scarecrow, the Tin Thing, and the Cowardly Lion, destroys the Wicked Witch of the East's surviving sister, the Wicked Witch of the West, exposes the Wizard as a fraud, and meets Glinda, the Good Witch of the South, who shows her how to return home.

References

• In the 1970 special Hey Cinderella!, The Fairy Godmother offers to equip Cinderella with special shoes which can take her and her dog back home to Kansas.

• Margaret Hamilton reprised her role of the Wicked Witch of the West in Episode 0847 of Sesame Street.

• The Muppets Go To the Movies features Miss Piggy as Dorothy, Foo-Foo as Toto, Scooter as the Scarecrow, Gonzo as the Tin Woodman, and Fozzie Bear as the Cowardly Lion in a medley of songs from the MGM film, including "Over the Rainbow," "If I Only Had a Brain," and "We're Off to See the Wizard." Janice introduces the sketch, calling The Wizard of Oz her "favorite flick of all time...fer sure!" This sketch inspired the painted cover of Look-in Junior TV Times No. 29 in July of 1981.

• The Muppet Show episode 307 takes a break from its freaky tone (courtesy of Alice Cooper) when Robin the Frog sings "Over the Rainbow" by a pond.

• In episode 506, Fozzie dresses as the Tin Woodman when he mistakes the Muppets' presentation of Alice in Wonderland for The Wizard of Oz. Amid the chaos in the finale, the cast eventually breaks out into "We're Off to See the Wizard," with Rizzo the Rat as the Wizard.

• Episode 510 features a twist on The Pied Piper of Hamelin, in which the Pied Piper (Jean-Pierre Rampal) leads an infestation of children out of a rat village, all to the tune of "Ease On Down the Road" from The Wiz, a 1970s retelling of the Oz tale.

• A Sesame Street segment features Mr. Snuffleupagus jumping so high on a trampoline that he lands on the roof of 123 Sesame Street. When Big Bird asks where he went, Count von Count replies, "over the rainbow, I think."

• The Fall 1983 issue of Muppet Magazine features a comic spoof called "The Wizard of Foz."

• Kermit dressed as the Tin Woodman in a comic from the Fall 1986 issue of Muppet Magazine, "Little Swamp of Horrors."

• In the introductory video to The Muppet CD-ROM: Muppets Inside, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew says, "I can't come back! I don't know how it works!" quoting the Wizard in the film.

• There is a copy of "The Wizard of Oz" book in Sarah's room in the movie Labyrinth.

• The Muppet Babies animated series spoofed The Wizard of Oz in an episode titled, "By the Book."

• A photo storybook Muppet Babies: Classic Children's Tales with photo puppet versions of the Muppet Babies featured Baby Piggy as Dorothy, Baby Kermit as the Scarecrow, Baby Gonzo as the Tin Woodman, and Baby Fozzie as the Cowardly Lion.

• A lyric from a song in Big Bird in Japan recites, "We're off to Kyoto, like Dorothy and Toto," referencing Oz’s main character and her dog.

• On Sesame Street, Oscar the Grouch tells his niece Irvine the story of "The Wizard of Blahs," which follows the adventures of a little Grouch girl named Dirtothy who travels to the land of Blahs which is made entirely out of trash.

• In 1996, two pages from the book Look and Find Muppets featured Oz in a "Where's Waldo?"-type setting.

• When Big Bird realizes that he's become separated from Maria in Big Bird Gets Lost, he exclaims "it looks like we're not in cans anymore" (meaning the trash cans section of the department store he's in). This is a take on the famous line from the MGM film when Dorothy mentions to Toto that they're "not in Kansas anymore."

• In Muppets from Space, as Rizzo the Rat is in the wind tunnel, he cries out, "Auntie Em! Auntie Em! It's a twister!"

• Kermit's Swamp Years makes several references to The Wizard of Oz.

• When Gordon, Maria and Alan "wake up" from having been turned into kids again by the Fairy Godperson in Sesame Street Episode 4119, they feel as though they've just been a part of a dream. They look at each other and each say some part of "and you were there, and you, and [you]," paraphrasing the famous ending of the 1939 film when Dorothy wakes up and recognizes her friends from both worlds.

• Zoe dressed as Dorothy in a Sesame Street coloring book and A Brief History of Motion Pictures.

• In Elmo's World: Weather, Elmo shouts "Auntie Em, Auntie Em!" when he meets the tornado.

• Performer Frank Oz shares in his name an obvious likeness to the title of these stories. As a result, countless jokes have been made over the years.

• As Abby Cadabby search for her wand in Abby in Wonderland, the Cheshire Cookie Cat tells her to follow the Yellow Brick Road, before he realizes that's actually a different story.

• In an installment of Bert's "Pigeon Patterns" game in Play With Me Sesame, Bert must follow the pattern based on their raincoats. When the rain clears, the pigeons all fly over the rainbow and Bert yells to them "Say 'Hi' to Dorothy for me!"

• In A Brief History of Motion Pictures, one of the characters is heard yelling "Auntie Em!" when a Muppet twister destroys the set.

• In Follow That Bird, Sid Sleaze talks in his sleep, repeating "There's no place like home" and then talking to Toto.

• In Sesame Street All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever!, Rosie O'Donnell's Good Hope Fairy resembles Glinda from the MGM motion picture.