Oz
Oz,mythical land that is the setting for 14 novels for children by L. Frank Baum, beginning with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900). This fanciful region, traversed by a long yellow brick road, is accidentally discovered by Dorothy, a little girl from Kansas, when she and her dog Toto are blown off to it by a cyclone. In this delightful region of surprising adventures dwell such odd characters as a good-hearted Cowardly Lion, a friendly Tin Woodman, and an animate Scarecrow, all basically pleasant and joyful, presided over by a kindly, eccentric Wizard. Although there are threats from external forces, like the Wicked Witch of the West, all turns out happily in Oz.
Baum created a musical extravaganza for the stage (1901), the first of many adaptations that have included a Technicolor musical film featuring Judy Garland (1939) and a Broadway musical, The Wiz (1975), with a black cast and using a modern urban setting.
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