Write your own The Wonderful Wizard of Oz story

Dorothy Gale

A young orphan girl from the gray Kansas prairies who lives with her Uncle Henry and Aunt Em. She is carried to the Land of Oz by a great cyclone, along with her small black dog Toto. Earnest, kind, and brave, she is mistaken for a powerful sorceress by the Munchkins after her house accidentally kills the Wicked Witch of the East. Her goal is to reach the Emerald City and ask the Great Oz to send her home.

Toto

Dorothy's small black dog with long silky hair and twinkling black eyes. He is her constant companion and the source of her laughter and joy back in the gray Kansas prairie. Toto accompanies Dorothy throughout her journey in Oz, though he is wary of magical beings and new companions at first.

The Scarecrow

A living scarecrow stuffed with straw, made only days before Dorothy finds him stuck on a pole in a Munchkin cornfield. He believes he has no brains and desperately wants some, though he demonstrates clever and practical reasoning throughout the journey. He is cheerful, loyal, and physically indestructible, joining Dorothy's party to petition the Great Oz for intelligence.

The Tin Woodman

A man made entirely of tin who was once a flesh-and-blood Munchkin woodchopper in love with a Munchkin girl. The Wicked Witch of the East enchanted his axe to dismember him piece by piece, and a tinsmith replaced each lost part with tin, until he had no heart left and lost the capacity to love. He joins Dorothy's quest to ask Oz for a heart, and is extraordinarily kind despite believing himself heartless.

The Cowardly Lion

A great lion who is the self-proclaimed King of Beasts yet is crippled by cowardice, frightened of nearly everything despite his fearsome roar. He encounters Dorothy's party on the Yellow Brick Road, attacking them before being scolded into shame by Dorothy. He joins the group hoping the Great Oz can grant him genuine courage.

The Witch of the North

A small, elderly good witch who rules or watches over the northern land of Oz and is a friend to the Munchkins. She arrives after the death of the Wicked Witch of the East and guides Dorothy, bestowing a protective kiss on her forehead that wards off harm. She directs Dorothy to follow the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City and seek the Great Oz.

The Wicked Witch of the East

A powerful and tyrannical witch who enslaved the Munchkin people for many years, forcing them to labor for her day and night. She is killed when Dorothy's cyclone-carried house lands on her, leaving only her silver shoes behind. Her death sets the Munchkins free and sets the plot in motion.

Oz the Great Wizard

The mysterious and supremely powerful ruler of the Emerald City at the center of the Land of Oz. No one in the story has seen him directly, and both good and wicked witches regard him as more powerful than all of them combined. He is the goal of Dorothy and her companions, each seeking a different gift from him.

Boq

A wealthy Munchkin farmer who hosts Dorothy for supper and a night's rest, celebrating the freedom of his people from the Wicked Witch. He notes that Dorothy's silver shoes and white-checked dress mark her as a sorceress in Munchkin eyes. He provides information about the long and dangerous road to the Emerald City.

Uncle Henry

Dorothy's uncle, a stoic and weathered Kansas farmer who rarely laughs and works from dawn to dusk. He and Aunt Em are Dorothy's guardians on the gray prairie. He is left behind when the cyclone takes Dorothy to Oz.

Aunt Em

Dorothy's aunt, a once-pretty woman drained of color and joy by the hard Kansas prairie life. She is thin, gaunt, and rarely smiles. Dorothy's primary motivation for wanting to return home is her love for Aunt Em and Uncle Henry.

Kansas Prairie

The flat, gray, sun-baked prairie of Kansas where Dorothy lives with her aunt and uncle in a small, dull farmhouse. Everything about the landscape is described as gray—the land, the grass, the house, even the people who live there. It stands in stark contrast to the vivid, colorful beauty of Oz and represents home and belonging to Dorothy.

The Land of Oz

A magical and hidden realm completely surrounded by vast, uncrossable deserts that cut it off from the rest of the world. It is divided into at least four distinct countries corresponding to compass directions, each with its own ruling witch and characteristic color. Unlike the civilized world, Oz still has witches, wizards, and magical beings living openly among its people.

Munchkin Country

The eastern region of Oz, colored blue, inhabited by the small but adult-statured Munchkins who were long enslaved by the Wicked Witch of the East. It is a prosperous farming land with round dome-roofed houses painted blue and fields of grain and fruit. The people are joyful and celebratory following their liberation by Dorothy's arrival.

The Emerald City

The glittering capital city located exactly at the center of the Land of Oz, ruled by the Great Wizard Oz. It is the destination of Dorothy and her companions, and the Yellow Brick Road leads directly to it. It is described as beautiful but distant, surrounded by rough and sometimes dangerous country.

The Yellow Brick Road

A road paved with yellow bricks that runs from Munchkin Country all the way to the Emerald City at the heart of Oz. It serves as the primary route and navigational guide for Dorothy and her companions. The road varies from well-maintained near Munchkin settlements to overgrown and broken in the deeper forests.

The Great Forest

A vast, dark forest through which the Yellow Brick Road passes on the way to the Emerald City. The trees grow so large and dense that they block out the sunlight, and wild animals lurk within. It is here that the Tin Woodman and the Cowardly Lion are encountered.

Country of the Winkies

The western region of Oz, ruled by the Wicked Witch of the West. Travelers are warned to avoid it as the Witch would enslave any who pass through her land. It represents one of the impassable borders Dorothy must navigate around.

Country of the Quadlings

The southern region of Oz, described as bordered by the great surrounding desert. It is mentioned as one of the four cardinal countries of Oz and is associated with the good Witch Glinda, though she does not appear in the excerpt. Travelers are warned the southern desert is as impassable as the others.

The Munchkins

A people of small stature who inhabit the eastern country of Oz, roughly the same height as a child like Dorothy despite being adults. They dress in blue, wear tall pointed hats with bells, and farm the land productively. For years they were held in brutal bondage by the Wicked Witch of the East and are now jubilantly free.

The Winkies

The people of the western country of Oz, currently under the dominion of the Wicked Witch of the West. Little is known about them in the excerpt except that passing through their land would mean enslavement. They represent a cautionary border for travelers heading west.

The Quadlings

The people of the southern country of Oz. They are mentioned only briefly as inhabitants of the south, which is bordered by the great desert. Their ruler Glinda the Good Witch appears later in the story.

The Silver Shoes

A pair of magical silver shoes with pointed toes that belonged to the Wicked Witch of the East, in whom she took great pride. After the Witch is crushed by Dorothy's house, the shoes are left behind and given to Dorothy by the Witch of the North. Their precise magical properties are unknown even to the Munchkins, but a charm is said to be connected with them.

The Tin Woodman's Axe

A woodchopper's axe carried by the Tin Woodman, originally his working tool before it was enchanted by the Wicked Witch of the East to dismember him. Now that he is made of tin it cannot harm him, and he uses it practically to chop through dense forest growth blocking the Yellow Brick Road. It is a symbol of both his tragic past and his current utility to the group.

The Oil-Can

A small oil-can kept in the Tin Woodman's cottage, critical for preventing his tin joints from rusting. Dorothy adds it to her basket at his request, and it is used multiple times during their journey to free his rusted jaw and limbs. It serves as a recurring practical lifeline for the Tin Woodman.

The Four Witches of Oz

The Land of Oz has exactly four witches, one for each cardinal direction. The witches of the North and South are good, beloved by their peoples; the witches of the East and West are wicked and tyrannical. With the Wicked Witch of the East now dead, only one wicked witch remains in all of Oz—the Witch of the West. Witches do not exist in the civilized outside world.

Magic in Oz

The Land of Oz is an uncivilized realm in the sense that it was never absorbed into the mundane world, and thus magic—witches, wizards, enchantments, and sentient magical creatures—still exists there openly. In civilized countries like the United States, magic has died out entirely. The Great Oz is considered the most powerful magical being in the land, surpassing even the four witches combined.

The Protective Kiss of the Witch of the North

The Witch of the North bestows a kiss on Dorothy's forehead, leaving a glowing round mark. This magical blessing ensures that no one in the Land of Oz will dare harm the bearer. It functions as a passive magical protection throughout Dorothy's journey, replacing the need for armed escort.

The Great Desert

An immense, deadly desert completely surrounds the Land of Oz on all four sides, cutting it off from the rest of the world. No one is known to be able to cross it and survive. It functions both as a natural prison trapping Dorothy within Oz and as an explanation for why Oz has never been discovered or integrated with the outside world.

Colors and Countries of Oz

Each of the four lands of Oz is associated with a distinct color: the East (Munchkin Country) with blue, and the center (Emerald City) with green. Residents dress in and decorate with their regional color. White is associated with witches and magic-users, which is why Dorothy's blue-and-white dress marks her as a friendly witch to the Munchkins.

The Tin Woodman's Curse

Once a living Munchkin woodchopper who fell in love with a Munchkin girl, the man who became the Tin Woodman was cursed by the Wicked Witch of the East at the request of the girl's lazy guardian. His enchanted axe progressively cut off his legs, arms, head, and finally split his body in two; a tinsmith replaced each part with tin. Without a heart, he lost the capacity for love and has since stood rusting in the forest until Dorothy freed him.