Get your own Free Home PageOn the back of the 1979 Oziana, there was a comic asking “What if?” and showing a picture of Dorothy and Toto having made it to the cellar after that critical tornado. This made me think about what would have happened if Dorothy had not been in the house when it blew away to Oz.
First of all, the Wicked Witch of the East would still have been killed. It was the house that accomplished this, not Dorothy herself. The Wicked Witch of the West, on the other hand, would have remained alive. How would this have affected things? I really do not know. The Witch of the West was presumably destroyed before she knew of the Witch of the East’s demise. If she were to learn of the Witch of the East’s death, she might have tried to take the Munchkin Country, or at least part of it, for herself. She would probably not have attacked the Emerald City, however, out of fear of the Wizard, so the humbug Wizard probably would have continued to rule.
What about the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion? Well, the Scarecrow might have been removed from his pole by someone other than Dorothy, and the same goes for the oiling of the Tin Woodman. These two, as well as the Lion, would probably not have been convinced to travel to the Emerald City, though, and would not have been promoted to their current posts.
Next, we shall look at how The Land of Oz would have progressed. More likely than not, Tip would still have run away from Mombi, and Jack and the Sawhorse would have been brought to life. There is also a good chance that Tip would have headed toward the Emerald City, even though the Wizard, rather than the Scarecrow, would have been ruling there. Jinjur’s revolution would probably not have occurred, though. Jinjur mentioned that “people feared the Wizard.” This does not necessarily mean that she feared the Wizard, but it is quite likely that she would not have tried to attack an alleged Great and Terrible Wizard with knitting needles. Therefore, the flight out of the Emerald City would not have occurred, and Tip, Jack, and the Sawhorse might have planned to stay in the city.
Mombi would still have wanted Tip back, but she obviously would not have joined up with Jinjur. Instead, there is a good chance that she would have teamed up with the Wicked Witch of the West, who would also not want Tip to discover his true identity. The two witches would most likely have found some way to capture Tip (possibly by means of the Winged Monkeys, who would still have owed one more favor to the Witch of the West).
Now, the Wizard gave Ozma to Mombi, but I do not think that he knew what the Witch of the North had done to the Princess. Therefore, the Wizard would have had no idea who Tip was, even if the boy had sought an audience with the Wizard, which seems unlikely to have happened. The Wizard would, however, have been suspicious when he learned that both Mombi and the Witch of the West were involved in the kidnapping of Tip. How would he know this? Well, if the Witch had used the Monkeys, he would probably have recognized them from his own encounter. As for Mombi, Jack and the Sawhorse would most likely have told the Wizard or one of his servants that she had been Tip’s guardian. I am not sure that the Wizard would have acted due to his suspicion, though. He would not have wanted to face the Witches himself, and he did not really have anyone else to send to investigate the kidnapping of Tip. Glinda might have gotten involved, however. Omby Amby might well have advised Jack and the Sawhorse to visit the Good Sorceress, since he gave similar advice to Dorothy. Would Glinda have faced the two Wicked Witches, though? Both witches together might have posed a powerful threat to Glinda, but, on the other hand, the Good Sorceress would probably have been just as suspicious, and not as helpless, as the Wizard. If Glinda had managed to defeat both wicked witches, then Ozma would probably have been disenchanted and restored to the throne. What effect would this have had on the Wizard? Well, he obviously would not have been allowed to rule Oz, and he most likely would have been revealed to be a humbug. Beyond that, I do not know. He might very well have left Oz, though.
Ozma might still have travelled to Ev to free the royal family, but her party would have been different. The Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, the Cowardly Lion, and the Hungry Tiger, not being known at the capital, would not have accompanied her. Would Dorothy have arrived in Ev? Well, it is possible that Dorothy’s first trip to Oz gave her a special magical power that enabled her to return to fairyland, in which case she might not have arrived in Ev. If she had reached Ev, however, Ozma would probably still have rescued her from Langwidere, even though she would have had no idea who she was. How would the encounter with Roquat have progressed? Billina would still have been able to disenchant Roquat’s ornaments, I suppose, but the Scarecrow would not have been there to hurl eggs at the Nome King. Another character might have taken the Scarecrow’s place, enabling the outcome to be very similar to the one of which we are all aware. Alternatively, Roquat might have transformed the entire party, which would probably have brought interference from Glinda. In that case, the Sawhorse would have been able to tell the Sorceress about Roquat’s weakness, and this might have led to Glinda’s capturing of the Belt. It is really very hard to tell, though.
I might write more on this topic later. E-mail me if you have any comments or questions.
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