Scarecrow and Tin Woodman

In the mood for a story? Well come check out the newest free Tiger Tale on the main Hungry Tiger Press website. This month we offer L. Frank Baum's short story, The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman.

As most of you know, this tale was originally published as one of the titles in the Little Wizard series. So take a break and come read a miniature Oz story - you know you want to!

You can explore our free Tiger Tale archive by clicking here.

Winkies, and T-shirts, and Tote Bags, Oh My!

With the 2011 Winkie Convention coming up in July now would be a great time to begin thinking about what you're going to wear and how you're going to carry around all the Ozzy con-loot you're gonna get.

So to help you out - and to help the Winkie Convention - we have started a Winkie Con Boutique on Zazzle where you can buy Oz Con t-shirts and Ozzy tote bags. Please note that all profits go to fund the Winkie Convention!

You may choose items featuring the lovely Mucha-esque portrait of Queen Aquareine by John R. Neill from The Sea Fairies - or you may choose the jolly image of Ozzy pirate, Captain Salt, and his friends Ato and Peter Brown on the high seas of the Nonestic Ocean.

If you haven't already made plans to join us for this year's Winkie Convention there's still time. Click here or on the Winkie Convention tab in the blog menu for details.

And come visit us in the shop, too! Don't you need the latest in Ozzy apparel and a spiffy tote bag? You know you need them and the Winkie Con needs you!

Click Here or below to visit the Winkie Con Boutique!

Pirates and Mermaids

Original drawing by W. W. Denslow

Well, gosh - what a long time between blogs! I HATE that! Luckily, I have lots of excuses. I've logged almost sixty hours a week at San Diego Opera working evenings on the make-up crew for performances of Carmen and daytime hours painting scenery in the shop. It's nice to have so much work again - but it's NOT good for blogging.

Now, on top of all this I had to get the Winkie Convention Program Book ready for press. It has been a huge job this year as the book is bigger, better, and longer than ever! I'll try to give you a sneak-peek at the cover in the next week or so.

One of the items included in the program book is this original drawing by W. W. Denslow from The Pearl and the Pumpkin (1905). This drawing was used as one of the color plates in the book and it seemed especially appropriate for this year's Winkie Con as we are celebrating the centennial of L. Frank Baum's The Sea Fairies (which is about mermaids) and the 80th anniversary of Ruth Plumly Thompson's Pirates in Oz (which is about pirates) - hence, the appropriateness!

You might find it interesting to compare the original drawing to the printed color plate in the book. Denslow's original art for Pearl and the Pumpkin is very similar in style and technique to his original art for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Both feature his bold style and show a couple of the characters breaking thru the frame of the illustrations. It's also interesting to see how Denslow modified the original drawing; he clearly tried several positions for the mermaid's tail. If you click on the image of the original drawing, it will enlarge, and you can see much more pencil detail. Note how some elements of the original line art are printed in a color, not just in black, such as the mermaid's hair and the tattoo on the pirate's arm.

So, the blog is back on track and so is the Winkie Convention. If you aren't already planning to attend this year's best Oz convention why not decide to right now? You can get more information and find a link to download our info-pack and registration materials by clicking here.

A Baumian Souvenir

I hope that most of my readers know that Baum scholar Michael O. Riley (author of Oz and Beyond) is also a very fine printer and book binder. Indeed, his Pamami Press has specialized in lovely, limited editions of some very obscure Baum texts. He sets the metal type by hand, chooses the papers, binds them himself - he makes books the old-fashioned way.

Well, I am delighted to announce that he and his Pamami Press have prepared a very special limited edition "keepsake" for the attendees of this summer's Winkie Convention. Michael has produced by hand (and by his beautiful old-fashioned press) one hundred and fifteen copies of Baum's little-known blustery poem "Blow, Winds, Blow!"

The lovely little booklet contains a preface by Riley, Baum's poem, and a short colophon describing the printing of the "keepsake" and its publication for "The Winkie Convention."

This Baum booklet will only be available at the Winkie Convention and only  the first 115 people to register will receive one. Right now we are still a bit under that number, so if you register right now you too can own a copy of this rare Baumian collectible.

Below you can see the actual printing press Michael has used to produce this splendid souvenir for the Winkie Convention! Come celebrate Oz with us this summer - and YOU can have a copy of the booklet for your very own!

Click here for information on attending the WINKIE CON! 

Sis Sez Sunday - 45

Well, Sis is off to the fair with her nephew! He doesn't seem like a lot of fun, does he?

This installment of Marge and Ruth Plumly Thompson's SIS SEZ page first appeared in King Comics, No. 42, in October, 1939. If you love Marge's Little Lulu you're sure to get a kick out of Sis!

Please note that if you click on the image it will expand to a full-size version which will make it much easier to read! All of the other blog images will similarly enlarge.

More Ozma in Japan

 Today we continue exploring foreign translations of L. Frank Baum's Ozma of Oz.

This full-length translation was published by Popura Shabunko in 1986 - no doubt the publication was inspired by the success of Disney's Return to Oz film in Japan. This book is part of a series of Baum Oz books similar to the better known Hayakawa series. These book are a bit taller - closer in size to mass-market paperbacks. This edition is illustrated in black and white. While it is a paperback, it does come in a full-color dust jacket.

Below you can see a sample of the fairly cute illustrations. I really like the detail visible in the lunch pail.

Below you can see the highly robotic Tik-Tok from the back cover of the dust wrapper. More Ozma of Oz next Saturday!

Arghh!

Captain Salt by John R. Neill (1931)

I am most sorry for the minimal blogging of late - alas, I was taken prisoner by a bunch of Pirates!

Well, that's only sorta true. I have been locked below decks finishing the Winkie Convention Program Book for this summer. It must go to press by about May 15th to make sure we have plenty of copies for Winkie Con attendees this July.

The 2011 Program Book will be the thickest and longest yet produced - over 150 pages of Ozzy information, good reading, and oceanic fun. We have contributions by Michael Riley, Judy Bieber, Peter Hanff, Robin Hess, Eric Shanower; and little-known Pirate works by John R. Neill, W. W. Denslow, and Ruth Plumly Thompson.

It also features lengthy interviews with Oz creators Tommy Kovac (Royal Historian of Oz) and Kirk Kushin (OZopolis) and an additional interview with our Ozzy entertainment for Saturday night, Joe Cascone and David Haines of the Toronto Civic Light Opera Company.

Eric Shanower will be doing a full-color painting for the program's front cover and OZopolis cover artist, Sylwia Smerl, has prepared a lovely full color piece for the back!

So, how can you get a copy of this highly-collectible Pirate booty? Well, you'll just have to come to the Winkie Con. Click here for details and registration materials!

Sis Sez Sunday - 44

As you can see, Sis is all got-up in Pirate garb this week; she'd fit right in at this year's Winkie Convention where we'll be celebrating Pirates in Oz and The Sea Fairies! If you'd like to come to the best Oz Con ever click on this link for more info about the Winkie Con and down-loadable registration materials!

This installment of Marge and Ruth Plumly Thompson's SIS SEZ page first appeared in King Comics, No. 42, in September 1939. If you love Marge's Little Lulu you're sure to get a kick out of Sis!

Please note that if you click on the image it will expand to a full-size version which will make it much easier to read! All of the other blog images will similarly enlarge.