Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays!

We have two holiday treats for you! We've added some Christmas carols performed by Stephanie Mills and Judy Garland to the playlist on our streaming "all Oz" radio station!

It's easy to listen to Emerald City Radio on Live365. Just click here to go to Live365 and click "Sign Up" in the upper right hand corner and join for free for access to thousands of internet radio stations. Then "Log In" and make a search for Emerald City Radio. When the Emerald City Radio logo shows up in your search results, just click on the logo to start listening right away! Listening is free.

And if you're looking for some fun (and rare!) Ozzy holiday reading you can check out our free online TIGER TALE, "The Animals' Christmas Tree," written by Royal Historian of Oz, Jack Snow.

Click here to read the story

So, Happy Holidays from your friends at HUNGRY TIGER PRESS!

Table Top RPG at Winkie Con 50

Winkie Con 50 announces a table top Role Playing Game for Saturday afternoon, August 9. Titled The Missing Princess of Oz, the game will be led by your gamemaster Steve Koontz. Here's the description:

It’s Ozma’s birthday and the guest of honor has vanished! Take on the role of a citizen of the Emerald City in a live-action Ozzy adventure. Only you can find the fairy ruler of Oz. Do you have the smarts or the bravery or a big enough heart to save the Land of Oz? We need your help.

Sound familiar? That's probably because the Live Action Role Play announced earlier had the same description. But the LARP has now evolved into a table top game. The LARP wasn't getting strong interest, and due to space considerations, a table top RPG is a better idea for Winkie Con 50.

So join this exciting Oz adventure to find the Missing Princess! It's happening at Winkie Con 50, August 8-10, 2014, at the Town and Country Hotel in San Diego. Sign up at the convention to play.

For information about Winkie Con 50 and to register for the convention, click this link. 

Oz Art Show at Winkie Con 50

Submissions are invited for the Winkie Con 50 Oz Art Show. Our goal is to put on a great display of Oz art with a large number of quality submissions, to encourage new writers and artists, and to explore a large range of Oz expression. Artists are invited to submit their work for consideration for awards at the 2014 Winkie Convention, August 8-10, 2014, at the Town and Country Hotel, 500 Hotel Circle North, San Diego, California 92108. There is no entry fee. 

Oz Art is defined as any original expression that isn't written fiction or non-fiction and is about or pertaining to the Land of Oz. Oz Art can be in the form of (but is not limited to) poetry, music, drama, drawings, paintings, sculptures, jewelry, and costuming. Any portable form of art or craft work is acceptable, but costumes are only eligible for either the Art Show prize or the costume contest, not both. 

All work must be related to the world of Oz. This means entries must be about or pertaining to the Land of Oz as originally created by author L. Frank Baum in the book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and its sequels. Submissions need not be confined to Baum’s vision; any work about or pertaining to the Land of Oz in any of its forms will be accepted. Submissions may follow on from Oz books, Oz plays, Oz movies, Magic Land, or any other version or aspect of Oz. All work must be original and not previously published or exhibited in any form, including online and digital publication. Items may have already been accepted for publications to be released after the convention.

If you wish to enter art into the Oz Art Show, you must inform us at research@winkies.org and provide a description (including dimensions) or an electronic version by July 15, 2014. Put the words “Oz Artwork” in the e-mail subject line.

Artwork will be judged at Winkie Con 50. Therefore all art submissions need to be either brought to the convention, or arrangements must be made by the artist to send or deliver pieces and, if needed, have them returned.

Prizes sponsored by the International Wizard of Oz Club will be awarded as follows:

• $100 First Prize
• $50 Second Prize

Prizes will be announced at Winkie Con 50, August 8-10, 2014. To enter and win you need not be present at the convention. To enter and win you need not be a member of the Oz Club, though membership is always encouraged. Winners not in attendance will be notified in the week following the convention, and prizes will be sent to the winners as soon as possible. 

Photographs or photocopies of all art submissions that are in two dimensions will also be submitted to the editor of Oziana, the Oz Club’s annual fiction anthology, for consideration for optional publication. Oziana can only print works directly pertaining to the Oz books of L. Frank Baum and his successors as Royal Historian of Oz and to works in the public domain. Works derived solely from other copyrighted books, plays, movies, or other versions of Oz cannot be considered for publication in Oziana, but may still be submitted to the Oz Art Show and will be judged on their own merits. (Decisions of the editor of Oziana are independent of this contest. Winning a prize will not guarantee publication, nor will non-winning entries be excluded from consideration.)

For further inquiries and questions, e-mail research@winkies.org.

Winkie Writers Workshop

The fiftieth annual Winkie Con, the longest-running Wizard of Oz convention, will be held at the Town and Country Hotel, in San Diego’s Mission Valley, on August 8-10, 2014. Winkie Con celebrates the Oz books by L. Frank Baum and all other aspects of Oz.

The Winkie Writers Workshop for Children’s Fantasy is planned as part of Winkie Con 50. Two separate three-hour sessions are scheduled. The first session runs 9 am to noon on Friday, August 8, 2014. The second session runs 10 am to 1 pm, Saturday, August 9. The location is at Winkie Con 50 at the Town and Country Hotel, 500 Hotel Circle North, San Diego, California 92108.

Three writing industry professionals will give personal critiques of up to five manuscript pages of a Middle-Grade or Young Adult work of fantasy or science fiction plus a one-page synopsis of the work. The work need not be an Oz or Oz-related work, but it should be within the genres of fantasy or science fiction. Each session’s submissions will be read beforehand by all session participants and critiqued in-person by the faculty during the workshop.

The registration fee for the Winkie Writers Workshop is $50. A three-day or single-day pass to Winkie Con 50 is also required for participation in the Winkie Writers Workshop.

Each session of the Winkie Writers Workshop consists of three faculty members and five students. Confirmed faculty includes:

Friday, August 8: 

Edward Einhorn, author of Paradox in Oz (Hungry Tiger Press), The Living House of Oz (Hungry Tiger Press), A Very Improbable Story (Charlesbridge Press), Fractions in Disguise (Charlesbridge), etc. 

Nancy Holder, New York Times best-selling author (with Debbie Viguie) of Wicked: Witch and Curse (Simon & Schuster Children's), Crusade (Simon Pulse), and author of television tie-ins including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Wishbone, and Teen Wolf, etc. 

James Matlack Raney, author of Jim Morgan and the King of Thieves (Dreamfarer Press) and Jim Morgan and the Pirates of the Black Skull (Dreamfarer Press).  

Saturday, August 9: 

Sherwood Smith, author of The Emerald Wand of Oz (HarperCollins), Trouble Under Oz (HarperCollins), Wren to the Rescue (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), The Spy Princess (Viking Juvenile), etc. 

Laura Preble, author of The Queen Geek Social Club and sequels (Berkley Trade), Out (CreateSpace), Lica’s Angel (iUniverse), etc. 

Thao Le, agent at the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency, Del Mar, California; recent sales include Katherine Harbour’s Thorn Jack to Harper Voyager and Lisa Freeman’s Honey Girl to Sky Pony Press.

Faculty subject to change without notice.

Registrations for the Winkie Writers Workshop are being accepted on a first-come first-serve basis. After the ten openings are filled, materials will be returned. To reserve your space, send your $50 check payable to WINKIE CONVENTION to:

Winkie Writers Workshop

Attention: David Maxine

5995 Dandridge Lane, Suite 121

San Diego, CA 92115

Include your e-mail address and/or phone number so that we can confirm your reservation. You may indicate your preference for the Friday session or the Saturday session, and we will try to accommodate you. Otherwise we will make every effort to match your manuscript to the most appropriate faculty.

Once your reservation is accepted, submit seven copies of your five pages and synopsis in standard manuscript format. These materials are due by JUNE 15, 2014.

A pass to Winkie Con 50 is required for participation in the workshop.  You may make a reservation for the Winkie Writers Workshop prior to purchasing your Winkie Con 50 pass.

Winkie Con 50 will have a focus on writing and children’s fantasy. Authors of modern Oz books and other fantasy writing will speak at the convention, primarily on Friday and Saturday. Authors expected to participate include YA novelist and former YALSA president Michael Cart, picture book author J. L. Bell, novelist Walter G. Meyer, non-fiction author Aljean Harmetz, fantasy author Caroline Spector, and comic book writer Eric Shanower. Other guests at Winkie Con 50 will include Priscilla Montgomery, Munchkin actor in MGM’s The Wizard of Oz; Caren Marsh-Doll, stand-in for Judy Garland in MGM’s The Wizard of Oz; John and Bjo Trimble, the couple that saved Star Trek; Kurt Raymond, Wicked Witch of the West impersonator; and Robert Welch, grandson of MGM Wizard of Oz special effects master Buddy Gillespie.

For further details about Winkie Con 50 and to register for the convention online, see the official website here.

Tik-Tok Tinsel!

I have a friend who is slightly obsessed with Disney's Return to Oz - and he is especially obsessed with Tik-Tok! Occasionally I make him birthday or Christmas presents, and this year he got a Tik-Tok Christmas tree ornament.

 Tik-Tok's head is built around a cardboard sphere using bits of paper, bristol-board, and a plastic screw anchor for the nose. The mustache is string appliqued to a bristol-board base. Once the sculpt was finished Tik-Tok got several good coats of gesso and then some spiffy "copper" acrylic paint. The last step was a deep blue acrylic "oxidation" wash to pop the shadows. I especially liked how the hat came out!

OK, now that I've captured the attention of Tik-Tok fans the world around - I want to let you know that this summer Tik-Tok will be starring in his own stage musical!

There will be a fully-staged revival of The Tik-Tok Man of Oz at the Winkie Con on August 9, 2014 in San Diego, California.

The Tik-Tok Man of Oz is a one-hundred-year-old stage musical written by children's author L. Frank Baum as a sequel to his classic story The Wizard of Oz. The curtain first went up on The Tik-Tok Man of Oz on March 31, 1913, at the Majestic Theater in Los Angeles, California. After a successful Los Angeles run, the show toured the USA and Canada, then closed in 1914.

All the surviving vintage music from the original production will be performed to keyboard accompaniment--including fourteen songs with lyrics by L. Frank Baum and music by Louis F. Gottschalk, additional songs from the original run, Gottschalk's dance music, overture, entr'acte, reprises, etc. There will be twenty-five musical numbers in total.

The Tik-Tok Man of Oz is being produced by Oz author and illustrator Eric Shanower and is being funded through a Kickstarter campaign. The fundraising efforts are going really well and the basic needs of the show have been met. But there are a lot of things Tik-Tok still needs tro make his revival truly incredible. So check out the fundraiser campaign through the link below and please try to contribute a little toward Tik'Tok's triumphal return to the stage!

Click here to visit Tik-Tok's Kickstarter campaign!

If you want to see The Tik-Tok Man of Oz in August you'll need to come to WINKIE CON 50 - the biggest Oz event of the year. Click here for details!

WINKIE CON 50

Talkin' About Tik-Tok

Polychrome, the Shaggy Man, and Betsy assist Tik-Tok.

This year's Winkie Con features a unique program on Saturday evening, August 9, 2014. Clockwork Productions will revive The Tik-Tok Man of Oz, the musical play originally produced in Los Angeles, California, in 1913. The book and lyrics were written by Oz author L. Frank Baum, as a sequel to his 1903 Broadway smash The Wizard of Oz. The music for The Tik-Tok Man of Oz was composed by Louis F. Gottschalk, composer of many early film scores, including Orphans of the Storm by D. W. Griffith, A Woman of Paris by Charlie Chaplin, and Little Lord Fauntleroy starring Mary Pickford.

Oliver Morosco produced The Tik-Tok Man of Oz at the Majestic Theater in Los Angeles, California, where it premiered March 31, 1913. The show then toured the USA and Canada, arriving in San Diego, California, in 1914. Now, one hundred years later, San Diego will once again host a presentation of The Tik-Tok Man of Oz. It's appropriate that The Tik-Tok Man of Oz will be performed in San Diego, since L. Frank Baum wrote the earliest drafts of the show in 1907 at the Hotel del Coronado, the famous luxury resort near San Diego.

The Tik-Tok Man of Oz has not had a fully staged production in a century. If you ever wanted to see a fully staged performance of one of L. Frank Baum's stage works, this is your chance. This revival will be presented one night only, on Saturday, August 9, 2014, as the evening program of the 50th annual Winkie Con, the world's longest running Oz event. The Regency Ballroom of the Town and Country Resort, 500 Hotel Circle North, San Diego, California, will be turned into a theater to present the show.

Sheet music from 1913

All the surviving musical numbers from the original production--more than twenty in all--will be performed. These include the fourteen songs written by L. Frank Baum and Louis F. Gottschalk, as well as four additional songs by Oliver Morosco and Victor Schertzinger, an overture, an entr'acte, reprises, and dances. The original script by L. Frank Baum has been abridged by award-winning Oz author and illustrator Eric Shanower in order to keep the running time of this production under two and a half hours.

A full-convention ticket to Winkie Con 50 includes guaranteed seating for the Saturday evening performance of The Tik-Tok Man of Oz. To register for Winkie Con 50, click here for the Winkie Con website.

Sheet music from 1913

The Tik-Tok Man of Oz features plenty of action, comedy, romance, and suspense. The star of the show is Tik-Tok, the copper clockwork man who must be wound up with a key to move, think, and speak. Tik-Tok is rescued by young Betsy Bobbin and her pet mule Hank who are helping the Shaggy Man search for his long lost brother. They are joined by Queen Ann and her brave Army of Oogaboo, as well as Polychrome the Daughter of the Rainbow and Ozma the Rose Princess. They all must face the magical power of Ruggedo the villainous Metal Monarch and his Metal Imps deep in the underground Metal Forest. The story is similar to the seventh Oz book, Tik-Tok of Oz, because L. Frank Baum based that book on this play.

The Tik-Tok Man of Oz Kickstarter Campaign
A Kickstarter campaign for The Tik-Tok Man of Oz has launched. Won't you consider becoming part of this fascinating project by making a pledge? To contribute, click here to go directly to Kickstarter. We're offering some cool rewards for contributors, including a DVD of the performance, a book reprinting all the surviving sheet music from the original production, artwork by Eric Shanower, VIP seating at the performance, posters, and more--you could even have a walk-on role in the show! Some of these rewards are exclusive and won't be available anywhere else. Watch our Kickstarter video to hear music from The Tik-Tok Man of Oz.

Auditions and Open Dance Call
The cast will have about twenty members to bring The Tik-Tok Man of Oz to life. Auditions are April 4 in the San Diego area. Open Dance Call is April 6. For details, see the Audition Notice here.

Behind the Curtain
The creative team for The Tik-Tok Man of Oz is already in place, and here they are:

Chrissy Burns, Director: Chrissy has directed such productions as 42nd Street, Sweet Charity, Nunsense, and Chicago. She has acted on many San Diego stages, including Lambs Players, Diversionary Theatre, Starlight Theatre, and more. She was recently seen in miXtape, the hit 1980's musical at the Horton Grand Theater. She teaches Musical Theater and Voice at Infinity Dance Arts in El Cajon, California.

Joseph Grienenberger, Musical Director: Joseph has been Musical Director for productions that include Man of La Mancha, Pacific Overtures, Blood Wedding, and The Wizard of Oz. His credits include stage direction, singing, acting, and orchestrating for the Old Globe Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, San Diego Repertory, and more. Joseph is a voice and acting coach and is a core chorister at San Diego Opera .

Jennifer Solomon-Rubio, Choreographer: Teaming with director Chrissy Burns, Jenn has choreographed such stage musicals as 42nd Street, Ruthless! the Musical, and Chicago. Her stage experience includes fashion shows, trade shows, and choreographic work throughout the San Diego region. She is studio director and an instructor at Infinity Dance Arts in El Cajon, California.

Christopher Boltz, Lighting Design: Chris worked on the television shows Third Rock from the Sun and That 70's Show. He coordinated lighting and sound for the pre-Broadway workshop of The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe. He has designed lighting for productions including Mirror Mirror, Epic of Gil, and The Rocky Horror Show. He teaches in the Theatre Arts department of Fresno City College.

David Maxine and Eric Shanower, Set and Costume Design: David has designed productions including Sweeney Todd, Oklahoma!, and The Baltimore Waltz for theaters such as Skylight Opera, Yale Rep, Trenton State College, and Bard College. He was Associate Designer for ABC News, Production Designer for the film Ready? OK!, and Scenic Artist at San Diego Opera and La Jolla Playhouse. Eric is a cartoonist whose comics projects include the ongoing series Age of Bronze, the story of the Trojan War, and scripts for New York Times best-selling comics adaptations of L. Frank Baum's Oz books with art by Skottie Young. He has illustrated numerous other comics and books.

If you want to be in the audience for this historic performance of L. Frank Baum's The Tik-Tok Man of Oz, be sure to register for Winkie Con 50 as soon as you can.

To see many aspects of Tik-Tok and his friends, see the gallery of images on The Tik-Tok Man of Oz website here.

Cosplay in Oz

A terrific Hammerhead from 1990.

This summer, August 8-10, 2014, the Winkie Con will be holding its 50th annual convention celebrating L. Frank Baum and the magical Land of Oz. One of the favorite pastimes of Winkie Con has always been dressing up for the Costume Contest on Saturday morning - maybe this year you should make a costume and join in the Ozzy fun! This year's Costume Contest will take place on Saturday morning of the CON, August 9, 2014.

People do superb work on very elaborate costumes, such as this fine Hammerhead from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, built and worn by Oz fan Dick Rutter. But many people make very simple and very effective costumes, too; Dorothy, the Shaggy Man, and the Scarecrow aren't nearly as difficult - and it's just as much fun participating! 

You can click on any of the pictures to see them enlarged.

The earliest photo I've found of a Winkie Con costume contest is from Winkie Con 5 in 1968 when we were so small we met at the home of Warren Hollister in Santa Barbara. Leading the parade is charter Oz Club member Ruth Berman as Princess Isa Poso from Ojo in Oz.

Winkie Con Costume Contest in 1968.

Oz fans dress up as characters from both the Oz books and Oz movies. In 1989, for the 50th anniversary of the classic MGM Wizard of Oz film, we got a veritable "gale" of Dorothys! Did you know that a large group of Dorothys was called a gale?

A "gale" of Dorothys at the 1989 Winkie Con.

Here's a cool grouping from 1978 showing General Jinjur, Gureeda from Speedy in Oz, the Tin Woodman, and Tip.

Winkie Con in 1978.

Use your imagination! You still have over five months until this summer's gala Winkie Con 50 - and it is so much fun! And you can reuse your costume for next Halloween!

In 1986 we saw a wonderfully effective Woozy Costume! One might think the Woozy would be hard to do, but look how great this basic construction from cardboard, paper, and paint turned out! The Woozy is being followed by Gloma the Black Witch from The Wishing Horse of Oz and Clocker from Pirates in Oz - both simple yet effective costumes.

Costume Parade at the 1986 Winkie Con.

This year at Winkie Con we are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the publication of L. Frank Baum's Tik-Tok of Oz. Tik-Tok, created in 1907 in Ozma of Oz, is arguably one of the first sentient robots! Indeed, our "theme" this summer is "Clockwork in Oz" - there's a $50 cash prize for the costume best reflecting that theme - so why not get a little steampunk on and make a Tik-Tok costume? Or even come dressed up as Mr. Smith or Mr. Tinker, the two men who  manufactured Tik-Tok in the first place! Below is a great Tik-Tok costume from 1982, this one designed and worn by Dick Rutter. He was really into paper-mache - which, by the way, is inexpensive and effective!

Fred Meyer greets Tik-Tok at the 1982 Winkie Con.

Some costumes are very unexpected - such as this awesome Kabumpo the Elegant Elephant from Kabumpo in Oz, worn by a teenage Eric Shanower and his sister Elizabeth. Yes, that's future Oz author, illustrator, and award-winning comics creator Eric Shanower!

Winkie Con 1980.

Also seen (left to right) are authentic costumes for Ozga the Rose Princess, Queen Ann of Oogaboo, and Private Files. These three are also characters from Tik-Tok of Oz and would be great costumes for this summer!

So look at all the fun you could have! Get started, make it a project, have some crafty fun! Look how excited these three Patchwork folk were at last summer's Winkie Con! Heck, you might even win one of the costume prizes! These prizes include Best Adult Costume and Best Child Costume, as well as the above-mentioned Best Theme Costume which includes a $50 cash prize.

Winkie Con in 2013.

My all time favorite Oz costume was Dick Rutter as Quox the Dragon, from Tik-Tok of Oz (seen below). Quox was about 12' long. He could crawl about (I think there was a skateboard under his abdomen to help him along)  and there was a fire extinguisher built into his snout and he belched smoke a couple times! Quox was pretty amazing! In this photo he is surrounded by a couple Winged Monkeys, the Wicked Witch of the West, and Ozga the Rose Princess.

Winkie Con in 1983.

Join us for this year's Winkie Con 50, August 8-10, 2014 at the Town and Country Hotel and Convention Center in beautiful San Diego. Click here for the Winkie Con website. The 2014 Costume Contest will take place on Saturday morning, August 9, 2014 - though you are welcome to wear you costumes as much as you like!

Let it Snow!

Grave of Jack Snow (1907-1956) in Piqua, Ohio

This past Christmas Eric and I took a three week road trip to Ohio to visit Eric's family. We both did a fair amount of genealogical research, too - visiting with assorted cousins and taking pictures in cemeteries.

But on the way home we took a little detour so we could visit the grave of Royal Historian of Oz, Jack Snow - author of The Magical Mimics in Oz, The Shaggy Man of Oz, and Who's Who in Oz.  We arrived in Piqua, Ohio (where Snow is buried) after dark. We stopped by the Forest Hill Cemetery briefly so we'd know exactly where it was when we returned in the morning to find the grave and take a few photos.

Well we woke up to find that it had snowed about six inches during the night! Hunting for a specific gravestone in a cemetery can be hard enough when the weather is good - but when you have to brush the snow off grave stones (and you're freezing!) it can seem almost impossible.

Luckily, we found a grounds keeper who knew exactly where Snow's grave was and knew he was the author of some Oz books. I need to add that we had actually been looking for Snow's father's grave as Jack Snow's grave is unmarked. But we knew that Jack was buried to the right of his father. There are in fact a fair number of Snow graves in the same area as well as other family names such as Genslinger and Hyde.

Grave of John Alonzo Snow (Jack's Snow's father)

It has always bothered me greatly that Snow's grave is unmarked. Parts of the Snow family were very distressed by Jack's homosexuality - and this may well be the reason there is no marker.

But as you can see in the photo up top - I have at least temporarily remedied the situation!

Merry Christmas, Jack!