Button Bright
Encyclopedia
Button-Bright is a character in the Oz books
by L. Frank Baum
. He first appears in the 1909 book The Road to Oz
.
When Button-Bright first appears in the series, he is a very small boy, possibly only about four years old. He answers most questions with, "Don't know." His nickname
comes from how his parents think he is "bright as a button"; after one conversation, the Scarecrow
hypothesizes that the button they had in mind might have been covered with dull cloth.
Baum brought the character of Button-Bright back in his 1912 novel Sky Island
, where he encounters Trot
and Cap'n Bill
for the first time. The boy has become older and more verbal, and greatly attached to his family's Magic Umbrella. He also reveals that he is from Philadelphia, and his real name (or as much as he can remember) is Saladin Paracelsus de Lambertine Evagne von Smith.
In The Scarecrow of Oz
(1915), Button-Bright becomes the first American boy on record to emigrate to Oz. He is reunited with Trot and Cap'n Bill en route; and the three of them travel to Oz together. Thereafter he participates in two Oz adventures, The Lost Princess of Oz
(1917) and Glinda of Oz
(1920), in which he reveals two more traits: capacious pockets and a talent for getting lost. Many of the characteristics the older Button-Bright took on in Sky Island vanished from the Oz books, Baum apparently assuming from the lower sales that he would be too unfamiliar to most of his readers if he had changed that much. However, Baum's designated successors largely left his character alone. His largest subsequent appearance is in Jack Snow
's The Magical Mimics in Oz
. Eric Shanower
typically depicts him in contemporary clothing in his graphic novel
s, but he has not had a major role in them and may not be recognizable to all readers.
Button-Bright is often depicted wearing a sailor suit, knickerbocker suit, or other fashionable boys' clothing of the early twentieth century. In Philadelphia he has a large house and a governess, indicating that (unlike Dorothy Gale
) he comes from a wealthy American family. Both his father and his Uncle Bob are mentioned, and/or appear in "Sky Island", (it is somewhat implied that Uncle Bob is Button-Bright's father's brother).
March Laumer
depicted him as an adult and married to Glinda
.
The Oz books
The Oz books form a book series that begins with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz , and that relates the fictional history of the Land of Oz. Oz was created by author L. Frank Baum, who went on to write fourteen full-length Oz books, all of which are in the public domain in the United States...
by L. Frank Baum
L. Frank Baum
Lyman Frank Baum was an American author of children's books, best known for writing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
. He first appears in the 1909 book The Road to Oz
The Road to Oz
The Road to Oz: In Which Is Related How Dorothy Gale of Kansas, The Shaggy Man, Button Bright, and Polychrome the Rainbow's Daughter Met on an Enchanted Road and Followed it All the Way to the Marvelous Land of Oz. is the fifth of L. Frank Baum's Land of Oz books...
.
When Button-Bright first appears in the series, he is a very small boy, possibly only about four years old. He answers most questions with, "Don't know." His nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
comes from how his parents think he is "bright as a button"; after one conversation, the Scarecrow
Scarecrow (Oz)
The Scarecrow is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum and illustrator William Wallace Denslow. In his first appearance, the Scarecrow reveals that he lacks a brain and desires above all else to have one. In reality, he is only two days old and merely...
hypothesizes that the button they had in mind might have been covered with dull cloth.
Baum brought the character of Button-Bright back in his 1912 novel Sky Island
Sky Island (novel)
Sky Island: Being the Further Adventures of Trot and Cap'n Bill after Their Visit to the Sea Fairies is a children's fantasy novel written by L. Frank Baum, illustrated by John R...
, where he encounters Trot
Trot
A trot is a type of symmetrical gait in animals.Trot may also refer to:*Trot , the specifics of trotting in horses*Trot , a genre of Korean pop music*Trot , a character from the Oz books of L...
and Cap'n Bill
Cap'n Bill
Cap'n Bill Weedles is a fictional character found in L. Frank Baum's Land of Oz. Cap'n Bill and his friend Trot were introduced in Baum's fantasy novels The Sea Fairies and Sky Island . They first appear in Oz in The Scarecrow of Oz , the ninth book in the Oz series.Cap'n Bill Weedles is an...
for the first time. The boy has become older and more verbal, and greatly attached to his family's Magic Umbrella. He also reveals that he is from Philadelphia, and his real name (or as much as he can remember) is Saladin Paracelsus de Lambertine Evagne von Smith.
In The Scarecrow of Oz
The Scarecrow of Oz
The Scarecrow of Oz is the ninth book set in the Land of Oz written by L. Frank Baum. Published on July 16, 1915, it was Baum's personal favorite of the Oz books and tells of Cap'n Bill and Trot journeying to Oz and, with the help of the Scarecrow, overthrowing the cruel King Krewl of Jinxland...
(1915), Button-Bright becomes the first American boy on record to emigrate to Oz. He is reunited with Trot and Cap'n Bill en route; and the three of them travel to Oz together. Thereafter he participates in two Oz adventures, The Lost Princess of Oz
The Lost Princess of Oz
The Lost Princess of Oz is the eleventh canonical Oz book written by L. Frank Baum. Published on June 5, 1917, it begins with the disappearance of Princess Ozma, the ruler of Oz and covers Dorothy and the Wizard's efforts to find her...
(1917) and Glinda of Oz
Glinda of Oz
Glinda of Oz: In Which Are Related the Exciting Experiences of Princess Ozma of Oz, and Dorothy, in Their Hazardous Journey to the Home of the Flatheads, and to the Magic Isle of the Skeezers, and How They Were Rescued from Dire Peril by the Sorcery of Glinda the Good is the fourteenth Land of Oz...
(1920), in which he reveals two more traits: capacious pockets and a talent for getting lost. Many of the characteristics the older Button-Bright took on in Sky Island vanished from the Oz books, Baum apparently assuming from the lower sales that he would be too unfamiliar to most of his readers if he had changed that much. However, Baum's designated successors largely left his character alone. His largest subsequent appearance is in Jack Snow
Jack Snow (writer)
John Frederick "Jack" Snow was an American radio writer and scholar, primarily of the works of L. Frank Baum. When Baum died in 1919, the twelve-year-old Snow offered to be the next Royal Historian of Oz, but was politely turned down by a staffer at Baum's publisher, Reilly & Lee...
's The Magical Mimics in Oz
The Magical Mimics in Oz
The Magical Mimics in Oz is the thirty-seventh in the series of Oz books created by L. Frank Baum and his successors, and the first written by Jack Snow. It was illustrated by Frank G. Kramer.-A new "Royal Historian":...
. Eric Shanower
Eric Shanower
Eric James Shanower is an American comics artist and writer, best known for his Oz novels and comics and the on-going retelling of the Trojan War as Age of Bronze.-Biography:...
typically depicts him in contemporary clothing in his graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
s, but he has not had a major role in them and may not be recognizable to all readers.
Button-Bright is often depicted wearing a sailor suit, knickerbocker suit, or other fashionable boys' clothing of the early twentieth century. In Philadelphia he has a large house and a governess, indicating that (unlike Dorothy Gale
Dorothy Gale
Dorothy Gale is the protagonist of many of the Oz novels by American author L. Frank Baum, and the best friend of Oz's ruler Princess Ozma. Dorothy first appears in Baum's classic children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and reappears in most of its sequels...
) he comes from a wealthy American family. Both his father and his Uncle Bob are mentioned, and/or appear in "Sky Island", (it is somewhat implied that Uncle Bob is Button-Bright's father's brother).
March Laumer
March Laumer
March Laumer was an American author, primarily of books on the Land of Oz.March Laumer was born in Birmingham, Alabama, the son of an officer in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He was the older brother of science fiction writer Keith Laumer; their youngest brother Frank was also a writer, on historical...
depicted him as an adult and married to Glinda
Glinda
Glinda is a fictional character in the Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum. She is the most powerful sorceress of Oz, ruler of the Quadling Country south of the Emerald City, and protector of Princess Ozma.- Literature :Baum's 1900 children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
.