The
Wicked Witch of the East is a character in the fictional
Land of OzOz is a fairy country containing four lands under the rule of one monarch.It was first introduced in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, one of many fairy countries that he created for his books. It achieved a popularity that none of his other works attained, and after four years, he...
created by
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author
L. Frank BaumLyman Frank Baum was an American author, poet, playwright, actor and independent filmmaker, best known today as the creator, along with illustrator W. W. Denslow, of one of the most popular books in American children's literature, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
in his classic books. Her name is Sally. Although not verifiably seen (except for her feet), the 1939 film helped to further the popularity of the character. The Witch is the ruler of
Munchkin CountryMunchkin Country is the Eastern region in the fictional Land of Oz in L. Frank Baum's Oz books, first described in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. In Wizard it was originally called "the land of Munchkins," and "Munchkin Country" in all subsequent Oz books...
. For her political role, see
Political interpretations of The Wonderful Wizard of OzPolitical interpretations of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz study the influences of the modern fairy tale written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W.W. Denslow, first published in 1900...
.
In
The Wonderful Wizard of OzThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a children's novel written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W.W. Denslow. It was originally published by the George M...
(the first of many
Oz booksThe Oz books form a book series that begins with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and that relates the "history" of the Land of Oz. Oz was originally created by author L. Frank Baum, who went on to write fourteen Oz books...
),
Dorothy GaleDorothy Gale is a fictional character, the protagonist of many of the Oz novels by American author L. Frank Baum and 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. She also is the...
is blown into Oz by a tornado.
The
Wicked Witch of the East is a character in the fictional
Land of OzOz is a fairy country containing four lands under the rule of one monarch.It was first introduced in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, one of many fairy countries that he created for his books. It achieved a popularity that none of his other works attained, and after four years, he...
created by
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author
L. Frank BaumLyman Frank Baum was an American author, poet, playwright, actor and independent filmmaker, best known today as the creator, along with illustrator W. W. Denslow, of one of the most popular books in American children's literature, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
in his classic books. Her name is Sally. Although not verifiably seen (except for her feet), the 1939 film helped to further the popularity of the character. The Witch is the ruler of
Munchkin CountryMunchkin Country is the Eastern region in the fictional Land of Oz in L. Frank Baum's Oz books, first described in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. In Wizard it was originally called "the land of Munchkins," and "Munchkin Country" in all subsequent Oz books...
. For her political role, see
Political interpretations of The Wonderful Wizard of OzPolitical interpretations of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz study the influences of the modern fairy tale written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W.W. Denslow, first published in 1900...
.
The classic books
In
The Wonderful Wizard of OzThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a children's novel written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W.W. Denslow. It was originally published by the George M...
(the first of many
Oz booksThe Oz books form a book series that begins with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and that relates the "history" of the Land of Oz. Oz was originally created by author L. Frank Baum, who went on to write fourteen Oz books...
),
Dorothy GaleDorothy Gale is a fictional character, the protagonist of many of the Oz novels by American author L. Frank Baum and 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. She also is the...
is blown into Oz by a tornado. The young girl's house lands on top of The Witch. The Witch, who had been ruling over the Munchkins, is killed instantly with only her feet sticking out from under the house. The Witch was wearing magical shoes (made of
silverSilver is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
in the book) at the time of her death. Dorothy, on the advice of The
Good Witch of the NorthThe Good Witch of the North is a fictional character in the Land of Oz, created by American author L...
, takes the shoes. These shoes have the power to transport anyone anywhere, simply by knocking the heels together three times and giving them the command where to go. Not knowing this, Dorothy travels to see the famous ruler of the
Emerald CityThe Emerald City is the fictional capital city of the Land of Oz in L. Frank Baum's Oz books, first described in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.-Fictional description:...
,
The WizardThe Wizard of Oz, known during his reign as Oz the Great and Powerful, is the epithet of Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkel Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs , a fictional character in the Land of Oz, created by American author L...
, to ask for his help in trying to return to her
KansasKansas is a state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa tribe, who inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south wind," although this was...
farm. In the novel, The Wicked Witch of the East is also responsible for the creation of the
Tin WoodmanThe Tin Woodman is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum. Baum's Tin Woodman first appeared in his classic 1900 book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and reappeared in many other Oz books...
and, in flashbacks in
The Tin Woodman of OzThe Tin Woodman of Oz is the twelfth Land of Oz book written by L. Frank Baum and was originally published on May 13, 1918. The Tin Woodman is unexpectedly reunited with his Munchkin sweetheart Nimmie Amee from the days when he was flesh and blood...
, the Tin Soldier, who each had their blades enchanted to prevent them from marrying the Witch's maid.
The 1939 movie
In the 1939 movie, only her stockinged feet can be seen sticking out beneath the house once it lands. The film portrays The Witch as being the sister of The
Wicked Witch of the WestThe Wicked Witch of the West is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum in his children's book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The character also figures prominently in the classic 1939 movie based on Baum's book...
, a relationship neither stated nor implied in Baum's books. The famous sequence of the house dropping from the cyclone is actually a subjective
point of view shotA point of view shot is a short film scene that shows what a character is looking at . It is usually established by being positioned between a shot of a character looking at something, and a shot showing the character's reaction...
, showing the witch's view as the house crushes her.
Modern works
In
Alexander Melentyevich VolkovAlexander Melentyevich Volkov was a Russian novelist and mathematician.He wrote several historical novels, but is mostly remembered for a series of children's books based on L...
's
The Wizard of the Emerald CityThe Wizard of the Emerald City is a 1939 children's novel by Russian writer Alexander Melentyevich Volkov. The book is a loose translation of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
, The Witch's name is Gingema. Like in the 1939 movie, the two Wicked Witches are sisters. The book begins with her summoning a magical hurricane to destroy all humanity (since people, in her opinion, exterminate her food). However,
VillinaThe Good Witch of the North is a fictional character in the Land of Oz, created by American author L...
learns of her schemes, and changes the spell to only affect one house (her magic book told her it was always empty during storms) and drop it on Gingema's head. Unlike in Baum's books, while being the formal ruler of the Munchkins, she interfered little in their lives, and only demanded that people collect food for her. Since her food was snakes, leeches, spiders, and other similarly disgusting creatures which the Munchkins were afraid of, that was nevertheless a heavy burden for them.
In the
Broadway musicalBroadway Theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, is the theatre associated with the 40 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located in the Theatre District, New York in Manhattan, New York City...
,
The WizThe Wiz is a musical by Charlie Smalls, later adapted by William F. Brown as a book. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in the context of African American culture....
, The Wicked Witch of the East is named Evermean and terrorizes the Munchkins.
In the more recent novel,
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the WestWicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, is a parallel novel published in 1995. It was written by Gregory Maguire and illustrated by Douglas Smith. Based upon the writings of L...
by author
Gregory MaguireGregory Maguire is an American author. He is the author of the novels Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, and many other novels for adults and children...
, The Wicked Witch of the East is known as
NessaroseNessarose Thropp is the name of the woman who becomes the Wicked Witch of the East in Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, as well as in the Broadway adaptation, Wicked. She is the spoiled younger sister of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West...
and is born unable to walk and without arms — she is later able to walk however, by the use of the well-known shoes. Her sister, the
Wicked Witch of the WestThe Wicked Witch of the West is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum in his children's book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The character also figures prominently in the classic 1939 movie based on Baum's book...
whose name is
ElphabaElphaba Thropp is a fictional character in Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, as well as in the Broadway adaptation, Wicked. In the original L. Frank Baum book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the Wicked Witch of the West is unnamed and we know little about...
, had been waiting for the shoes for seven years. In
WickedWicked is a Tony Award-winning Broadway and West End musical, with songs and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and book by Winnie Holzman. The story is based on the best-selling novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, a parallel novel of L...
, the
Broadway musicalBroadway Theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, is the theatre associated with the 40 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located in the Theatre District, New York in Manhattan, New York City...
based on Maguire's novel, Nessarose is unable to walk and uses a
wheelchairA wheelchair is a wheeled mobility device in which the user sits. The device is propelled either manually or via various automated systems. Wheelchairs are used by people for whom walking is difficult or impossible due to illness , injury, or disability...
. In both the book and musical, the character is portrayed in a less negative light than in the Baum books or earlier movie, though it portrays her as becoming fanatical, so much so that she limits the rights of the munchkins and degenerates into 'witch'. In the musical (where she was originally portrayed by
Michelle FedererMichelle Federer is an American theatre and film actress.-Biography:Federer is the daughter of John and Claudia Federer...
), this tyranny stems from her love of a Munchkin named
BoqBoq is a minor character in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. He becomes a more prominent character in Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel Wicked, which purports to show the lives of some of Baum's characters from another perspective, and more prominent still in the Broadway musical Wicked...
, who she had fallen in love with after
GlindaGlinda is a fictional character in the Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum. She is the most powerful sorceress of Oz, although a fairy in later books, ruler of the Quadling Country south of the Emerald City, and protector of Princess Ozma.- Literature :Baum's 1900 children's novel...
persuaded him to take Nessa to the Ozdust Ballroom (in order to get him away from herself). In order to keep Boq from leaving her for Glinda, Nessa enforces several strict laws on the Munchkins in order to keep her love around her. Even after Elphaba enchants her ruby slippers so she can walk, Boq is still fixated on Glinda, and Nessa accidentally causes his heart to shrink when attempting to make him 'lose your heart to me'. Elphaba is forced to turn Boq into the Tin Woodsman to keep him alive, and Nessa laments her status as 'The Wicked Witch of the East'.
In
Roger S. BaumRoger Stanton Baum is a former banker and stockbroker, and currently a children's author, residing in Branson, Missouri. Baum publishes under the name Roger S. Baum. Baum is a former resident of Los Angeles and the vicinity of Las Vegas. He also tours the country, reading from and signing his...
's
Lion of Oz and the Badge of CourageLion of Oz is an official animated prequel film to The Wizard of Oz. It tells the story of how the Cowardly Lion, formerly part of the Omaha Circus, came to be in Oz, how he stopped the Wicked Witch of the East from getting the Flower of Oz. It is based upon the book Lion of Oz and the Badge of...
, the Wicked Witch of the East is the main antagonist. The book was adapted into the 2000 animated film
Lion of Oz.
In 2007,
Turner EntertainmentTurner Entertainment Company, Inc. is an American media company founded by Ted Turner. Now owned by Time Warner, the company is largely responsible for overseeing its library for worldwide distribution.-Background:Turner Entertainment Co...
collaborated with
Madame AlexanderMadame Alexander is the business name of Beatrice Alexander, who was born Bertha Alexander, later changed her name to Beatrice, married Philip Behrman and then started her doll business. She was an American entrepreneur who created the first "collectible" dolls based on a licensed character -...
to create a series of
McDonald'sMcDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving nearly 47 million customers daily. At one time it was the largest global restaurant chain, but it has since been surpassed by multi-brand operator Yum! and sandwich chain Subway.In addition to its...
Happy MealA "Happy Meal" is a meal which is specially made for kids, sold at the fast-food chain McDonald's since June 1979. A toy is typically included with the food, both of which are usually contained in a small box or paper bag with the McDonald's logo....
toys centered on the main characters from the 1939 movie, one of which was the Wicked Witch of the East. She is depicted as having blonde hair, a red shirt with a green belt and a burgundy dress over her distinguishable striped stockings and ruby slippers. She also is wearing a hat similar to the
Witch of the WestThe Wicked Witch of the West is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum in his children's book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The character also figures prominently in the classic 1939 movie based on Baum's book...
's, although it is colored red.
In
The Muppet's Wizard of Oz, the Wicked Witch of the East is played by Miss Piggy (as are all of the other witches/fairies). She manages to lift the house long enough to threaten the Munchkins before it falls back on top of her, killing her this time.