Jack Pumpkinhead | |
---|---|
Oz character | |
First appearance | The Marvelous Land of Oz (1904) |
Created by | L. Frank Baum |
Portrayed by | Brian Henson (head, Return to Oz) Stewart Larange (body, Return to Oz) |
Voiced by | Paul Lynde ( Journey Back to Oz ) Brian Henson ( Return to Oz ) |
In-universe information | |
Species | Animated Simulacrum |
Gender | Male |
Title | Adviser to Ozma of Oz |
Occupation | Pumpkin farmer |
Family | Tippetarius (father) Mombi (vivifier) |
Nationality | Gillikin |
Jack Pumpkinhead is a fictional character from the Land of Oz who appears in several of the classic children's series of Oz books by American author L. Frank Baum. [1] Jack first appeared as a main character in the second Oz book by Baum, The Marvelous Land of Oz (1904), and returned often in subsequent books. He got the starring role in Ruth Plumly Thompson's 1929 book Jack Pumpkinhead of Oz .
Jack's incredibly tall and skinny figure is made from tree limbs and jointed with wooden pegs. He has a large carved jack-o'-lantern for a head, which is where he gets his name (unlike most jack-o'-lanterns, the pumpkin seeds and other pumpkin guts were not removed so it substitutes for his brain).
Jack was made by a little boy named Tip to scare his guardian, an old witch named Mombi. From Mombi's chest he took some old clothes for Jack; purple trousers, a red shirt, a pink vest with white polka dots, and stockings, to which he added a pair of his shoes. When Mombi saw Jack, she almost smashed him to pieces. Instead, she decided to test her new Powder of Life on him. The powder worked and Jack came to life.
Jack is not known for his intelligence which seems to depend on the quality and number of the seeds in his pumpkin-head at that time. However he manages to come up with random bits of wisdom and common sense often. For example, after bringing Jack to life, Mombi has the following exchange with him:
Although Jack Pumpkinhead would not get tired from walking, his joints would still wear out. To remedy this, Tip created the Sawhorse to serve as Jack's mode of transportation. By the end of the second Oz book, Tip, who was originally born Ozma, is changed back into a female by the same magic that made him male. Jack notes that he no longer has a father.
In the fifth Oz book The Road to Oz (1909), Jack has settled in a large pumpkin-shaped house near the Tin Woodman's castle in Winkie Country. Jack spends much of his time growing pumpkins to replace his old heads, which eventually spoil and need to be replaced. Princess Ozma, now recognized as his mother, carves new heads for Jack when necessary. The old heads are buried in a graveyard on his property. In the sixth Oz book The Emerald City of Oz (1910), it is revealed that Jack designed a five-storey, jewel-encrusted, corn-shaped mansion for the Scarecrow to live in.
In the continued series after Baum's death in 1919, Jack Pumpkinhead had to wait until the 23rd Oz book to get a book named after himself along with the starring role. Jack Pumpkinhead of Oz was written by Ruth Plumly Thompson, the writer who continued the Oz books after the death of L. Frank Baum. In the book, Peter (the little-boy baseball pitcher from Philadelphia), while reminiscing about his previous visit to Oz, suddenly finds himself landing right into Jack Pumpkinhead's front yard in the Winkie Country. Peter and Jack set off together for the Emerald City, but take a wrong turn, ending up traveling through the Quadling Country.
At one point in the book, Peter combats darkness by lighting a candle and placing it in Jack's empty head. Jack notes that it makes him feel "brighter," but also "A little light headed." [2]
John R. Neill includes Jack in his final Oz book, The Runaway in Oz . [3] In both the Thompson and Neill books, Jack loses his head for varying periods of time; In Neill, his headless stick body is dragged about the countryside of Oz by his companions.
Jack Pumpkinhead was one of the Freedom Fighters in the 1995 comic book Oz, created by Ralph Griffth, Stuart Kerr, and Bill Bryan, and published by Caliber Comics. Jack was killed during the company-wide crossover, Daemonstorm, after having been possessed by one of the demons.
Jack also appears in the comic book The Oz/Wonderland Chronicles, created by Ben Avery and Casey Heying, which is published twice a year by Buy Me Toys.
In Neil Gaiman's The Sandman series, Mervyn Pumpkinhead, who is clearly modeled on Jack, works for Morpheus in the Dreaming, where he paints and builds dreams.
In issue 101 of Fables , Bufkin the winged monkey finds his way back to Oz's neighboring country Ev. He runs across Jack Pumpkinhead, the Sawhorse, and Bungle. Upon hearing of their resistance to the Nome King, Bufkin pledges to lead them in the revolution. This is an allusion to the Baum novel Ozma of Oz and/or the comics series Oz mentioned above.
Jack was one of the main characters in The Wonderful Land of Oz (1969), Journey Back to Oz (1974), Thanksgiving in the Land of Oz (1980), and Return to Oz (1985).
Jack Pumpkinhead was first portrayed on stage by Hal Godfrey in the 1905 stage play, The Woggle-Bug by Baum and Frederic Chapin. The play failed in Chicago and was never revived or recast. Bronson Ward, Jr. played the role in the 1908 film, The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays . Although photographs suggest something more realistic than the makeup worn by Godfrey was used for the film, the popular character makes no appearances in the productions of The Oz Film Manufacturing Company.
George Wadsworth plays "Jack the Pumpkinhead" in Barry Mahon's The Wonderful Land of Oz (1969).
Without a first name, Jack appears, voiced by Paul Lynde, in the animated movie sequel Journey Back to Oz (which had a different outcome for the character).
Robert Ridgely voices Jack Pumpkinhead in the 1980 TV special Thanksgiving in the Land of Oz .
Stewart Larange, an exceptionally thin actor, portrayed Jack in the live-action movie Return to Oz (1985) while Brian Henson was the animatronic puppeteer and provided his voice.
Ross Maplettoft who played Jack Pumpkinhead Sr. in the animated TV series The Oz Kids (1996-1997) He has a son named Jack Pumpkinhead Jr. His son likes to adventure with his friends.
Viktor Sukhorukov provided the voice of Jack Pumpkinhead in the 2000 Russian adaptation of The Marvelous Land of Oz, Adventures in the Emerald City: Princess Ozma.
Gerran Howell portrayed Jack in the NBC series Emerald City .
Jack Pumpkinhead appears in the animated series Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz voiced by JP Karliak. First appearing in "Halloween Heist," Jack was created by Wilhelmina using the Potion of Life on a jack-o'-lantern to give Dorothy and her friends a scare on Halloween. However, he is too simple-minded and friendly to be scary.
The Road to Oz is the fifth book in L. Frank Baum's Oz series. It was originally published on July 10, 1909 and documents the adventures of Dorothy Gale's fourth visit to the Land of Oz. It was followed by The Emerald City of Oz (1910).
The Marvelous Land of Oz: Being an Account of the Further Adventures of the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman, commonly shortened to The Land of Oz, published in July 1904, is the second book in L. Frank Baum's Oz series, and the sequel to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900). This and the following 34 books in the series were illustrated by John R. Neill. It was followed by Ozma of Oz (1907).
Princess Ozma is a fictional character from the Land of Oz, created by American author L. Frank Baum. She appears for the first time in the second Oz book, The Marvelous Land of Oz (1904), and in every Oz book thereafter.
The Land of Oz is a magical country introduced in the 1900 children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow.
Mr. Highly Magnified Woggle-Bug, Thoroughly Educated is a character in the Oz books by L. Frank Baum (1856–1919). The character first appeared in 1904 in the book The Marvelous Land of Oz. He goes by the name H. M. Woggle-Bug, T.E.. In later books, the hyphen was sometimes dropped: "Wogglebug".
The Nome King is a fictional character created by American author L. Frank Baum. He is introduced in Baum's third Oz book Ozma of Oz (1907). He also appears in many of the continuing sequel Oz novels also written by Baum. Although the character of the Wicked Witch of the West is the most notable and famous Oz villain, it is actually the Nome King who is the most frequent antagonist in the book series.
Journey Back To Oz is a 1972 American animated adventure musical fantasy film produced by Filmation. It is loosely based on L. Frank Baum's second Oz novel The Marvelous Land of Oz (1904), although Baum received no screen credit.
Mombi is a fictional character in L. Frank Baum's classic children's series of Oz Books. She is the most significant antagonist in the second Oz book The Marvelous Land of Oz (1904), and is alluded to in other works. Mombi plays a very important role in the fictional history of Oz.
The Giant Horse of Oz (1928) is the twenty-second book in the Oz series created by L. Frank Baum and his successors, and the eighth written by Ruth Plumly Thompson. It was illustrated by John R. Neill. The novel was followed by Jack Pumpkinhead of Oz (1929).
The Wishing Horse of Oz (1935) is the twenty-ninth book in the Oz series created by L. Frank Baum and his successors, and the fifteenth written by Ruth Plumly Thompson. It was illustrated by John R. Neill. The novel was followed by Captain Salt in Oz (1936). This entry marked the point at which Thompson had written more Oz books than Baum.
King Pastoria is a fictional character mentioned in the Oz books by American author L. Frank Baum. He was the rightful ruler and King of the undiscovered Land of Oz, but was mysteriously removed from his position when the Wizard of Oz unexpectedly came to the country and took the throne, proclaiming himself as the new dominant ruler of Oz. Shortly after, Pastoria's only child and heir, Princess Ozma, suddenly vanished, leaving not a single clue of her whereabouts.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, known in Japan as Ozu no Mahōtsukai (オズの魔法使い), is a Japanese anime television series adaptation based on four of the original early 20th century Oz books by L. Frank Baum. In Japan, the series aired on TV Tokyo from 1986 to 1987. It consists of 52 episodes, which explain other parts of the Oz stories, including the events that happened after Dorothy returned home.
The Wonderful Land of Oz is a 1969 film directed by Barry Mahon. It is a low budget but faithful adaptation of the 1904 novel The Marvelous Land of Oz by L. Frank Baum.
Jellia Jamb is a fictional character from the classic children's series of Oz books by American author L. Frank Baum. She is first introduced in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900), as the head maid who works in the royal palace of the Emerald City which is the imperial capital of the Land of Oz. In later books, Jellia eventually becomes Princess Ozma's favorite servant out of the Emerald City's staff administration. She is also the protagonist of Ruth Plumly Thompson's 1939 novel Ozoplaning with the Wizard of Oz. Her name is a pun on the phrase "Jelly or jam?"
The Marvelous Land of Oz is a 1981 musical play by Thomas W. Olson (book), Gary Briggle (lyrics), and Richard Dworsky (music), based on the 1904 novel by L. Frank Baum. Briggle originated the role of the Scarecrow in the original production, directed by John Cark Donahue at The Children's Theatre Company and School of Minneapolis.
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The Marvelous Land of Oz is a comic book series published by American company Marvel Comics based on The Marvelous Land of Oz book written by L. Frank Baum. It is an eight issue limited series written by Eric Shanower, penciled by Skottie Young, and colored by Jean-Francois Beaulieu. It is a sequel to a previous adaptation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from the same team.
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