Gillikin Country

Gillikin Country
Map of Oz, with Gillikin Country in the north
The Oz series location
Creator	L. Frank Baum
Genre	Children's books
Type	Fairy country
Notable locations	Forest of the Winged Monkeys, Forest of Gugu, Palace of the Good Witch of the North, Loonville, Pumperdink
Notable characters	Jellia Jamb, Mombi, Gayelette, Mrs. Yoop, Kabumpo

The Gillikin Country is the northern division of L. Frank Baum's fictional land of Oz. It is distinguished by the color purple worn by most of the local inhabitants as well as the color of their surroundings.

Elements in Gillikin Country

Like all of the countries of Oz, the Gillikin Country contains various unusual sights and places. Among them are:

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Note: The Gillikin Country is the only province of Oz not mentioned by name or visited by the characters in this particular book. The following locations are merely referenced by various characters through the story.

• The forest of the Winged Monkeys, creatures that obey whoever wears the enchanted Golden Cap
• The palace of the Good Witch of the North (never actually mentioned, but assumed to exist because the Good Witch of the North rules this particular province)
• The ruby palace of Gayelette

The Marvelous Land of Oz

• Jellia Jamb reports to have been born a Gillikin.
• The house of Mombi, a witch whom the Wizard hired to transform and keep hidden Ozma, the rightful ruler of Oz.

The Tin Woodman of Oz

• The village of Loonville, whose balloon-like inhabitants warn strangers to stay away from their clearing (the Loons can also become too puffed-up)
• Yoop Castle, where a female giant Yookoohoo lived and ruled her valley
• Dragons living beneath the Earth's surface, allowed to come out once every 100 years in search of food

The Magic of Oz

• The Forest of Gugu, ruled by Gugu the Leopard King with his counselors Loo the Unicorn, Rango the Gray Ape, and Bru the Bear.

Glinda of Oz

• Giant purple spiders that catch travelers in their webs and make them their servants
• Mist Maidens, fairies who live in a fog bank
• Flatheads, people living on a mountaintop whose heads are flat and, until the end of the book, must carry their brains in a can in their pockets
• Skeezers, once friends and now rivals of the Flatheads who live within a glass city in the middle of a lake
• Reera the Red, a Yookoohoo preferring her privacy who specializes in transformations

Kabumpo in Oz

• Pumperdink, an elaborate fairy tale kingdom known for dipping its criminals in ink. Ruled by King Pompus and Queen Pozy Pink. Kabumpo the elegant Elephant is their most famous counselor; Prince Pompadore is their son.

The Giant Horse of Oz

• Up Town, proclaimed the capital city of the Gillikin Country after the abandonment of post by the Good Witch of the North. ruled by Joe King and Queen Hyacinth, who are famous for their horse, High Boy, a large, purple animal with telescoping legs.

The Purple Prince of Oz

• Regalia, sister city to Pumperdink, home of Prince Randy

Yankee in Oz

• Upandup Mountain, home of Badmannah
• The village of the Lanternesians
• Dinker's shop of smokables

Appearances in Modern Works

In Gregory Maguire's revisionist Oz novels Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West and Son of a Witch, the Gillikin Country is simply called 'Gillikin'. It is portrayed as more prosperous and industrially developed than other regions of Oz, and is home of Shiz University. Galinda (i.e. Glinda) hails from Gillikin, as do (according to some) the ruling Ozma family. The people of this province are referred to as 'Gillikinese', and are distinguishable by their prominent foreheads and slightly gapped front teeth. They often have heads of curling blond hair, and are believed to be temperamental by non-Gillikinese.

Much of both of Edward Einhorn's modern Oz novels, Paradox in Oz and The Living House of Oz, are set in Gilikin County, specifically in the kingdom of Tonsoria, homes to Princesses Ayala and Talia, and in Absurd City, home of the Parrot-Ox.