The Oz Kids

The Oz Kids
Also known as	Little Wizard Stories
Genre	Adventure Comedy-drama Fantasy
Format	Animated series
Created by	Willard Carroll
Starring	Julianne Michelle Shay Astar Benjamin Salisbury Bradley Pierce Jonathan Taylor Thomas
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	26
Production
Running time	23 minutes (per episode) 40–89 minutes (per VHS)
Production company(s)	Hyperion Pictures Nelvana
Broadcast
Original channel	ABC (1996)
Audio format	Dolby Surround
Original run	September 14, 1996 (1996-09-14) – November 9, 1996 (1996-11-09)

The Oz Kids is a 26 episode television series produced by Hyperion Pictures and Nelvana based on The Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum's classic children's novel, and its various sequels. and was first broadcast on September 14, 1996 on ABC. The two main characters of this series are both human: Dot and Neddie (the children of Dorothy). The major characters are Boris and Bela (the children of the Cowardly Lion), Tin Boy (the son of the Tin Woodman), Scarecrow Jr. (the son of the original Scarecrow), Jack Pumpkinhead, Jr. (son of the original Jack Pumpkinhead), Frank, (the son of the Wizard), and Andrea, daughter of Glinda.

Similar to series like Muppet Babies, the faces of the grown-ups are never shown.

Characters

• Dot: Dorothy's daughter, Neddie's little sister. She wears a dress similar to her mother's. Like her mother, Dot is cute and quick-thinking but always sensible and can often come up with solutions to problems when no one else can.
• Neddie: Dorothy's son and Dot's charming little brother.
• Toto 2: Dot and Neddie's black dog, named after Dorothy's dog.
• Scarecrow, Jr.: Scarecrow's son. Like his famous father, he tries to come up with all the answers.
• Tin Boy: The Tin Woodman's son. Not as warm-hearted as his father, but can always be depended on to do the right thing.
• Boris: The Cowardly Lion's son and Bela's little brother. Tries to be brave and often succeeds.
• Bela: The Cowardly Lion's daughter and Boris' older sister, by 12 seconds. Far from cowardly, Bela always looks out for Boris.
• Jack Pumpkinhead, Jr.: Jack Pumpkinhead, Sr.'s son.
• Frank: The Wizard's son. Very inventive, like his father, ready to try anything new.
• Andrea: Glinda's daughter. Her outfit is similar to Princess Ozma. Relies more on her magic than her brains, but when she can't resort to her wand, she puts her mind to work.

Other characters

• Rick: Older male adult in the mold of the Shaggy Man and Cap'n Bill. He's devoted to the Kids and they are to him. If the Kids are in danger, Rick will come up with a solution.
• Dorothy: Dot and Neddie's mother.
• Scarecrow, Sr.: Scarecrow, Jr.'s father.
• Tin Woodman: Tin Boy's father.
• Cowardly Lion: Boris and Bela's father.
• Jack Pumpkinhead, Sr.: Jack, Jr.'s father.
• Wizard: Frank's father.
• Glinda the Good Witch: Andrea's mother.
• Patchwork Girl: Has numerous infant patchwork kids.
• Santa Claus

Villains

• Otto: Son of the Nome King. Although he wants to follow in his father's footsteps, what he really wants is a friend.
• Mombi

Cast

• Julianne Michelle – Dot
• Benjamin Salisbury – Tin Boy
• Shay Astar – Andrea
• Bradley Pierce – Boris
• Jonathan Taylor Thomas – Scarecrow, Jr.
• Steve Stoliar – Tin Woodman, Hammerhead
• Lori Alan – Patchwork Girl
• Lacey Chabert

The Oz Kids Collection VHSs

1. "Toto, Lost in New York" (September 14, 1996)
2. "Journey Beneath the Sea" (September 21, 1996)
3. "Who Stole Santa?" (September 28, 1996)
4. "Christmas in Oz" (October 5, 1996)
5. "Virtual Oz" (October 12, 1996)
6. "Underground Adventure" (October 19, 1996)
7. "The Monkey Prince" (October 26, 1996)
8. "The Return of Mombi" (November 2, 1996)
9. "The Nome Prince and the Magic Belt" (November 9, 1996)

See also

• The Wizard of Oz (adaptations) – other adaptations of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

External links

• The Oz Kids at Internet Movie Database
• The Oz Kids at TV.com