Way Back Wednesday - The Patchwork Girl of Oz

The Patchwork Girl of Oz by L. Frank Baum

This is the 7th book set in the Land of Oz. The book was first published on July 1, 1913, with illustrations by John R. Neill. In 1914, Baum adapted the book to film through his "Oz Film Manufacturing Company."

Ojo the Unlucky is a young Munchkin boy devoted to life with his uncle Unc Nunkie. They live in the wilderness but are on the verge of starvation. Ojo goes to see a neighboring "magician" and old friend of Unc’s, Dr. Pipt. While there they see a demonstration of the Pipt-made Powder of Life, which animates any object it touches. Unc Nunkie and Dr. Pipt's wife are also the sufferers of the consequences of another of the Doctor's inventions, the Liquid of Petrifaction, which turns them into solid marble statues.

This book revolves around Ojo's adventures in finding the antedote for the Liquid of Petrifaction Other characters in this adventure include the Woozy, Scraps (the patchwork girl), Dorothy, the Shaggy Man, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Woodman.

The Patchwork Girl of Oz was made into a silent film by L. Frank Baum's The Oz Film Manufacturing Company. There is also a 2005 animated version of The Patchwork Girl, but I haven't been able to find it for sell anywhere. Although the 1914 version is in black and white, it is a very good short film.