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Dorothy Gale
Oz character
The Wizard of Oz Judy Garland 1939.jpg
Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.
First appearance The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900)
Created by L. Frank Baum
Portrayed by Romola Remus (The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays)
Bebe Daniels (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz)
Violet MacMillan (His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz)
Dorothy Dwan (The Wizard of Oz (1925))
Judy Garland (The Wizard of Oz (1939))
Stephanie Mills (The Wiz (1975 musical))
Diana Ross (The Wiz (1978 film))
Fairuza Balk (Return to Oz)
Jewel (The Wizard of Oz in Concert: Dreams Come True)
Ashanti (The Muppets' Wizard of Oz)
Paulie Rojas (Dorothy and the Witches of Oz)
Matreya Scarrwener/Teri Reeves (Once Upon a Time)
Shanice Williams (The Wiz Live!)
Adria Arjona (Emerald City)
Voiced by Corinne Conley (Tales of the Wizard of Oz)
Susan Conway (Return to Oz; speaking voice)
Susan Morse (Return to Oz; singing voice)
Liza Minnelli (Journey Back to Oz)
Aileen Quinn (The Wizard of Oz (anime film))
Morgan Hallet (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz)
Liz Georges (The Wizard of Oz (1990 cartoon series))
Janice Kawaye (Dorothy Meets Ozma of Oz)
Erika Schickel (The Oz Kids)
Grey DeLisle (Tom and Jerry & the Wizard of Oz and Tom and Jerry: Back to Oz; speaking voice)
Nikki Yanofsky (Tom and Jerry & the Wizard of Oz; singing voice)
Amy Pemberton (Tom and Jerry: Back to Oz; singing voice)
Lea Michele (Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return)
Ashley Boettcher (Lost in Oz)
Laura Bailey (Lego Dimensions)
Amber Hood (Code Name: S.T.E.A.M.)
Kari Wahlgren (Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz)
Maya Rudolph (The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part)
Katie DiCicco (Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs)
Information
Gender Female
Occupation Adventurer
Royal princess
Government liaison
Farm girl
Family Aunt Em
Uncle Henry
Relatives Bill Hugson (distant uncle)
Mrs. Hugson (distant aunt)
Zeb of Hugson's ranch (distant cousin)
unnamed Australians (related through Henry)
Susan (indirect descendant)
Em (niece of Susan)
Dori (niece of Susan)
Nationality American
Ozite (later)

Dorothy Gale is a famous character created by American author L. Frank Baum. She is the main hero in many of his Oz books. Dorothy first appeared in Baum's classic children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in 1900. She then showed up in most of the books that followed. She is also the main character in many movies and shows, especially the well-known 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.

In later books, the Land of Oz starts to feel more like home to Dorothy than her original home in Kansas. Eventually, Dorothy even moves into an apartment in the Emerald City's palace. This happens after her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry move to a farmhouse nearby because they couldn't afford their home in Kansas anymore. Dorothy's best friend, Princess Ozma, who rules Oz, later makes Dorothy an official princess of Oz.

Discovering Dorothy Gale

Dorothy in Books

Dorothy Gale with silver shoes
Dorothy with the silver shoes, an illustration by W. W. Denslow.

In the Oz books, Dorothy lives with her aunt and uncle on a farm in Kansas. It's not completely clear if Aunt Em or Uncle Henry is her blood relative. Uncle Henry mentions Dorothy's mother in The Emerald City of Oz, which might mean he is her blood relative. Dorothy's small black dog, Toto, is always with her.

One day, a powerful tornado sweeps Dorothy and Toto away to the Land of Oz. Like Alice from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, they enter a magical world filled with talking animals and creatures. In many of the Oz books, Dorothy is the main hero. She is often seen with her best friend, Princess Ozma, the ruler of Oz. Dorothy's famous blue and white gingham dress is loved by the Munchkins. This is because blue is their favorite color, and white is worn only by good witches, showing them that Dorothy is a good person.

Dorothy is a brave and determined character. She isn't afraid to stand up for herself or her friends. For example, she slaps the Cowardly Lion when he acts scared. She also helps the Winkies rescue her friends who were taken apart by the winged monkeys. She even throws a bucket of water on the Wicked Witch of the West when the Witch steals one of her slippers. Dorothy didn't know that water was deadly to the witch. She also has other pets, like her kitten Eureka and a talking hen named Billina.

In the sixth Oz book by Baum, The Emerald City of Oz (1910), Uncle Henry and Aunt Em can't pay for their new farmhouse in Kansas. So, Dorothy brings them to live in Oz. The story shows Oz as a wonderful, perfect land where they can escape their problems from Kansas. Dorothy then becomes a princess of Oz.

Dorothy is a very important character in the Oz series. She appears in most of the fourteen Oz books written by L. Frank Baum. She is also a frequent character in the nineteen books written by Ruth Plumly Thompson that followed. The magic of Oz helps Dorothy stay young. In The Lost King of Oz (1925), Dorothy briefly ages very quickly when she leaves Oz, but when she returns, she becomes young again. This teaches her that it's best for her to stay in Oz. Baum never says Dorothy's exact age, but she is about 11 years old when she comes to live in Oz.

Dorothy's last name, Gale, is first mentioned in the third Oz book, Ozma of Oz (1907). It was also used in Baum's script for the 1902 Broadway play The Wizard of Oz.

How Dorothy was Created

One idea for creating Dorothy came from the Alice books by Lewis Carroll. Even though Baum thought the plots of those books were confusing, he saw that readers loved Alice herself. This inspired him to create a main character that child readers could easily connect with.

Dorothy's character was likely named after Baum's own niece, Dorothy Louise Gage, who sadly died as a baby. Baum's wife was very sad about her death, so some people believe Baum used her name in his stories to remember her.

Dorothy in Movies

Dorothy has been played by many actresses in films. In the 1902 stage musical, Anna Laughlin played Dorothy. Later, Romola Remus played her in The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays (1908). Bebe Daniels played Dorothy in the 1910 short film The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Violet MacMillan took on the role in His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz (1914).

Dorothy Dwan played Dorothy in the 1925 film Wizard of Oz. In this movie, Dorothy learns she is a princess of Oz. The story turns out to be a dream of a little girl. This film also showed the farmhands as the Scarecrow, Tin Woodsman, and Cowardly Lion in disguise.

The most famous portrayal of Dorothy is by Judy Garland in the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz. Judy Garland was 16 when she filmed it and won a special award for her acting. The movie was one of the first to use Technicolor, so the famous magic slippers were changed from silver to red to look more colorful on screen. In this movie, it seems like Oz might just be Dorothy's dream, as she wakes up in her bed at the end. However, Dorothy believes her journey was real. She is reunited with her Aunt Em, Uncle Henry, their farm workers, and Professor Marvel when she wakes up.

In Disney's 1985 fantasy adventure film Return to Oz, Dorothy is played by child actress Fairuza Balk. This movie is closer to the original Oz books.

Dorothy also appears in the animated film Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return, with her voice done by Lea Michele. She even made a quick appearance in The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, voiced by Maya Rudolph. In this film, she, Toto, Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion are transported to Harmony Town. Dorothy also appears in the South Korean animated film Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs, voiced by Katie DiCicco.

Dorothy in Television

Dorothy has also appeared in many TV shows and movies. In a 1995 British TV version, Denise Van Outen played Dorothy as a rich, spoiled socialite. She wakes up from her trip to Oz, thinking it was all a dream.

The 2007 Sci-Fi Channel miniseries Tin Man changed Dorothy into DG, a descendant of Dorothy's. She is played by Zooey Deschanel. In this story, DG learns she is actually the princess of Oz.

In the 2012 TV miniseries Dorothy and the Witches of Oz, Dorothy (played by Paulie Rojas) is an adult writer. She starts remembering her adventures in Oz as the Wicked Witch of the West tries to take over Oz and Earth.

Dorothy appears in the TV series Supernatural, played by Tiio Horn. This version is named Dorothy Baum, and her father was L. Frank Baum. She is a hunter who gets trapped in stasis with the Wicked Witch for decades. After the witch is defeated, Dorothy becomes the new leader of Oz.

In Emerald City, Dorothy is an adult nurse when she goes to Oz. She learns that her adoptive parents, Em and Henry, are not her birth parents. Dorothy searches for answers about her connection to Oz, joined by a police dog she names 'Toto' and an amnesiac man named Lucas.

Dorothy appears in the TV series Once Upon a Time. She is played by Teri Reeves as an adult and Matreya Scarrwener as a child. Dorothy is swept to Oz by a cyclone. She meets the witches of Oz and accidentally melts Zelena, the Wicked Witch of the West. Dorothy later returns to Oz and bravely faces Zelena again. In a later episode, Dorothy is put under a sleeping curse, but her friend Ruby wakes her up with true love's kiss.

Dorothy in Video Games

Wizard101

Dorothy Gale is a character in the 2008 online game Wizard101. In this game, Dorothy traveled from Kansas to Wizard City to become a Balance wizard. Players can meet Dorothy and help her check on her friends, Mr. Toto and the Tin Man.

LEGO Dimensions

Dorothy Gale is also a character in the 2015 video game LEGO Dimensions. While on her way to the Emerald City with Toto and her friends, they are pulled into a vortex and captured by the game's villain, Lord Vortech. Lord Vortech uses Dorothy's Ruby Slippers as a powerful item for his plans.

Who Played Dorothy?

Images for kids

  • The Wizard of Oz 1902 musical extravaganza Anna Laughlin as Dorothy

    Anna Laughlin as Dorothy in the 1902 musical

  • L. Frank Baum and characters in The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays 1908

    Romola Remus (far right) with the cast of The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays

  • VioletMacMillan

    Violet MacMillan

  • Dorothydwan

    Dorothy Dwan

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Dorothy Gale para niños

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