Mombi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mombi
Oz character
Mombi--Wicked Witch of the North--Illustration by John R. Neill in The Marvelous Land of Oz
First appearance	The Marvelous Land of Oz (1904)
Created by	L. Frank Baum
Portrayed by	Jean Marsh (Return to Oz) Fiona Shaw (Emerald City)
Voiced by	Ethel Merman (Journey Back to Oz)
Information
Aliases	The Wicked Witch of the North
Species	Human (witch)
Gender	Female
Title	Ruler of the Gillikin Country (until the Good Witch of the North overthrew her)
Children	Tip (foster-child)
Nationality	Gillikin

Mombi is a fictional character from L. Frank Baum's famous Oz Books. She is a powerful witch and a main villain in the second Oz book, The Marvelous Land of Oz (1904). Mombi is very important to the history of Oz.

At first, Mombi was shown as a simple witch. She had used magic to hide Princess Ozma. This was to stop Ozma from becoming the ruler of Oz. Later, Baum explained that Mombi used to rule the Gillikin Country as the Wicked Witch of the North. But the Good Witch of the North defeated her.

Mombi had also enslaved Ozma's father, King Pastoria, and her grandfather. This removed the royal family from Oz. It allowed Mombi and other wicked witches to take over and divide the land.

After Mombi was forced to turn Princess Ozma back to her true self, Glinda the Good Witch of the South made Mombi drink a special potion. This potion took away all of Mombi's magic powers.

Mombi's Story in the Oz Books

The Marvelous Land of Oz

After the Wizard arrived in Oz, he became the new ruler. He secretly visited Mombi, a witch who lived in the northern part of Oz. She practiced dark magic. The Wizard gave Princess Ozma, the baby daughter of the deceased King Pastoria, to Mombi. This meant there was no heir to the throne of Oz.

Mombi kept the baby hidden. To make sure no one recognized her, Mombi cleverly turned the princess into a young boy named Tip. Mombi was very good at changing shapes. She treated Tip like a slave as "he" grew up, just as she had treated Ozma's father and grandfather.

Mombi's first big challenge was the Good Witch of the North. The Good Witch freed the Gillikins from Mombi's control. She then banned any other witch from living in her area. Even after her defeat, Mombi survived. She pretended to be a simple wizardess and lived on a quiet farm.

One day, Mombi bought the Powder of Life from a magician named Dr. Nikidik. She used it to bring Jack Pumpkinhead to life. Tip had created Jack to scare Mombi. As punishment, Mombi planned to turn Tip into a marble statue. But that night, Tip ran away with Jack.

When General Jinjur's army took over the Emerald City, Jinjur worried that the Scarecrow would return with the Tin Woodman. Jinjur asked Mombi for help. Mombi agreed, hoping to catch Tip, who had joined the Scarecrow.

Mombi left the Gillikin Country to help Jinjur, the new Queen of Oz. This meant Mombi was no longer under the Good Witch of the North's rules. The Scarecrow went to Glinda for help. Glinda refused to help him regain the throne. She explained that Princess Ozma was the true ruler. Glinda then set out to find Ozma.

Mombi tried to trick Glinda by changing her shape. She turned into the maid Jellia Jamb, then a Rose, and finally a Griffin. But the former Wicked Witch of the North was no match for Glinda. Glinda was even stronger than the Good Witch of the North. She captured Mombi and forced her to reveal where the princess was.

Mombi turned Ozma back to her true form. Glinda then took away all of Mombi's magic powers. Just before being changed back, Tip promised to take care of Mombi in her old age. This shows that L. Frank Baum wrote Ozma as a kind and forgiving ruler.

Later Oz Adventures

In Ruth Plumly Thompson's book The Lost King of Oz, Dorothy suggests that Mombi be destroyed with water. Princess Ozma herself orders it. Baum never said that water could destroy all witches. Also, Baum's original Dorothy and Ozma would never have ordered someone to be harmed. This part of the story is different from Baum's original ideas.

Mombi also appears in Lucky Bucky in Oz. In this story, a magic painting of Mombi comes to life and causes trouble.

Some later writers have changed Mombi's story. For example, March Laumer brought Mombi back to life in his book A Farewell to Oz. He made her a harmless character. Also, in Oziana magazine, a story called "Executive Decisions" explains that Ozma did not actually destroy Mombi.

In Gregory Maguire's Oz novels, Mombi (sometimes spelled "Mombey") plays a bigger role. She is shown as a powerful woman who changes her appearance often. In Out of Oz, Mombey rules Munchkinland. She has also enchanted Princess Ozma into the boy Tip for a very long time.

Mombi in Film and Television

Early Films

A witch named "Momba" appears in the 1910 silent film The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. However, this character is based on the Wicked Witch of the West, not Mombi. A witch named Mombi also appears in the 1914 film His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz. This character looks like the Wicked Witch of the West and acts like her.

Animated and Live-Action Adaptations

Mombi appears in the 1969 film The Wonderful Land of Oz. She is played by Zisca. She sings a song called "The Powder of Life." Her look is similar to the Wicked Witch of the West from the 1939 Wizard of Oz movie. She has purple colors in her clothes, showing she is from the Gillikin Country.

Mombi is the main villain in the 1974 animated film Journey Back to Oz. She tries to take over with magic green elephants. When Dorothy stops her, Mombi turns into a rose. But the rose is trampled, and Mombi is killed. She sings two funny songs in the film.

In the 1981 musical The Marvelous Land of Oz, Wendy Lehr plays Mombi. She walks hunched over. When she pretends to be Jellia Jamb, she still walks this way. In this version, Mombi calls Tip by his full name, Tippetarius. This helps Tip realize she is not Jellia.

In the 1985 movie Return to Oz, Mombi (played by Jean Marsh) is combined with Princess Langwidere. She is called Princess Mombi. She is a dark-haired, evil sorceress. She is also a coward. She made a deal with the Nome King to trap Princess Ozma. In return, he made her a princess and gave her thirty beautiful heads. She could switch her heads depending on her mood.

When Dorothy meets "Princess Mombi," Mombi likes Dorothy's head. She locks Dorothy in a tower, planning to take her head when Dorothy is older. Dorothy escapes and steals the Powder of Life. She accidentally wakes Mombi's true head, which screams. This wakes all the other heads, and they all scream. Mombi's headless body then chases Dorothy.

At the end of the film, the Nome King traps Mombi. Like in Baum's book, Mombi loses her magic powers. In this film, Princess Ozma takes them away.

Television Series

In the 1986 anime series Ozu no Mahōtsukai, Mombi looks middle-aged and heavier. She has purple hair, matching her Gillikin background.

In the TV series Emerald City, Fiona Shaw plays Mombi. She is a witch pretending to be a healer. She keeps Tip captive and forces "her" to switch genders using a black potion.

In The Oz Kids, Mombi gets her powers back. She kidnaps many characters, including Glinda and Dorothy. She tries to take over Oz. Dorothy's daughter, Dot, tricks Mombi into drinking from a forbidden fountain. This makes Mombi lose her memory. Dot then tells Mombi that she is a kind old woman who loves children and lives in a castle in the sky.