The International Wizard of Oz Club facts for kids

The International Wizard of Oz Club, Inc., is a special group for fans of the magical land of Oz! It was started in 1957 by a thirteen-year-old boy named Justin G. Schiller. He and 15 other early members found each other through the papers of a writer named Jack Snow. They all loved talking about the books by L. Frank Baum, who created Oz.

Today, the club has hundreds of members from all over the world. These members include kids, adults who grew up reading the Oz books, serious fans of L. Frank Baum, people who collect Oz items, and those who especially love the classic 1939 MGM movie.

What the Club Does

The Oz Club helps people learn more about Oz and connect with other fans. They publish a magazine, hold fun events, and even print rare Oz books.

The Baum Bugle Magazine

The club's main magazine is called The Baum Bugle. When it first started, Justin Schiller made copies using a special machine at his parents' house! Now, it's a colorful magazine published three times a year. It's even recognized as a serious academic journal, which means it's a trusted source for information about Oz. The magazine has grown a lot over the years, often having forty pages filled with interesting articles.

Oz Conventions and Gatherings

The Oz Club used to hold three big meetings, called conventions, each year in different parts of the United States. These events were a chance for members to meet up, share their love for Oz, and have a great time. People would bring decorations, costumes, and items for show-and-tell. The names of these conventions, like Munchkin, Winkie, and Ozmopolitan, came from places and people in the Oz books.

There were also smaller gatherings, like the one in Escanaba, Michigan. This was the hometown of Fred M. Meyer, who was a founding member and the club's secretary for many years. He even sent out a special Oz-themed Christmas card to all members every year!

Over time, as bigger public Oz festivals became popular, some of the club's conventions changed. However, the Winkie Convention, now called OzCon International, is still a very active and fun event. People from all over the world come to enjoy it.

Since 2008, the Oz Club has also started holding conventions that are open to more people. These events often take place in real-world locations that are special to Oz fans. This gives members a chance to visit these places together. You can find out more about all the conventions on the club's website, ozclub.org.

Famous Members

Many interesting people have been part of the Oz Club. Some famous members from the past and present include writers like Ray Bradbury and Martin Gardner, and actors like Margaret Hamilton (who played the Wicked Witch of the West in the 1939 movie!) and Bronson Pinchot. Frank Joslyn Baum, who was L. Frank Baum's grandson, was the club's first president. Today, Robert Allison Baum Jr., a great-grandson of the author, helps lead the club.

Publishing Oz Books

The club has published many of L. Frank Baum's less common books, like Animal Fairy Tales and Aunt Jane's Nieces. They have also published new Oz stories by other authors, including Ruth Plumly Thompson and Rachel Cosgrove. In 2000, they released their first new Oz book that wasn't directly linked to the original series. It was called The Hidden Prince of Oz by Gina Wickwar, with pictures by Anna-Maria Cool. A sequel, Toto of Oz, came out in 2007.

The club also published a collection of L. Frank Baum's short stories. They even created colorful maps of the Land of Oz and the areas around it. One of their most popular publications is Bibliographia Oziana, which describes all the original Oz books in detail.

The Oz Club also has a small but wonderful collection of original artwork and old documents related to Oz.