Tik-Tok (Oz) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tik-Tok |
|
|---|---|
| Oz character | |
|
|
| First appearance | Ozma of Oz (1907) |
| Created by | L. Frank Baum |
| Portrayed by | Timothy D. Rose (head operator, 1985 film) Michael Sundin (body, 1985 film) |
| Voiced by | Sean Barrett (1985 film) |
| Information | |
| Species | Robot |
| Gender | male in likeness |
| Title | Adviser to Ozma of Oz |
| Nationality | Ev |
Tik-Tok is a cool character from the famous Oz books by American author L. Frank Baum. He's often called one of the first "robots" in modern stories, even though the word "robot" wasn't used until the 1920s! He's a mechanical man who needs to be wound up to work.
Contents
Meet Tik-Tok: A Mechanical Friend
Tik-Tok is a round, copper-colored mechanical man. He works like a giant wind-up toy or a clock. He has three special springs that need winding: one for thinking, one for moving, and one for talking. The only tricky part is he can't wind himself up!
When his springs run down, Tik-Tok might stop moving, or stop talking. Sometimes, he might even say silly, jumbled words! When he speaks, only his teeth move. His arms and legs look a bit like a knight's suit of armor. Because he's a machine, he's super strong. He can even handle a whole group of tough "Wheelers" all by himself, as seen in the 1985 movie Return to Oz.
Tik-Tok isn't alive, so he doesn't feel emotions like happiness or sadness. He can't love or be loved, but he's a very honest and loyal helper. He sees himself as a dedicated assistant to Dorothy and always tries to help her.
Tik-Tok was created by two inventors named Smith & Tinker in their workshop in a place called Evna. He was the only one of his kind ever made. The king of Ev, Evoldo, bought him and named him Tik-Tok because of the ticking sound he made. The king used to "clean" his mechanical servant, which just made Tik-Tok's copper body shiny.
Tik-Tok's Adventures in the Oz Books
Tik-Tok first appears in the book Ozma of Oz (1907). In this story, Dorothy Gale finds him stuck in a cave and unable to move. Tik-Tok becomes Dorothy's helper and protector. Even though he sometimes runs out of power at important moments, he helps Dorothy defeat the tricky Nome King. In this book, you also learn how Tik-Tok talks in a slow, halting way, like "Good morn-ing, lit-tle girl."
Later, L. Frank Baum wrote a short story called "Tik-Tok and the Nome King" in his Little Wizard Stories of Oz series (1914). In this tale, the Nome King Ruggedo gets mad at Tik-Tok and breaks him into pieces. But a character named Kaliko secretly puts Tik-Tok back together. Ruggedo then thinks the rebuilt Tik-Tok is a ghost! After this, Tik-Tok was sometimes shown as a whitish-grey color in pictures, which might have been a mistake.
There was even a musical play called The Tik-Tok Man of Oz, which was based on Ozma of Oz. This play was then turned back into a book called Tik-Tok of Oz, published in 1914. Tik-Tok is a main character in this book, but he doesn't really drive the story. Tik-Tok also shows up in many other Oz books as a well-known resident of the amazing Emerald City. He even helps make the "Scalawagons" in the book The Scalawagons of Oz.
Tik-Tok in Movies and TV Shows
Tik-Tok has appeared in several movies and TV shows!
In 1908, an actor named Wallace Illington played Tik-Tok in a film called The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays. In 1913, comedian James C. Morton played Tik-Tok in the musical play The Tik-Tok Man of Oz.
Tik-Tok was a main character in Disney's movie Return to Oz (1985). This movie was based on The Marvelous Land of Oz and Ozma of Oz. In the film, Tik-Tok has strong legs and talks by moving his mustache instead of his teeth. He's also the entire Royal Army of Oz, which is a bit funny since he can be clumsy sometimes, especially when he can't wind himself up. An acrobat named Michael Sundin performed Tik-Tok's movements by being inside the costume and looking through his legs! It was very hard work, and he could only be in the costume for about two and a half minutes at a time because of the heat and effort. Sean Barrett provided Tik-Tok's voice, and Tim Rose controlled his head remotely.
Tik-Tok also appears in the TV show Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz, with his voice done by Jess Harnell. Just like in the books, Tik-Tok was created by Smith & Tinker in this show.
Other Fun Appearances
Tik-Tok's design was used for a character called "Basher" Beetleworx in the video game Epic Mickey 2.
