| The Patchwork Girl of Oz | |
|---|---|
 | |
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Real Name |
Scraps |
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First Appearance |
The Patchwork Girl of Oz (1913) |
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Original Publisher |
Reilly & Britton |
|
Created by |
L. Frank Baum |
Origin
She was originally made by Margolotte, the Munchkin wife of Dr. Pipt, to be a servant girl. The patchwork quilt had been made by her grandmother, and never used as it wasn't all blue; Margolotte thought it was an excellent choice as it would keep her future servant from thinking herself very beautiful. She made the doll with great care while her husband spent six years creating the Powder of Life to make her live. She intended to give the girl only a few brains - obedience, truth, amiability and a little cleverness. Ojo, who was visiting the magician with his Unc Nunkie, felt that this was unfair and gave Scraps all of the kinds of brains the magician kept. As a result, Scraps has courage, learning, judgment, ingenuity, self reliance, poesy, and a double dose of cleverness in addition to the amiability, obedience, and truth. Unfortunately Ojo did not get the balance exactly right, so she seems a bit crazy to those around her. She was named "Scraps" by the Glass Cat, although Margolotte wanted to name her "Angeline."
When she was brought to life, she flung out an arm, knocking the Powder of Life from the magician's hand. Unc Nunkie and Margolotte both jumped, and accidentally knocked the Liquid of Petrifaction onto themselves; they were both turned into marble. There was no Powder of Life left; it had all spilled onto a phonograph, and it would take six years to make a new batch. Ojo, Scraps, and Bungle set out across Oz to collect the ingredients for a remedy to the Liquid of Petrifaction which could bring Unc Nunkie and Margolotte back to life. They met the Woozy and the Shaggy Man on their way to the Emerald City.
Along the way, Scraps and the Scarecrow met for the first time. Both were very impressed with each other. The Guardian of the Gates was also impressed, and wrote a song in her honor called "The Speckled Alligator."
Scraps accompanied Ojo as he continued his quest, joined by Dorothy Gale and the Scarecrow. They resolved a war between the Hoppers and Horners and met the Tin Woodman before returning to the Emerald City where Scraps was set free from servitude to her creators.
Appearance
She is a living doll made from a patchwork quilt. She's taller than a young boy, and her body is plump and rounded because it is stuffed with cotton. She wears a patchwork skirt, a patchwork apron with pockets, and red leather shoes with pointy toes. She has silver button eyes sewn on with black thread to create the pupils. Her hair is brown yarn done in braids. She has thin golden discs for ears and also golden fingernails. One of her cheeks is yellow and the other red, her chin blue, her forehead purple and her nose bright yellow. She has a red felt tongue, and pearl teeth.
Public Domain Appearances
Literature:
- The Patchwork Girl of Oz
- Glinda of Oz
- The Royal Book of Oz
Film:
- The Patchwork Girl of Oz (1914)
Notes
- While the original character who appeared in Oz books published before 1923 is in public domain, the version of the character used by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, or post-1923 Oz books are NOT in the public domain.