125 Years of Pop Culture: The Magic Colors of OZ

Once upon a time, there lived a little girl named Dorothy Gale. She lived a secluded life on a quiet farm in Kansas. Until a massive tornado swept her and her dog, Toto, away to the fantasy land of Oz, where many dangers lurk, but miracles also happen.

On the advice of a friendly witch, Dorothy sets out for the Emerald City. She follows a yellow brick road, hoping that the mysterious Wizard of Oz can help her return home...

This is the story originally titled "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" by the American author Lyman Frank Baum, published in 1900. Within just a few years, the story became one of the most popular children's books worldwide. It has been translated into numerous languages.

A journey into the interior

On her long journey, Dorothy befriends some of Oz's illustrious inhabitants: a Scarecrow who longs for a brain of his own, a Tin Man who longs for a heart, and a cowardly lion seeking courage. Together, they face various trials, outsmart an evil witch, and discover that the qualities they were all seeking were actually within themselves.

Dorothy's magical ruby ​​slippers—which she receives after her house, swept away by the tornado, kills the Wicked Witch of the East upon landing—prove to be the key to her return home.

Britannica, the world's oldest encyclopedia, describes "The Wizard of Oz" as a "modern fairy tale with a distinctly American background" and judges that the courageous Dorothy can perhaps be considered one of the first feminist heroines in children's literature.

Whether in film , on the theater and musical stage, or in pop music, the diverse adaptations have turned the magical land of Oz and its inhabitants into icons of pop culture. However, the images most commonly associated with it stem primarily from a specific context: the 1939 MGM film adaptation starring the then 16-year-old Judy Garland . Her melancholic interpretation of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" was voted the "greatest song of the 20th century" in 2001 in a joint representative survey by the National Endowment for the Arts (the only federal cultural funding agency in the USA) and the Recording Industry Association of America.

Of silver and red slippers

In Lyman Frank Baum's book, Dorothy's enchanted shoes were silver—not ruby ​​red! It was not until the 1939 film adaptation that they were changed to a bright red to take full advantage of the then-new Technicolor film process. Red simply popped better on screen than silver, especially against the backdrop of the yellow bricks of the street.

A pair of these slippers, worn by Judy Garland in the film, was stolen from a museum in Minnesota in 2005 and recovered by the FBI in 2018. In 2024, it was auctioned for $28 million.

How horses change their color

And this film secret can also be revealed: Long before the invention of computer graphics and AI tricks, there was food coloring! To depict the iridescent, color-changing horse that greets Dorothy and her friends in the Emerald City, four white horses were on the film set. But because animal rights activists protested against the dyeing of the horses' coats, the film technicians quickly resorted to gelatin powder and food coloring to make the animals shine in white, purple, red, or yellow. The only catch: The animals reportedly repeatedly licked the colored powder between takes. Therefore, the scenes had to be shot as quickly as possible.

The green view of the Emerald City

The "Emerald City" wasn't built of green emeralds either. It only appears that way to its inhabitants because they have to wear green-tinted glasses—a clever trick by the magician to create the impression of splendor.

The 1939 film featured a magnificent green backdrop, forever cementing the Emerald City as a glowing green paradise in popular culture.

What color was Dorothy's dress?

Opinions are still divided on whether Dorothy's checkered dress was blue and white or blue and pink. According to some online fan sites, what appeared to be blue and white in the film was actually blue and light pink. In fact, the pink apparently stood out better under the intense film lighting.

This point inevitably brings to mind the 2015 social media color debate known as "The Dress." Back then, the internet argued over a photo of a dress: Was it white with gold stripes? Or blue with black stripes? In fact, the original dress turned out to be dark blue and black striped. The different color perceptions depended on the way the human brain interprets light.

Many different adaptations

Since its initial publication, "The Wizard of Oz" has spawned a variety of colorful interpretations.

Elton John's song "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" (1973), which the singer co-wrote with his longtime partner Bernie Taupin, uses imagery from Oz to symbolize disappointment with fame and the longing for a simpler life. The 78-year-old Elton John's final world tour was themed "Farewell Yellow Brick Road." It began on September 8, 2018, in Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA, and ended on July 8, 2023, in Stockholm, Sweden.

The 1978 musical "The Wiz," on the other hand, was an all-black musical. The role of Dorothy was played by former Motown star Diana Ross. Michael Jackson, then 20 years old and far from the "King of Pop," landed the role of the Scarecrow. The film was panned by critics. But behind the scenes, legendary producer Quincy Jones met Jackson, his future "Thriller" actor.

And then there's the 2003 Broadway blockbuster "Wicked": It told the previously unknown story of the misunderstood "Wicked Witch of the West" Elphaba. This time, the "enchanted sorceress" has emerald-green skin and a gravity-defying voice. The musical's most famous song is "Defying Gravity."

The hit musical has since been adapted into a two-part film starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. The first part, which hit screens in 2024, was nominated for ten Oscars at the 97th Academy Awards earlier this year and won two awards: Best Production Design and Best Costume Design.

Adapted from English by Anastassia Boutsko