Winkie Country
The Winkie Country is the eastern division (by the original maps of Oz; later versions make the Winkie Country the western division) of L. Frank Baum's land of Oz. It is distinguished by the color yellow worn by most of the local inhabitants as well as the color of their surroundings.This was the country ruled by the Wicked Witch of the West before Dorothy melted her with a bucket of water in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz; since then, the Tin Woodman has ruled the Winkies as their Emperor. The Winkie Country is separated only by the Deadly Desert from the underground Dominions of the Nome King.
Like all the countries of Oz, the Winkie Country contains various unusual sights and places. Among them are,
from Ozma of Oz:
- the Scarecrow's house, which is shaped like an ear of corn
- the house of Jack Pumpkinhead, a giant hollowed-out pumpkin
- the palace of the Tin Woodman, created because the Wicked Witch's castle was too damp
- the Truth Pond, which anyone can bathe in and be freed of an enchantment, but must always afterward tell the truth
- the Tottenhots, small sprite-like people who sleep during the day and play at night
- Oogaboo, a monarchy where items of value grow on trees; it is separated from the Winkie Country by a mountain range
- Thi, where bipeds with heart-shaped chests subsist only on thistles and use mechanical dragons to pull their chariots
- Herku, where the natives and extremely thin and muscular, strong enough to keep giants as slaves
- Bear Center, in a forest where stuffed bears are ruled by the Lavender Bear and guided by the wind-up Little Pink Bear
- Yip Country, a republic advised by the Frogman and separated from the Winkie Country at the top of a mountain
