Strange Tales and Forgotten Stories About The Wizard of Oz

25. The Flying Monkeys is a name which Baum’s Winged Monkeys acquired over time

In the Oz books, starting with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in 1900, the Winged Monkeys are free creatures until eventually enslaved by the Wicked Witch of the West, who used them to conquer the Winkies, through the use of a talisman called the Golden Cap. In the film the winged monkeys are led by Nikko, the only one addressed by name (by the Witch when she orders him to take his army to the Haunted Forest and capture Dorothy and Toto).

Baum only mentioned the Winged Monkeys in one of the subsequent Oz books, The Marvelous Land of Oz. In neither the books nor the 1939 film are they referred to as Flying Monkeys, though that is the name by which they are most commonly referred to today. Patrick Walshe, an American circus performer and animal impersonator portrayed Nikko in the movie. Viewers of the film who saw the credit to Patrick Walsh as Nikko often believed it referred to the Winkie who cried, “Hail to Dorothy” once the Wicked Witch of the West was dead.

Where do we find this stuff? Here are our sources:

“Secrets of The Wizard of Oz”. Rumeana Jahangir, BBC News Magazine. March 17, 2009

“How did ‘Wizard of Oz’ fare on its 1939 release?” Susan King, Los Angeles Times. March 11, 2013

“The Wizard of Oz: 71 facts for the films 71^st birthday”. Catherine Shoard, The Guardian. August 12, 2010

“Buddy Ebsen, 95, Actor-Dancer was Jed Clampett of ‘Beverly Hillbillies'”. Dennis McLellan, Los Angeles Times. July 8, 2003

“Ray Bolger, Scarecrow in ‘Oz” Dies”. Glenn Fowler, The New York Times. January 16, 1987

“The Making of The Wizard of Oz: Movie Magic and Studio Power in the Prime of MGM”. Aljean Harmetz. 1998

“Victor Fleming: An American Movie Master”. Michael Sragow. 2013

“George Cukor: Master of Elegance”. Emanuel Levy. 1994

“Hollywood Dogs”. Ann Lloyd. 2004

“Judy Garland Was Put on a Strict Diet and Encouraged to Take ‘Pep Pills” While Filming ‘The Wizard of Oz'”. Colin Bertram, Biography.com. May 24, 2019

“Inside the Search for Dorothy’s Slippers”. Monte Burke, Forbes. December 3, 2008

“Special Effects: An Introduction to Movie Magic”. Ron Miller. 2006

“The Munchkins of Oz”. Stephen Cox. 2002

“The Munchkins Remember: The Wizard of Oz and beyond”. Stephen Cox. 1989

“The Crazy Tricks Early Filmmakers Used to Fake Snow”. Kat Eschner, Smithsonian.com. December 21, 2016

“Frank Baum, the Man Behind the Curtain”. Chloe Schama, Smithsonian.com. June 25, 2009

“10 Things You Never Noticed About ‘The Wizard of Oz'”. Jay Scarfone & William Stillman, Huffington Post. December 1, 2013

“What’s the Myth of the Hanging Munchkin?” BBC News Magazine. August 9, 2006. Online

“Looking Back at Making of ‘Wizard of Oz”. Luchina Fisher, ABC News. March 8, 2013. Online

“‘Over the Rainbow’s” Enduring Appeal”. BBC News Magazine. March 15, 2006

“Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland”. Gerald Clarke. 2001

“The Wicked Witch Got Hers”. Nora Ephron, The New York Times. November 13, 1977

“Judy Garland interview with Jack Paar, May 15^th, 1967. YouTube video. Online

“The Wizard of OZ FAQ: All That’s Left To Know About Life, According to Oz”. David J. Hogan. 2014