The Wicked Witch, as portrayed by Margaret Hamilton in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz

The Wicked Witch of the West (or simply The Wicked Witch) is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum in his children's books. The character also figures prominently in the classic 1939 movie based on Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. In these works, The Wicked Witch poses the biggest threat to Dorothy Gale, because she covets the magical pair of silver shoes (ruby slippers in the movie) which previously belonged to the Wicked Witch of the East and are now worn by Dorothy. The Witch has often been used by editorial cartoonists to represent an evil force; for more details see Political interpretations of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Image File history File links MargaretHamiltoninTheWizardOfOz. ... Image File history File links MargaretHamiltoninTheWizardOfOz. ... Margaret Hamilton could also refer to a local politician in the United Kingdom. ... The Wizard of Oz (film) redirects here. ... Oz is a fantasy region containing four countries under the rule of one monarch. ... Lyman Frank Baum (May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919) was an American author, actor, and independent filmmaker best known as the creator, along with illustrator W. W. Denslow, of one of the most popular books ever written in American childrens literature, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, better known today... Basic Characteristics There is some debate as to what constitutes childrens literature. ... For the film, see The Wizard of Oz (1939 film). ... Doctor Who character, see Ace (Doctor Who). ... The original ruby slippers used in The Wizard of Oz; now on display at the Smithsonean. ... The Wicked Witch of the East is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum in his classic books. ... Most readers in 1900 read The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as a fairy tale, but cartoonists recognized that Baum and Denslow were using images that editorial cartoonists had long used to portray American politicians. ...

The classic books

In The Oz Books, the Wicked Witch is the one witch in Oz of whom the Wizard of Oz is afraid. She rules the Winkie Country in the western part of Oz. When young Dorothy is dropped in Oz by a cyclone, The Wizard promises to help her return to her home in Kansas if she and her ragtag group of friends kill the Wicked Witch. Dorothy, the brainless Scarecrow, the heartless Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion journey toward her castle and are attacked by wolves, crows, bees, and her Winkie slaves. Dorothy and her companions defeat each threat, but are eventually subdued by the Winged Monkeys that the Wicked Witch commands through the power of the "Golden Cap." Dorothy and the Cowardly Lion are carried to the Wicked Witch's castle. However, The Wicked Witch can't kill Dorothy because the girl is protected by the Good Witch of the North. She enslaves her and tries to force the Cowardly Lion into submission by starving him. When she succeeds in stealing one silver shoe, by making Dorothy trip, Dorothy angrily throws a bucket of water onto the Wicked Witch. It causes the witch to melt. The Oz books form a book series that begins with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and that relates the history of the Land of Oz. ... The Wizard of Oz (or simply The Wizard) is a fictional character in the Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum and further popularized by the classic 1939 movie. ... The Winkie Country is a division of the fictional Land of Oz. ... This article is about the meteorological phenomenon. ... Official language(s) English[2] Capital Topeka Largest city Wichita Area  Ranked 15th  - Total 82,277 sq mi (213,096 km²)  - Width 211 miles (340 km)  - Length 417 miles (645 km)  - % water 0. ... Cover of The Scarecrow of Oz (1915) by L. Frank Baum; illustration by John R. Neill. ... Cover of The Tin Woodman of Oz by L. Frank Baum. ... Cover of The Cowardly Lion of Oz (1929) by Ruth Plumly Thompson. ... Winkie can refer to at least three things. ... Winged monkeys (often referred to in adaptations and pop culture as flying monkeys) are characters from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, of enough impact between the books and the 1939 movie to have taken their own place in pop culture, regularly referenced in comedic or ironic situations as a source... The Good Witch of the North is a fictional character in the Land of Oz, created by American author L. Frank Baum. ...

The Wicked Witch's dryness was enumerated in some clues before this. She carries not the traditional broom but an umbrella.^[1] Furthermore, when Toto had bitten her, she had not bled; her wickedness had dried her up long ago.^[2]

W.W. Denslow's illustrations for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz depict the Wicked Witch as a paunched old woman wearing an eyepatch; her good eye gave her the visual powers of a telescope. Categories: Stub | Oz ...

The 1939 movie

In the classic movie The Wizard of Oz, the Wicked Witch, played by actress Margaret Hamilton, was stooped, green-skinned, and dressed entirely in black. In many people's minds, this representation of The Wicked Witch has become an archetype for human wickedness. The Wizard of Oz (film) redirects here. ... Margaret Hamilton could also refer to a local politician in the United Kingdom. ... For other uses, see Archetype (disambiguation). ...

While this relationship is not mentioned in Baum's books,* in the movie, the Witch is the sister of the Wicked Witch of the East, who is killed when Dorothy Gale arrives in Oz. The Witch asks aloud, "Who killed my sister?" (albeit with more calculation than sorrow). As a result, The Wicked Witch of the West's role is made more prominent as she seeks revenge against Dorothy for killing her sister. When Dorothy claims the death was an accident, the Witch of the West replies, "Well, my little pretty, I can cause accidents too." It is from this movie that popular culture gets the oft-quoted phrase, "I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog too!" Later, when she sends her flying monkeys to capture Dorothy, she stands by the window shouting, "Fly! Fly!" repeatedly. This too is a very well-remembered quotation of hers. Flying monkeys, as illustrated by W. W. Denslow in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Winged monkeys (often referred to as flying monkeys) are characters from The Wizard of Oz, of enough impact between the books and the 1939 movie to have taken their own place in pop culture, regularly referenced...

The Witch also has a counterpart in the Kansas world: a rich, grumpy single woman named Almira Gulch who seeks to have Dorothy's dog, Toto, put down. There is some ambiguity as to whether Gulch turns into the Wicked Witch of the East or of the West in the Tornado scene when Dorothy sees her transform in the window. However, it can be argued both ways. Terry, the Cairn Terrier who played Toto in the film Toto is the name of a fictional dog in L. Frank Baums Oz series of childrens books, and works derived from them. ...

Modern works

In "The Wiz" (1975), The Wicked Witch Of The West is given the name Evillene, and is the malevolent ruler of the Winkies. She is the sister of Addaperle, Glinda, and Evvamene, the other three witches of Oz. This article is about the stage musical. ...

Gregory Maguire's successful 1995 revisionist novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West takes the familiar Oz story and turns it on its head, with the Wicked Witch (given the name Elphaba) as the novel's protagonist and Dorothy as a hapless child. Born with hydrophobic green skin and shunned because of her differences, Elphaba is a misunderstood child who grows into a brooding and very mischaracterized young woman rebelling against an oppressive dictator, the Wizard of Oz. Maguire's story was developed into a Broadway musical, Wicked, in 2003. Idina Menzel won the 2004 Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Elphaba. 2005's Son of a Witch is the sequel to Wicked, focusing upon Elphaba's purported son. Gregory Maguire (born June 9, 1954 in Albany, New York) is an American author. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Wicked, or Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, is a parallel novel by Gregory Maguire. ... Elphaba is the name given to the Wicked Witch of the West in Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, as well as in the Broadway adaptation, Wicked. ... For other uses of Broadway, see Broadway. ... Wicked is a Tony award-winning American musical produced by Universal Pictures with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, and a book by Winnie Holzman. ... Idina Menzel (born Idina Kim Mentzel on May 30, 1971 in New York City) is a Tony Award-winning American actress, singer and songwriter who is best known for her performances in Wicked and Rent. ... What is popularly called the Tony Award (formally, the Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre) is an annual award celebrating achievements in live American theater, including musical theater, primarily honoring productions on Broadway in New York. ... The Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical is awarded to the actress who was voted as the best actress in a musical, whether a new production or a revival. ... Son of a Witch book cover Son of a Witch is a sequel to Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, and the fifth revisionist novel written by Gregory Maguire. ...

In the 1990–1991 animated series from DiC Enterprises, the Flying Monkeys resurrected the Wicked Witch of the West (voiced by Tress MacNeille) by simply putting her hat, cloak, and dress on a tree. Afterwards, she terrorized Oz once again, ruining Emerald city, stealing the items of Dorothy's friends (Scarecrow's diploma, Tin Man's clock and Cowardly Lion's medal), and even sent the Wizard himself away on his hot-air balloon. The series was canceled before an ending could be produced, so her fate remains a mystery. The Wizard of Oz The Wizard of Oz was an animated television series produced in 1990 to capitalize on the 50th anniversary of the 1939 classic. ... Tress MacNeille (born June 20, 1951) is an American voice actress best known for providing various voices on the animated television shows The Simpsons and Futurama, and Animaniacs. ...

In the commercials for Energizer, the Wicked Witch from the 1930's movie tried to steal the Energizer Bunny's battery by using fire on it only to set off the sprinklers and melt. Energizer Holdings (formerly Eveready Battery), headquartered in St. ... The Energizer Bunny is the marketing icon and mascot of Energizer batteries. ...

In The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (2005), Miss Piggy plays all of the witches of Oz including the Wicked Witch of the West. Her basic attire was a homage of W.W. Denslow's illustration, with a "biker" theme. The eyepatch also covered a magical glass-eye that gave her visual powers. Promotional poster The Muppets Wizard of Oz, an original made-for-television movie, aired May 20, 2005 as a special Friday night edition of ABCs The Wonderful World of Disney. ... Miss Piggy being moved on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Miss Piggy is a Muppet character primarily played by Frank Oz. ...

In The Oz/Wonderland Chronicles (2005–), a "new Witch" enters Oz and makes plans to obliterate the place. At the end of the comic, we see a figure who we are led to assume is this new witch. She wears an eyepatch and strongly resembles the Wicked Witch of the West as depicted by W. W. Denslow.

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