SAY HELLO TO OJO!!!

Last week you met Button-Bright, one of the two heroes of my Oz stories.  Today I’ll introduce you to Button-Bright’s best friend and fellow protagonist, Ojo the Munchkin boy.

 

Of all Baum’s recurring Oz kid characters, Ojo (pronounced Oh Joe, not Oh ho) appears to be the only Oz native.  He makes his debut in the seventh book, The Patchwork Girl of Oz, where he is first seen living deep in the Munchkin forest with his beloved Unk Nunkie.  There’s not enough food to keep them from hunger, so the two set out in search of a better life.  This proves tough to come by.  Things go wrong right off the bat, in fact, for on the second day of their journey Unk Nunkie is accidentally transformed into a marble statue.

 

The story is transformed as well, from a seek-your-fortune adventure into a classic quest. Ojo must find the rare and difficult objects that are required to break the spell, proving himself as brave and indomitable as any hero you could name.  He will take any risk to save his uncle, even going so far as to flout the law of Oz and land himself in the Emerald City’s seldom-used (but very comfortable) jail!  His tireless devotion wins him the respect and affection of Princess Ozma herself, and it is this that saves Unk Nunkie and secures them both a permanent home in the palace.

 

Ojo makes only minor appearances in Baum’s subsequent Oz books – both times in the company of Button-Bright.  Baum presents their friendship as a done deal and then goes on to do very little with it.  I’ve taken this as a license to send the duo on a series of new adventures all their own.

 

On the surface, the two boys might appear to be a mismatched pair.  Ojo is intense, focused, and single-minded in his devotion to those he loves.  He wears his heart on his sleeve and lacks the mysteries and ambiguities that are so much a part of his best friend.  Not that Button-Bright flaunts his boy-of-mystery status.  On the contrary, he seems entirely unaware of it and is probably the most laid-back and easy-going character in all Oz – so much so that he often loses track of his own whereabouts.  You might almost say he’s in need of constant supervision – and perhaps this is what wins the heart of the loyal Ojo.  Or perhaps they just have fun together.  Whatever the reason, they are best friends forever, in spite of the astonishing changes that come their way in my stories.  And that, in a nutshell, is what keeps me writing.  I always want to find out what my boys will do next!