Munchkin
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Alternate meanings: see Munchkin (disambiguation)
Munchkins are the natives of the fictional Munchkin Country in the Oz books by L. Frank Baum. They first appeared in the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, in which they are described as being somewhat short of stature, and wear only blue. They are probably better known from their depiction in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, in which they are played by adult dwarfs and dress in brightly multicolored outfits.
The following is an excerpt from chapter two of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, in which Dorothy first meets three munchkins:
- "...she noticed coming toward her a group of the queerest people she had ever seen. They were not as big as the grown folk she had always been used to; but neither were they very small. In fact, they seemed about as tall as Dorothy, who was a well-grown child for her age, although they were, so far as looks go, many years older.
- Three were men and one a woman, and all were oddly dressed. They wore round hats that rose to a small point a foot above their heads, with little bells around the brims that tinkled sweetly as they moved... The men were dressed in blue, of the same shade as their hats, and wore well polished boots with a deep roll of blue at the tops."
Baum never explained where the term came from, but Baum researcher Brian Attebery has hypothesised that there might be a connection to the emblem of the Bavarian city of Munich, known as the Münchner Kindl [1] (Munich Child). The symbol was originally a 13th century statue of a monk, looking down from the town hall in Munich. Over the years the image was reproduced many times, for instance as a figure on Beer steins, and eventually evolved into a child wearing a pointed hood. Baum's family had German origins: Baum could have seen one such reproduction in his childhood, and woven his story around it.
As a result of the popularity of the 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz, the term "munchkin" has entered the English language as a reference to small children, dwarves, small bits of fried dough, or anything of diminutive stature.
Following the success of the movie the Maternity Hospital in County Limerick, Ireland changed its association from St. Munchin to The Munchkins Maternity Hospital. The young painter and decorator Liam Sherlock of London as he was known then painted the welcome sign that still hangs from the main entrance.
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