Werepuppy's (Attempt At) Doll-A-Day 2019!

[werepuppy]

Nice! Never got Casta, but she's such a beauty!

Sometimes she pops up on Amazon here for pretty much retail price, which always surprises me. She is one of those stunning ones, though. She made the perfect Elphaba for me, even better than the Create-A-Monster Witch Girl did. Though thinking on it, I think I would make that girl into Rain, Elphaba's grand-daughter from the last book in the series, Out of Oz.

I don't know if it helped or hindered the film that the "Jitterbug" number was cut. The recording was included in the original 78rpm record album release, and there are brief mentions in the film of something involving "little insects" that ends up never happening that are easy to overlook.

The number would likely have caused the film to feel more "dated" than it is, being a big band jazz type number of a style popular in the late-1930s. It also includes "dialect" lyrics that would be considered "culturally offensive" today.

Instead of fading away, the movie endured, which in turn led to Baum's books still being read, which has resulted in the stage plays and film sequels and a thriving life for Baum's fantasy world.

TBH, the little I have seen of the "Jitterbug" number in restoration pieces have suggested that it would have honestly made that point of the film drag a bit? Not that the energy wasn't there, and even considering the cultural differences that have occured over time, it keeps the action in the same location for a longer period of time, which slows down the sense of movement. 

It's interesting to think of books from - roughly - the turn of the 20th century that are still being read today. Not just Baum's books, but Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, the Anne of Green Gables series, and Peter Pan. All in some small part have adaptations either by stage or screen to thank for it, as it kept them alive in popular consciousness.

Not familiar with "Wicked" other than having heard of it, but your Wizard of Oz shot is, as others said, very appropriate to commemorate the movie.

In terms of Wicked, the books lean really heavy into the theory that Baum's Oz was inspired by politics of the time, and that does make up a part of the story. It's infamous for humanising the Wicked Witch of the West, and fleshing out characters who appear in Baum's books but largely are not looked into. The books can be quite dark and heavy in their tone and subject matter in places. In comparison, the stage play is quite light and has some really excellent - if a bit overdone by now - songs. The title of that picture was inspired by a line in the song "The Wizard and I". 

Also, thank you very much!

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240: Banpresto Q-Posket Petit Merida

Isn't she just adorable? I was lucky enough to be able to grab this little one when ShopDisney UK had them in stock, for a good bit less than the rest of the Q Posket line. I never thought I'd see Merida in an anime-esque style, but I'm really liking it. A lot smaller than I thought it would be, but still adorable.