Billina
Encyclopedia
Billina is a character in the Oz books of L. Frank Baum
.
She is a yellow hen
tossed overboard in a storm
with Dorothy Gale
in the novel Ozma of Oz
, the third Oz book, and a sequel to L. Frank Baum
's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
. She is Dorothy's animal companion for this adventure, the role that Toto the dog serves in the first book.
A spunky, talkative chicken
, Billina was originally named Bill because, she tells Dorothy, "no one could tell whether I was going to be a hen or a rooster." Dorothy insists on changing the hen's name to a feminine form. Billina endures several scares with the Kansas
farmgirl before they defeat the Nome King
as only a hen can. At the end of the novel, Billina settles in the Emerald City
.
Later books reveal that Billina has hatched many chicks (their father unknown). She names all of them Dorothy after her young friend. Gender confusion reappears, however, and the proud mother discovers that some of those chicks will be "horrid roosters"; she changes the males' names to Daniel.
One of Baum's earliest books described raising Hamburg chicken
s, and he drew on that expertise in depicting Billina.
Billina appears in The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays
(1908) with the credit "The Yellow Hen as Herself." Presumably a real hen was used in this lost film
, as a real dog was used for Toto, also credited with playing himself. In Return to Oz
(1985) she is a puppet performed by Mak Wilson with the voice of Denise Bryer
.
L. Frank Baum
Lyman Frank Baum was an American author of children's books, best known for writing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
.
She is a yellow hen
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
tossed overboard in a storm
Storm
A storm is any disturbed state of an astronomical body's atmosphere, especially affecting its surface, and strongly implying severe weather...
with Dorothy Gale
Dorothy Gale
Dorothy Gale is the protagonist of many of the Oz novels by American author L. Frank Baum, and the best friend of Oz's ruler Princess Ozma. Dorothy first appears in Baum's classic children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and reappears in most of its sequels...
in the novel Ozma of Oz
Ozma of Oz
Ozma of Oz: A Record of Her Adventures with Dorothy Gale of Kansas, the Yellow Hen, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, Tiktok, the Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger; Besides Other Good People too Numerous to Mention Faithfully Recorded Herein published on July 30, 1907, was the third book of L....
, the third Oz book, and a sequel to L. Frank Baum
L. Frank Baum
Lyman Frank Baum was an American author of children's books, best known for writing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a children's novel written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. Originally published by the George M. Hill Company in Chicago on May 17, 1900, it has since been reprinted numerous times, most often under the name The Wizard of Oz, which is the name of...
. She is Dorothy's animal companion for this adventure, the role that Toto the dog serves in the first book.
A spunky, talkative chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
, Billina was originally named Bill because, she tells Dorothy, "no one could tell whether I was going to be a hen or a rooster." Dorothy insists on changing the hen's name to a feminine form. Billina endures several scares with the Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
farmgirl before they defeat the Nome King
Nome King
The Nome King is a fictional character in L. Frank Baum's Oz books. Although the Wicked Witch of the West is the most famous of Oz's villains , the Nome King is the closest the book series has to a main antagonist.-In the novels:The character called the Nome King is originally named Roquat the Red...
as only a hen can. At the end of the novel, Billina settles in the Emerald City
Emerald City
The Emerald City is the fictional capital city of the Land of Oz in L. Frank Baum's Oz books, first described in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
.
Later books reveal that Billina has hatched many chicks (their father unknown). She names all of them Dorothy after her young friend. Gender confusion reappears, however, and the proud mother discovers that some of those chicks will be "horrid roosters"; she changes the males' names to Daniel.
One of Baum's earliest books described raising Hamburg chicken
Hamburg (chicken)
The Hamburg or Hamburgh in Britain, is a type of chicken developed in Germany and Holland prior to 1700. It is comparatively rare, with less than 1000 registered in North America each year.-Appearance and behavior:...
s, and he drew on that expertise in depicting Billina.
Billina appears in The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays
The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays
The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays was an early attempt to bring L. Frank Baum's Oz books to the motion picture screen. It was a mixture of live actors, hand-tinted magic lantern slides, and film. Baum himself would appear as if he were giving a lecture, while he interacted with the characters...
(1908) with the credit "The Yellow Hen as Herself." Presumably a real hen was used in this lost film
Lost film
A lost film is a feature film or short film that is no longer known to exist in studio archives, private collections or public archives such as the Library of Congress, where at least one copy of all American films are deposited and catalogued for copyright reasons...
, as a real dog was used for Toto, also credited with playing himself. In Return to Oz
Return to Oz
Return to Oz is a 1985 film which is an unofficial sequel to Victor Fleming's The Wizard of Oz. The film is based on the second and third Oz books, The Marvelous Land of Oz and Ozma of Oz...
(1985) she is a puppet performed by Mak Wilson with the voice of Denise Bryer
Denise Bryer
Denise Bryer is an English voice actress.Bryer voiced Billina in Disney's 1985 film Return to Oz, as well as The Junk Lady in the 1986 movie Labyrinth, and many other films. In addition to her work voice acting in film and television she also worked extensively on UK radio and children's recordings...
.
See also
- Billina in Return to Oz
- Return to OzReturn to OzReturn to Oz is a 1985 film which is an unofficial sequel to Victor Fleming's The Wizard of Oz. The film is based on the second and third Oz books, The Marvelous Land of Oz and Ozma of Oz...
- List of fictional birds