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{{Quote |There was one of the Munchkin girls who was so beautiful that I soon grew to love her with all my heart. She, on her part, promised to marry me as soon as I could earn enough money to build a better house for her; so I set to work harder than ever. But the girl lived with an old woman who did not want her to marry anyone, for she was so lazy she wished the girl to remain with her and do the cooking and the housework. So the old woman went to the Wicked Witch of the East, and promised her two sheep and a cow if she would prevent the marriage. Thereupon the Wicked Witch enchanted my axe...|}}[[The Wonderful Wizard of Oz]] (1900) |
{{Quote |There was one of the Munchkin girls who was so beautiful that I soon grew to love her with all my heart. She, on her part, promised to marry me as soon as I could earn enough money to build a better house for her; so I set to work harder than ever. But the girl lived with an old woman who did not want her to marry anyone, for she was so lazy she wished the girl to remain with her and do the cooking and the housework. So the old woman went to the Wicked Witch of the East, and promised her two sheep and a cow if she would prevent the marriage. Thereupon the Wicked Witch enchanted my axe...|}}[[The Wonderful Wizard of Oz]] (1900) |
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| − | [[File:Tinman_oz_1-1.jpg|thumb|377px|The Tin Woodman as seen in''Return to Oz''! |
+ | [[File:Tinman_oz_1-1.jpg|thumb|377px|The Tin Woodman as seen in 1985's ''Return to Oz''! This version of Tinman is the most faithful and closet to what Baum himself most likely envisioned in the Oz books.]] |
The Tin Woodman of Oz has a rather humorously sad and sweetly tragic history. And most people are not aware of his backstory at all, as it is glanced over and never mentioned in classic MGM movie of 1939. |
The Tin Woodman of Oz has a rather humorously sad and sweetly tragic history. And most people are not aware of his backstory at all, as it is glanced over and never mentioned in classic MGM movie of 1939. |
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Revision as of 15:32, 29 July 2014
- "The Tin Woodman used to be made of flesh, like everybody else. But then he cut off his leg...so he had a tin leg made, but the Wicked Witch had enchanted his axe, so he kept on... cutting off all the other parts of his body, until he was all made of tin. Even his head was...! "
- ―Dorothy Gale talking about the Tinman's real past in Return to Oz (1985)
- "Oh...well, about a year ago, I was chopping down that tree, when suddenly it began to rain. And right in the middle of a chop, I - I rusted solid. And I've been that way ever since..."
- ―Tinman (1939)
Tin Woodman 1900!
- "For brains do not make one happy, and happiness is the best thing in the world. "
- ―The Tin Woodman (1900)
A Woodman Made Out of Hallow Tin...
- "Why it's a man; a man made out of tin! "
- ―Dorothy Gale (1939)
Tin Woodman
The Tin Woodman is a fictional character invented by L Frank Baum, author and creator of the Oz legacy. He is first introduced as a main character in Baum's first Oz book titled 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz', published in 1900. He appears in the fifth chapter of the story titled The Rescue of the Tin Woodman. His character is originally from the magical Land of Oz where the story takes place. It is stated by Baum he was born in the eastern quadrant in Oz known as Munchkin Country better known as Munchkinland. Thus, being a native Munchkin by birth even though he is of average adult height unlike most of the majority of the Munchkin race. (This hints or suggest that he may not be a full blooded Munchkin man.)
His real given birth name is Nicholas Chopper, or 'Nick' Chopper for short. He is also more known and called by his popular nickname, the Tin Woodman or just 'Tin Man' for short. Nick is the second comrade to join the story's child protagonist named Dorothy Gale, who finds him rusted solid in distress while on her epic journey down the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City to see the great and powerful Wizard. When he meets her, she is also accompanied by a Scarecrow and her pet dog whom Dorothy calls Toto.
Later on in the Oz series which serve as offical sequel books to Baum's original story, the Tin Woodman and Scarecrow would become best of friends. Having many adventures together after Dorothy was sent back home and even when she returned, the Tin Woodman and Scarecrow remained very close comrades. Just as Dorothy would be with Oz's child Queen known as Princess Ozma and the Cowardly Lion would be with the Hungry Tiger of Oz.
A Soul Inside of Hallow Tin
- "As Dorothy and the Scarecrow walked through the forest, they discovered something shining in a ray of sunshine that fell between the trees. Dorothy and Toto, ran quickly up to the place and then stopped short, with a little cry of surprise. One of the big trees had been partly chopped through, and standing beside it, with an uplifted axe in his hands, was a man made entirely of tin. His head and arms and legs were jointed upon his body, but he stood perfectly motionless, as if he could not stir at all! "
- ―The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900)
Nick Chopper, The Tin Woodman. (1900)
The Tin Woodman of Oz is made entirely of shiny hallow silver tin, and cleverly jointed together, although he rattles and clanks a little as he moves he is able to bend his joints and get around quiet easily when properly lubricated. Nick Chopper was once a great and strong man who worked happily as a humble woodsman before ultimately being tragically turned slowly into his current form of tin, having his "meat" body replaced by a metal one with no internal organs, heart, brain, lungs etc.
Dorothy and Scarecrow oil the Tin Woodman (1900)
Unlike Tik-Tok the mechanical man from Oz's neighboring fantasy country called Ev, and who was also found by Dorothy and taken away from Ev to live in Oz to serve as Oz's Royal Army of Oz-the Tin Woodman was just like any average person with real genuine emotions, feelings, dreams and desires.
Baums' Description
Unlike Tik-Tok who strictly runs on clockwork, hacing to be wound up, the Tin Woodman still has a soul, a spirit, a life-source compared to other mechanical things in Oz that are made of metal or copper. And were not once living and breathing beings. Far from missing his original existence, the Tin Woodman is now very proud (perhaps too proud) of his untiring tin body as he is so unique out of any one else in Oz, there are plenty of lions and scarecrows throughout the land but there is only one man made of tin. He keeps it brilliantly polished and his tin joints well-oiled.
- "The Tin Woodman had asked Dorothy to put the oil-can in her basket. "For," he said, "if I should get caught in the rain, and rust again, I would need the oil-can badly! "
- ―The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900)
The Tin Woodman always carries his handy chopping axe, for his axe is who he is, being apart of him. If he ever had his axe taken from him or lost, he would most likey become lost as well and unable to function without it. He has no need for food or drink or sleep, but he was prone to rust before he was nickel-plated. With or without a heart, he was always the most sensitive, tender and emotional of Dorothy's companions (just as the Scarecrow was the wisest and the Cowardly Lion the bravest). When he accidentally crushed an insect while walking on the Yellow Brick Road to see the great Wizard, he was grief-stricken and, ironically, claimed that he must be careful about such things from then on out, while those with hearts do not need such care. (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz)
His appreciation of his heart notably contrasts with the Scarecrow's pride in his brains, reflecting a common debate between the relative importance of the mind and the emotions. This, indeed, occasions philosophical debate between the two friends as to why each one's choices are superior. Neither convinces the other, but they remain the closest of friends.
The Tin Woodman is so well-loved that the "Shining Emperor Waltz" was written in his honor by Mr. H.M. Wogglebug, T.E. When the Wogglebug later asked about his genealogy, he claimed, "I am a Tin Woodman and you may enter me in your book under the name of Smith, for a tin smith made me, and as Royal Emperor of the Winkies, I do not care to go back to my meat connections."
Oz History:
Toto, Scarecrow and Tin Woodman 1900
- "If I only had a Heart..."
- ―The Tinman (1939)
An independent 2010 film by Whitestone Movie Pictures, that is available online, titled: '"HEARTLESS"' (The story of the Tinman) -This short little adaptation of L. Frank Baum's character tells the intriguing and tragic story of a young and handsome human man living in Oz named Nick Chopper. And how he ultimately became to be made of all tin. 'HEARTLESS' is extremely faithful to the real story of the Tinman.
- "There was one of the Munchkin girls who was so beautiful that I soon grew to love her with all my heart. She, on her part, promised to marry me as soon as I could earn enough money to build a better house for her; so I set to work harder than ever. But the girl lived with an old woman who did not want her to marry anyone, for she was so lazy she wished the girl to remain with her and do the cooking and the housework. So the old woman went to the Wicked Witch of the East, and promised her two sheep and a cow if she would prevent the marriage. Thereupon the Wicked Witch enchanted my axe..."
- ―The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900)
The Tin Woodman as seen in 1985's Return to Oz! This version of Tinman is the most faithful and closet to what Baum himself most likely envisioned in the Oz books.
The Tin Woodman of Oz has a rather humorously sad and sweetly tragic history. And most people are not aware of his backstory at all, as it is glanced over and never mentioned in classic MGM movie of 1939.
The original Tin Woodman was a rather healthy and handsome human being. He was a natural born Ozian who was born as an eastern Munchkin named Nick Chopper. His father, also a Munchkin man lived in a small cottage hidden away deep in the woods. Nick's father was a skilled woodman who chopped down trees for a living, and when Nick grew up he became a woodman as well.
Wicked Witch spies on Nick Chopper.
After his parents died, Nick had no other family to turn to, so to stop his loneliness he decided to find a mate to marry and start a family of his own with. Nick fell deeply in love with a beautiful Munchkin girl named Nimmie Amee, who worked as a full time maid and belonged to an old widowed woman near by. Nimmie Amee also had deep feelings for Nick so Nick proposed to her confessing his true love. Nick Chopper then promised his significant other and future Wife that he would build a nice sturdy house for her to run away too, all he had to do was chop some trees down and start building. Now, This old woman who owned Nimmie Amee eavesdropped on the two lovers talking one day. She did not want to lose her servant, so she secretly paid the Wicked Witch of the East two sheep and a cow to prevent her servant from becoming a bride to elope with Nick in anyway possible. The Wicked Witch cast an evil spell and enchanted poor Nick Choppper's axe to slip in his hands when he used it to swing. Instead of hitting the wood of the tree trunk, his axe strangely chopped all of his body parts clean off one by one but only at different times. After each accident, a nearby tinsmith replaced the lost part with a tin one until eventually his entire body was made of tin, even his head. But his new tin body had no heart, so he lost his love for Nimmie Amee.
To Nimmie Amee's horror, Nick never asked her to marry him like he promised he would because he no longer cared. Since he had no heart he thought marrying anyone would be pointless and as a result she sadly never saw Nick again.
Some time later he was caught out in the forest during a rain storm while chopping down trees to pass the time and the water quickly rusted him solid. He stood there frozen in one position for an entire year.
In The Wonderful Wizard of Oz-1900
- "This forest is getting darker and darker. And I am getting rather tired now, I wonder where to find a safe place to sleep." Said Dorothy. "I see a little cottage at the right of us,” The Scarecrow said, “built of logs and branches. Shall we go there?” “Yes, indeed,” answered the child. “I am all tired out.” So the Scarecrow led her through the trees until they reached the cottage, and Dorothy entered and found it abandoned. But there was a bed of dried leaves in one corner. So she lay down at once, and with Toto beside her soon fell into a sound sleep. The Scarecrow, who was never tired, stood up in another corner and waited patiently until morning came. "
- ―The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900)
The Cottage of Tin Woodman 1900.
One day, the rusted Tin Woodman was finally discovered by a little girl named Dorothy Gale who wore magic Silver Shoes. She was also accompanied by her little pet dog named Toto and a walking Scarecrow.
The two gladly oiled the Tin Woodmans' joints and freed him from his motionless existence and prison of rust. The girl explained to the Tin Woodman they were following the Yellow Brick Road that was nearby, and travelling to the Emerald City of Oz. Dorothy said she wanted to get back to her Uncle and Aunt in Kansas after being swept away to Oz via cyclone. And the straw man wanted to ask the Wizard for a set of Brains. The Tin Woodmam decided to join them and ask the Wizard for a heart to gain his love for Nimmie Amee back and hopefully reunite with her.
The Tin Woodman 1900
On the way they all met a Cowardly Lion in the dark forest who longed for courage. Dorothy, Scarecrow, and Tin Woodman invited him to come along and they all quickly became good friends. After several days of having many amazing adventures throughout Oz, such as facing the fierce, flesh-eating beasts called Kalidahs, and crossing through the deadly field of Poppies before being rescused by the Queen of the Field Mice and her loyal band of mouse subjects. At last, the traveling companions made it to the glorious gates of the Emerald City of Oz.
However, before they were all allowed to enter the city, the Guardian of the Gates had them wear green spectacles by the Wizard's policy, to protect they're eyes from the glory and shine of the splendid city inside. Then the Soldier with the Green Whiskers escorted Dorothy and her friends to the Royal Palace of Oz where the Wizard lived.
The Wizard didn't allow anyone an audience, but thanks to Dorothy's charmed Silver Shoes, the Wizard became interested and agreed to see the guests and made an exception for the party of Dorothy. Oz was also a great shapeshifter, who would only see them one at a time. First he spoke to Dorothy and he appeared as a giant head levitating on a magnificent jeweled throne. And when Scarecrows turn came, Oz appeared to him as a beautiful fairy enchantress dressed in fine robes. And when Tin Woodmans saw Oz, he appeared to him as a great ugly beast with horns. He also commanded him, like the others to help Dorothy kill the Wicked Witch of the West if he wanted a heart.
The next day the four friends set out in search of the Wicked Witch, but the Witch saw the group coming. The Witch sent out her pack of Killer Wolves, Killer Bee's and her Killer crows to stop and kill the travelers. But Dorothy and her friends defeated her attempts each time. So finally the Wicked Witch had Dorothy, Toto and the Lion captured by her band of Winged Monkeys who were slaves of the Golden Cap that the Witch owned. The Winged Monkeys bashed the Tin Woodman against jagged rocks, denting him terribly all over. And then the Winged Monkeys, ripped all the straw out of poor Scarecrow and tossed his clothes high up in tree branches. There the two remained, destroyed and left behind utterly helpless.
Back at the Witches home, the Lion was kept harnessed in the castle courtyard and Dorothy was imprisoned in the Witch's yellow castle as her personal slave. Dorothy worked very hard in her castle and was glad the Wicked Witch had chosen not to kill her or her dog. One day, the Witch tried to steal Dorothy's Silver Shoes but in defense, Dorothy tossed a bucket of water on the Wicked Witch and melted her away like brown sugar. Thus, ridding Oz of it's most dreaded Wicked Witches. Dorothy had the Winkies restore the Scarecrow and Tin woodman until they were good as new.
The four friends anxiously returned to the Emerald City to claim they're rewards and prizes as they were promised. But there they all discovered the truth, the Wizard wasn't a Wizard at all, but a phony and a humbug. He was a little old man by the name of Oscar Diggs who was a skilled illusionist, ventriloquist and Magician at a traveling carnival before coming to Oz long, long ago.
The Wizard gives Tin Woodman a heart 1900.
The Wizard apologized for his dishonesty and promised to make it up to Dorothy if they kept the truth of his humbug ways a safe secret. The Wizard tried to take Dorothy home in the same hot air balloon that he arrived to Oz in. But it departed too soon and floated away while Dorothy was looking for Toto, who went chasing after a Kitten.
Thanks to the Scarecrows' new set of brains, he advised Dorothy and the other companions to travel out to the country of the red Quadlings to find the beautiful enchantress Glinda, the Good Witch of the South. And after a set of several more adventures such as encountering Fighting Trees, crossing over the mountain of the Hammer-Heads and traveling through the Dainty China Country, they all arrived at her ruby red palace. There Glinda sat in her chamber upon her ruby throne. Dorothy told Glinda her long story, all about the Kansas cyclone and about the Wicked Witches. Glinda was a wise Witch, and kindly informed Dorothy about the secret charm of the Silver Shoes she had been wearing since her arrival in Oz. The secret was to click the heels of the shoes together three times and command them to take you wherever you wished to go. Dorothy thanked Glinda for her help, and after a tearful goodbye to her three friends, Dorothy did as she was instructed. The shoes allowed her and Toto to return safely home to Kansas. After her departure the Tin Woodman became the new ruler of the Winkies. This tenderness remained with him even after he became Emperor of the Winkies, as evidenced when he refused to let a butterfly be killed for the casting of a spell. (The Patchwork Girl of Oz)
When Dorothy returned home to her farm in Kansas, the Tin Woodman returned to the Winkie Country to rule as emperor. He had himself nickel-plated and later had his subjects construct a palace made entirely of tin — from the architecture all the way down to the flowers in the garden. The grounds also feature tin statues of the Emperor's personal friends. (The Road to Oz)
The Tin Woodman has had many other occupations as well as that of Woodman and Emperor. He commanded Princess Ozma's army and was briefly turned into a tin whistle. (Ozma of Oz) He also served as defense counsel in the trial of Eureka the kitten. (Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz)
The Tin Woodman met Woot the Wanderer when the Gillikin boy came to visit his palace. After telling the boy his life story, he decided to set out to find his lost love, Nimmie Amee. He was accompanied on this quest by Woot, the Scarecrow, and later by Polychrome. During the journey, he was underwent many jarring experiences, including being transformed into a tin owl, meeting another tin man, and conversing with his ill-tempered original head. When he finally found Nimmie Amee, he discovered that she had already married a man constructed partly out of his own discarded limbs. (The Tin Woodman of Oz)
Tin Woodmans' Tin Castle.
The Tin Woodman was in Ozma's palace when it was stolen by a giant-sized Ruggedo. (Kabumpo in Oz)
The Tin Woodman was in the Emerald City when Bob Up and Notta Bit More arrived. He was one of the people sent to Mudge by Notta's magic verse to help rescue the Cowardly Lion. (The Cowardly Lion of Oz)
Book Appearances
- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (first appearance)
- The Marvelous Land of Oz
- Ozma of Oz
- Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz
- The Road to Oz
- The Emerald City of Oz
- Little Wizard Stories of Oz
- The Patchwork Girl of Oz
- The Scarecrow of Oz
- Rinkitink in Oz
- The Tin Woodman of Oz
- The Royal Book of Oz
- Kabumpo in Oz
- The Cowardly Lion of Oz
- Grampa in Oz
- Jack Pumpkinhead of Oz
- Ozoplaning with the Wizard of Oz
- The Scalawagons of Oz
- Lucky Bucky in Oz
Background Information
The Tin Woodman had no name in the first Oz book; L. Frank Baum called him "Niccolo Chopper" in his 1903 stage adaptation, and "Nick Chopper" in The Marvelous Land of Oz and after.
The Tin Man was a major character in the comic page Baum wrote with Walt McDougall in 1904-05, Queer Visitors from the Marvelous Land of Oz.
Baum's successors in writing the series tended to use the Tin Woodman as a minor character, still ruling the Winkie Country but not governing the stories' outcome. Two exceptions to this pattern are Ozoplaning with the Wizard of Oz, by Ruth Plumly Thompson, and Lucky Bucky in Oz, by John R. Neill.
In Magic Land the Tin Woodman is the Iron Woodman, Iron Woodcutter, or Iron Lumberjack (depending upon translation). In The Great Wishy Woz he is Metal Guy.
In L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz: The Graphic Novel the Tin Woodman resembled a robot with no heart, illustrated in the style of W. W. Denslow.
Modern fiction
In the novel The Tin Man, by Dale Brown, the eponymous protagonist is a power-armored vigilante whom the media and police have dubbed The Tin Man for his physical resemblance to the Wizard of Oz character.
The Tin Woodman is a minor character in author Gregory Maguire's revisionist novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, its Broadway musical Wicked and Maguire's sequel Son of a Witch. In the book, Nessarose, the Wicked Witch of the East, is seen enchanting the axe to swing around and chop off Nick Chopper's limbs. She does this for a peasant woman who wishes to stop her servant, probably Nimee Aimee, from marrying Nick Chopper. This seems to be close to the Tin Man's origin in the original books, but from the Witch's perspective.
In the Musical adaptation of Wicked The Tin Woodsman is revealed to be Boq, a Munchkin whom the Wicked Witch of the East, Nessarose, fell in love with when they were at school together. When she discovered his heart belonged to Glinda, she botched a spell that was meant to make him fall in love with her, but instead shrunk his heart to nothing. To save his life Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West was forced to turn him into tin. Not understanding her reasons, he pursues Elphaba with a single-minded vengeance for his current form.
Peter Schulenburg provides a treatment of the Tin Man's unique home in The Tin Castle of Oz.
In Magician of Oz (2009), by James C. Wallace II, the Tin Woodman's Tin Palace is the destination for Jamie Diggs (great grandson of O.Z. Diggs), Dorothy, Glinda, and Princess Ozma as they travel from Glinda's Red Brick Palace in the Large Red Wagon, pulled by the Sawhorse. Signs along the way refer to his palace as "Nick Chopper's Place". There is also a chapter named "The Grand Potato Soup Luncheon", which takes place in the Tin Palace and features a sumptuous banquet of Potato Soup prepared by Aunt Em for Jamie Diggs.
Depictions on Stage and Screen
The Wizard of Oz stage performance
In 1902, Baum helped to adapt The Wizard of Oz into a wildly successful stage extravaganza. David C. Montgomery played the Tin Woodman opposite Fred Stone as the Scarecrow, and the team became headliners.
Silent Film
Oliver Hardy played the Tin Woodman in a 1925 silent version of The Wizard of Oz starring Larry Semon as the Scarecrow.
1939 Movie
Jack Haley
The Tin Man was a wood-chopper who had rusted in the forest near his cabin when Dorothy and the Scarecrow met him. He sang the song "If I only had a Heart" and agreed to accompany her to the Emerald City to see if the great Oz would give him a heart. He saw the Wizard together with the party. Later, when Dorothy and Toto had been abducted by the Wicked Witch's Winged Monkeys, the Tin Man, Lion, and Scarecrow dressed up as Winkie soldiers and infiltrated the castle in an attempt to rescue Dorothy. As they were escaping with her, the witch was killed. (The Wizard of Oz)
Ebsen the original Tin Man
Haley's other role was Aunt Em and Uncle Henry's farm worker, Hickory. He helps Zeke (Lion's alter ego) lower a bed into its place on a wagon at the farm while Hunk (Scarecrow's alter ego) repairs the wagon with them. Unlike Zeke, Hickory and Hunk lose their hats with Uncle Henry as they struggle to pry open the cellar when the tornado approaches the farm. Hickory reunites with Dorothy when she awakes from being unconscious. He is seen with Aunt Em, Uncle Henry, Zeke, Hunk and Professor Marvel (The Wizard's alter ego).
The Wiz 1974/1978
Tiger Haynes
In 1974, Tiger Haynes portrayed the Tinman on broadway, The Tinman in this production was similar to the one in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. He was once a real man who was a woodsman. A wicked witch put a spell on his axe which cut off his limbs. He went to a friend of his that was a tinsmith to see if he could fix him up. He did again and again and again until the woodsman was now the Tinman.
Nipsey Russell
In 1978, a film adaption of the show gave the role to Nipsey Russell. The Tinman in the film is a rusty old animatronic Coney Island man who was the fastest metal mouth on the midway (as he said). When the park was about to close, he planned to go beyond being a theme park attraction, but was abandoned in the park once for many years and sat on by his wife Teenie, who was the laughing machine. Once Dorothy and the Scarecrow enter the amusement park, he cried for help to get their attention. Once they pushed Teenie off of him, he told them that he doesn't have a heart and wants one so he can love all humanity. Dorothy invited him to come and see the Wiz. Once they oiled him up, he became a part of their session.
Return to Oz 1985
The Tin Woodman was turned to stone along with the other Ozians until Dorothy Gale returned to Oz and rescued him, after which he was reanimated and happily greeted his friend from Kansas. (Return to Oz)
The Tin Woodman, in Return to Oz.
The Muppets' Wizard of Oz 2005
The Muppet Gonzo the Great plays a similar role, the Tin Thing, in 2005's The Muppets' Wizard of Oz. In this version, he is the Wicked Witch of the West's research assistant, transformed into a robot to prevent him wanting a day off to marry Camilla the chicken.
Blikkeman
De musical The Wiz
In 2006, Jerrel Houtsnee portrayed the Blikkeman, which is "tinman" in Dutch. This was a modern update version of the Tinman. He seemed to have been made from old radios from the bottoms and knobs on his torso and the speakers on his legs, but has flashing lights on his back.
Beef Ravioli Commercials
The Tin Man is surrounded by hungry children.
In 2006, the Tin Man was the protagonist in a pair of television commercials for Chef Boyardee brand canned Beef Ravioli, in a costume identical to the design used in the 1939 Oz film. In the commercials, the Tin Man (played by Australian actor David Somerville) is pursued by groups of children due to the fact that an oversized Beef Ravioli can label has been affixed to the back of his cylindrical torso (which he doesn't notice until the midpoint of the first commercial); thus, he appears to be a very large, mobile can of ravioli. In the first ad, the Tin Man escapes from his pursuers only to discover that the building he ducked into is an elementary school cafeteria full of hungry children.
The second ad begins with the Tin Man running through a residential neighborhood, accidentally adding to his pursuers when he stumbles across a backyard birthday party; after fleeing across a golf course (while dodging balls from the driving range), he is cornered in another backyard and threatened with a garden hose (playing on the Tin Man's classic weakness of rusting). As the scene shifts to the image of a Beef Ravioli can, sounds of water hitting metal and the Tin Man's cries for help are heard. (Beef Ravioli commercials)
Tin Man 2009
In 2007, the Sci-Fi Channel released a three-part miniseries titled simply Tin Man, which was a re-imagining of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. In this story, the Tin Man character was not actually made of tin, but was a human detective named Wyatt Cain. He was part of a police force known as the Tin Men. Additionally, Cain is first encountered locked in a tin container as a cruel form of punishment, quite similar to the immobile state in which Dorothy encountered the Tin Woodman. While imprisoned in the tin suit, he was forced by the evil sorceress Azkadellia to watch his family's massacre over and over again.
Dorothy and the Witches of Oz 2011
The Tin Man comes to New York and participates in the battle against the Witch's forces. He's one of the few Ozians that Dorothy knew in childhood in Oz, that didn't appear in New York in some form prior to the battle with the witch, although her friend Rick briefly believed himself to be the Tin Man, until the real Tin Majn showed up. In that battle, the Tin Man had a one-on-one battle with the Nome King, which he eventually won. (Dorothy and the Witches of Oz)
Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return 2014
In the 2014 CGI Oz film 'Legends of Oz, Dorothy's Return, the Tin Woodman is voiced by Kelsey Grammer.
Jim Shore
Jim Shore launched a special edition for the Tin Man based on W.W. Denslow's illustrations.
In Video Games
Emerald City Confidential
The Tin Man, known as Governor Nick Chopper, is still the governor of Winkie Country, although he's been corrupted (to some extent) like all the other citizens of Oz, due to the events of the Phanfasm War. While he's still a good man, who wants to help his people, he's become impotent since The Frogman gained so much power in Winkie Country through coercion. The Frogman now also employs Nimee Aimee as his servant (and possibly girlfriend), with whom the Tin Man is still in love. As a result, Governor Chopper has become cynical, often over-indulging in his cans of oil. (Emerald City Confidential)
Gallery
Credits
- The Wizard of Oz (1902 stage show): David C. Montgomery
- Fairylogue and Radio-Plays (1908): Geroge E. Willson
- The Patchwork Girl of Oz (1914): Lon Musgrave
- His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz (1914): Pierre Couderc
- The Wizard of Oz (1925): Oliver Hardy
- The Wizard of Oz (1939): Jack Haley
- Wonderful Land of Oz (1969): Al Joseph
- Journey Back to Oz (1974): Danny Thomas (voice)
- The Wiz (1975): Tiger Haynes
- The Wiz (1978): Nipsey Russell
- Return to Oz (1985): Deep Roy
- The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (2005): Gonzo the Great
- De musical The Wiz (2006): Jerrel Houtsnee
- The Wonderful Wizard of Ha's (VeggieTales) (2007) : Larry the Cucumber
- Tin Man (2007): Neal McDonough as Cain
- Dorothy and the Witches of Oz (2011): Jordan Turnage
- Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return (2014): Kelsey Grammer (voice)
References to the Tin Man in popular culture
- In the song "Tin Man" by the band America, the lyrics state that "Oz never did give nothin' to the Tin Man, that he didn't didn't already have." This is an obvious reference to the fact that the Tin Woodman was a very caring character, possessed of much figurative heart, if not a literal one.
- In The Muppet Show episode that guest-starred Brooke Shields, Fozzie Bear dresses as the Tin Woodman when he mistakes the Muppets' presentation of Alice in Wonderland for The Wizard of Oz.
- Superman temporarily became the Tin Woodman after a tornado took him, Aquaman, and Wonder Woman to Mister Mxyzptlk's planet of Oz in an episode of "The World's Greatest Super Friends".
Sources of the Tin Man image
Economics and history professors have published scholarly studies that indicate the images and characters used by Baum and Denslow closely resembled political images that were well known in the 1890s. They state that Baum and Denslow did not simply invent the Lion, Tin Man, Scarecrow, Yellow Brick Road, Silver Shoes, cyclone, monkeys, Emerald City, little people, Uncle Henry, passenger balloons, witches and the wizard. These were all common themes in the editorial cartoons of the previous decade. Baum and Denslow, like most writers, used the materials at hand that they knew best. They built a story around them, added Dorothy, and added a series of lessons to the effect that everyone possesses the resources they need (such as brains, a heart and courage) if only they had self confidence. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was a children’s book, of course, but as Baum warned in the preface, it was a "modernized" fairy tale as well.
The Tin Man was a common feature in political cartoons and in advertisements in the 1890s. Indeed, he had been part of European folk art for 300 years. In The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the Tin Woodman is described as a worker, dehumanized by industrialization. The Tin Woodman little by little lost his natural body and had it replaced by metal; so he has lost his heart and cannot move without the help of farmers (represented by the Scarecrow); in reality he has a strong sense of cooperation and love, which needs only an infusion of self-confidence to be awakened. In the 1890s many argued that to secure a political revolution a coalition of Farmers and Workers was needed.
In an 1890 editorial cartoon, President Benjamin Harrison wears improvised tin armor because he wanted a tariff on tin. Some interpreters argue that this shows the figure of a "tin man" was in use as political allegory in 1890s.
The oil needed by the Tin Woodman had a political dimension at the time the story was written because Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company stood accused of being a monopoly (and in fact was later found guilty by the Supreme Court.) In the 1902 stage adaptation the Tin Woodman wonders what he would do if he ran out of oil. "You wouldn't be as badly off as John D. Rockefeller," the Scarecrow responds, "He'd lose six thousand dollars a minute if that happened." (Swartz, Oz p 34).
Trivia
- The "tin man" gene in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is so called because, when it is absent, the flies do not develop a heart. (Cf. Azpiazu & Frasch (1993) Genes and Development: 7: 1325-1340.)
- Ray Bolger was originally signed to play the Tin Man in the 1939 film, then Buddy Ebsen was cast, but was allergic to the makeup and was replaced by Jack Haley.
- Jack Haley's makeup gave him an eye infection, and his costume was so bulky, he had to sleep on a recline board.