# Polychrome (Oz)

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Fictional character

Polychrome Oz character as illustrated by John R. Neill in The Tin Woodman of Oz (1918) First appearance The Road to Oz (1909) Created by L. Frank Baum In-universe information Nickname Polly Species Fairy Gender female Title Daughter of the Rainbow Family Rainbow (father), unnamed sisters

**Polychrome** is a cloud [fairy](/source/Fairy) and the youngest daughter of the [Rainbow](/source/Rainbow), thus she is a "sky princess". She first appears in *[The Road to Oz](/source/The_Road_to_Oz)* (1909), which is the fifth book of the original fourteen [Oz books](/source/List_of_Oz_books) by [American](/source/United_States) author by [L. Frank Baum](/source/L._Frank_Baum).[1] She also appears several times in later Oz stories of the classic series and in literature written by authors other than Baum.

## Appearances

When [Dorothy Gale](/source/Dorothy_Gale), her pet dog [Toto](/source/Toto_(Oz)), the [Shaggy Man](/source/Shaggy_Man), and [Button-Bright](/source/List_of_Oz_characters_(created_by_Baum)#Button-Bright) first encounter Polychrome in the fifth chapter of *The Road to Oz*, she is seen dancing to keep herself warm, after accidentally sliding off her father's rainbow and landing on the surface of the Earth. (Her father withdrew his bow without realizing she had been left behind.) Polychrome is described as:

A little girl, radiant and beautiful, shapely as a fairy and exquisitely dressed.... She was clad in flowing, fluffy robes of soft material that reminded Dorothy of woven cobwebs, only it was colored in soft tintings of violet, rose, topaz, olive, azure, and white, mingled together most harmoniously in stripes which melted one into the other with soft blendings. Her hair was like spun gold and floated around her in a cloud, no strand being fastened or confined by either pin or ornament or ribbon.

In personality she is sweet and ethereal, a archetypical good fairy. She is very sensitive to cold and, while on Earth, often dances to keep warm. Polychrome states that she normally only consumes insubstantial foods such as dewdrops and mist. While on Earth, she can subsist on only minuscule morsels of human food. She is well known in the series for her daintiness and grace, and is considered to be an equal in beauty to [Princess Ozma](/source/Princess_Ozma) herself.

Polychrome is more a decorative than an active presence in *The Road to Oz*, but she makes positive contributions in her subsequent appearances in Baum's fictions. In *[Sky Island](/source/Sky_Island)* (1912), she provides the solution to the central characters' main problem.

In *[Tik-Tok of Oz](/source/Tik-Tok_of_Oz)* (1914), she summons the dragon Quox to rescue the captured Ozites from the [Nome King](/source/Nome_King) (The Nome King is dazzled by the beautiful fairy and begs her to remain in his underground realm, which she refuses).

In *[The Tin Woodman of Oz](/source/The_Tin_Woodman_of_Oz)* (1918), she rescues the rusted Captain Fyter the Tin Soldier by oiling his joints, just as Dorothy had done for the [Tin Woodman](/source/Tin_Woodman) in *[The Wonderful Wizard of Oz](/source/The_Wonderful_Wizard_of_Oz)* (1900), and she uses her magic to let the protagonists fit through a rabbit hole. She also restores [Tommy Kwikstep](/source/List_of_Oz_characters_(created_by_Baum)#Tommy_Kwikstep) to normal.

## Portrayals

Polychrome was played by Dolly Castles in the 1913 stage play, *[The Tik-Tok Man of Oz](/source/The_Tik-Tok_Man_of_Oz)* by Baum, [Louis F. Gottschalk](/source/Louis_F._Gottschalk), [Victor Schertzinger](/source/Victor_Schertzinger), and [Oliver Morosco](/source/Oliver_Morosco). In the play, she sings a duet with [Ruggedo](/source/Ruggedo) titled "When in Trouble Come to Papa".[2] [*[better source needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability#Questionable_sources)*]

Polychrome is portrayed by [Juanita Hansen](/source/Juanita_Hansen) in the silent film [*The Patchwork Girl of Oz* (1914)](/source/The_Patchwork_Girl_of_Oz_(film)), where she briefly appears as the bell-ringer of the Emerald City.

Polychrome has a cameo in the coronation sequence of the 1985 feature film *[Return to Oz](/source/Return_to_Oz)*. Though the role is an extra, Allen Eyles's *The World of Oz* features a production still crediting the role to Cherie Hawkins, who later served for a time on the staff of the theatre department at [University of Alaska Anchorage](/source/University_of_Alaska_Anchorage).

Polychrome makes guest appearances in the animated series *[The Oz Kids](/source/The_Oz_Kids)* and *[Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz](/source/Dorothy_and_the_Wizard_of_Oz)*.

## In works by other authors

Within the "canonical" Oz books, Polychrome appears in [Ruth Plumly Thompson](/source/Ruth_Plumly_Thompson)'s *[Grampa in Oz](/source/Grampa_in_Oz)* (1924) and *[The Purple Prince of Oz](/source/The_Purple_Prince_of_Oz)* (1932), [John R. Neill](/source/John_R._Neill)'s *[The Wonder City of Oz](/source/The_Wonder_City_of_Oz)* and *[Lucky Bucky in Oz](/source/Lucky_Bucky_in_Oz)*, and [Eric Shanower](/source/Eric_Shanower)'s *[The Giant Garden of Oz](/source/The_Giant_Garden_of_Oz)* (1993, accepted as canon by some sources). Her role in these stories is often that of a *[deus ex machina](/source/Deus_ex_machina)* who shows up to transport the main characters via Rainbow Bridge.

"Non-canonical" book appearances of Polychrome include *Dark Witch Rising: Rainbow's Emissary* by Mike LaMontagne, *Magician of Oz* and its sequels by James C. Wallace II, and *Polychrome: A Romantic Fantasy* by [Ryk E. Spoor](/source/Ryk_E._Spoor).

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** [Jack Snow](/source/Jack_Snow_(writer)), *Who's Who in Oz*, Chicago, Reilly & Lee, 1954; New York, Peter Bedrick Books, 1988; p. 163.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** [The Tik-Tok Man of Oz](https://web.archive.org/web/20060524201522/http://mywebpages.comcast.net/scottandrewh/tiktokman.htm)

- [Children's literature portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Children%27s_literature)

v t e The Wonderful Wizard of Oz L. Frank Baum Ruth Plumly Thompson John R. Neill Jack Snow Rachel Cosgrove Payes Eloise Jarvis McGraw Books Books by Baum The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) The Marvelous Land of Oz (1904) Ozma of Oz (1907) Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz (1908) The Road to Oz (1909) The Emerald City of Oz (1910) Little Wizard Stories of Oz (1913) The Patchwork Girl of Oz (1913) Tik-Tok of Oz (1914) The Scarecrow of Oz (1915) Rinkitink in Oz (1916) The Lost Princess of Oz (1917) The Tin Woodman of Oz (1918) The Magic of Oz (1919) Glinda of Oz (1920) by Thompson The Royal Book of Oz (1921) Kabumpo in Oz (1922) The Cowardly Lion of Oz (1923) Grampa in Oz (1924) The Lost King of Oz (1925) The Hungry Tiger of Oz (1926) The Gnome King of Oz (1927) The Giant Horse of Oz (1928) Jack Pumpkinhead of Oz (1929) The Yellow Knight of Oz (1930) Pirates in Oz (1931) The Purple Prince of Oz (1932) Ojo in Oz (1933) Speedy in Oz (1934) The Wishing Horse of Oz (1935) Captain Salt in Oz (1936) Handy Mandy in Oz (1937) The Silver Princess in Oz (1938) Ozoplaning with the Wizard of Oz (1939) Yankee in Oz (1972) The Enchanted Island of Oz (1976) by others The Wonder City of Oz (1940) The Scalawagons of Oz (1941) Lucky Bucky in Oz (1942) The Magical Mimics in Oz (1946) The Shaggy Man of Oz (1949) The Hidden Valley of Oz (1951) Merry Go Round in Oz (1963) The Forbidden Fountain of Oz (1980) The Ozmapolitan of Oz (1986) The Wicked Witch of Oz (1993) The Giant Garden of Oz (1993) The Runaway in Oz (1995) Paradox in Oz (1999) The Hidden Prince of Oz (2000) The Rundelstone of Oz (2001) The Emerald Wand of Oz (2005) Trouble Under Oz (2006) Characters Baum Aunt Em Billina Cowardly Lion Dorothy Gale Glass Cat Glinda Good Witch of the North Jack Pumpkinhead Jellia Jamb Jinjur John Dough Mombi Munchkins Nome King Pastoria Patchwork Girl Polychrome Princess Ozma Queen Lurline Scarecrow Shaggy Man Soldier with the Green Whiskers Tik-Tok Tin Woodman Toto Uncle Henry Wicked Witch of the East Wicked Witch of the West Winged monkeys Wizard of Oz Woggle-Bug Post-Baum Elphaba Madame Morrible Jinnicky the Red Jinn Kabumpo Peter Brown Elements Emerald City Gingham dress Land of Ev Land of Oz Merryland Ruby slippers Silver shoes "Surrender Dorothy" Yellow brick road Related The Magical Monarch of Mo (1899) Dot and Tot of Merryland (1901) The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus (1902) The Enchanted Island of Yew (1903) Queen Zixi of Ix (1904) John Dough and the Cherub (1906) The Sea Fairies (1911) Sky Island (1912) Copyright status Political interpretations Adaptations Stage The Wizard of Oz (1902) The Woggle-Bug (1905) The Tik-Tok Man of Oz (1913) The Wizard of Oz (1942) The Wiz (1974) The Marvelous Land of Oz (1981) The Wizard of Oz (1987) The Wizard of A.I.D.S. (1987) Twister (1994) Wicked: The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz (2003) The Wizard of Oz (2011) The Woodsman (2012) Films The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays (1908) The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1910) The Patchwork Girl of Oz (1914) The Magic Cloak of Oz (1914) His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz (1914) The Wizard of Oz (1925) The Wizard of Oz (1933) The Wizard of Oz (1939) The Wizard of Oz (1950) The Rainbow Road to Oz (unproduced) Return to Oz (1964, TV) The Wizard of Mars (1965) The Wonderful Land of Oz (1969) Ayşecik ve Sihirli Cüceler Rüyalar Ülkesinde (1971) Journey Back to Oz (1972) Oz (1976) The Wiz (1978) The Wizard of Oz (1982) Os Trapalhões e o Mágico de Oróz (1984) Return to Oz (1985) Dorothy Meets Ozma of Oz (1987) The Dreamer of Oz: The L. Frank Baum Story (1990) The Wizard of Oz in Concert: Dreams Come True (1995) Lion of Oz (2000) The Muppets' Wizard of Oz (2005) Apocalypse Oz (2006) After the Wizard (2011) Tom and Jerry and the Wizard of Oz (2011) Dorothy and the Witches of Oz (2012) Oz the Great and Powerful (2013) Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return (2014) OzLand (2014) Guardians of Oz (2015) The Wiz Live! (2015) Tom and Jerry: Back to Oz (2016) The Steam Engines of Oz (2018) Rainbow (2022) Wicked (2024) The Wizard of the Emerald City (2024) The Wizard of Oz at Sphere (2025) Wicked: For Good (2025) Gale: Yellow Brick Road (2026) Television Tales of the Wizard of Oz (1961) Off to See the Wizard (1967–68) The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1986–87) The Wizard of Oz (1990) The Wonderful Galaxy of Oz (1992–93) The Oz Kids (1996) Tin Man (2007) "Wizard of Odd" (2010) Once Upon a Time (2011–18) Lost in Oz (2015–18) Emerald City (2017) Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz (2017–20) "The Wicked Wiz of Oz: The Rusical!" (2025) Books The Wizard of the Emerald City (1939) A Barnstormer in Oz (1982) Mister Tinker in Oz (1985) Dorothy of Oz (1989) Sir Harold and the Gnome King (1991) Was (1992) Queen Ann in Oz (1993) The Magic Dishpan of Oz (1994) The Wicked Years Wicked (1995) Son of a Witch (2005) A Lion Among Men (2008) Out of Oz (2011) Visitors from Oz (1998) Oz Before the Rainbow (2000) The Unknown Witches of Oz (2000) Bloodstained Oz (2006) The Secret Order of the Gumm Street Girls (2006) Dorothy Must Die (2014) The Wicked Will Rise (2015) Comics Queer Visitors from the Marvelous Land of Oz (1904–05) Adventures in Oz (1986–92) The Enchanted Apples of Oz (1986) Oz Squad (1991) Lost Girls (1991–92) Dorothy (2004–07) The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (2005) Cheshire Crossing (2006–19) The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (2009) The Marvelous Land of Oz (2010) Games The Wizard of Oz (1985) The Wizard of Oz (1993) The Wizard of Oz: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road (2008) Emerald City Confidential (2009) Ripened Tingle's Balloon Trip of Love (2009) The Wizard of Oz (2010) The Wizard of Oz (2013) Music 1939 film The Wizard of Oz (1939 album) The Wizard of Oz (soundtrack) "Over the Rainbow" "Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead" "We're Off to See the Wizard" "If I Only Had a Brain" "The Merry Old Land of Oz" "If I Were King of the Forest" The Wiz The Wiz (original cast album) "Ease On down the Road" "A Brand New Day" a.k.a. "Everybody Rejoice" Wicked "The Wizard and I" "Popular" "Defying Gravity" "As Long as You're Mine" "No Good Deed" "For Good" Other The Wozard of Iz (1968) "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" (1973) Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973) Meco Plays The Wizard of Oz (1978) The Wizard of Oz: Live Australian Cast Recording (2001) Oz the Great and Powerful (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2013) Wicked: The Soundtrack (2024) Wicked: The Original Motion Picture Score (2024) Related Land of Oz Oz Park Oz-story Magazine The International Wizard of Oz Club The Baum Bugle The Oz Film Manufacturing Company Wizard of Oz festival Wizard of Oz Museum Category

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Polychrome (Oz)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polychrome_(Oz)) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polychrome_(Oz)?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.