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Winged Monkeys (often referred to as '''flying monkeys''') are characters from '' The Wizard Of Oz '', of enough impact between the books and the 1939 Movie to have taken their own place in pop culture, regularly referenced in comedic or ironic situations as a source of evil or fear. In the original Oz Novels , these were just what the name implies, monkeys (albeit intelligent) with wings, and were controlled by a golden hat, initially worn by the Wicked Witch of the West and used to set the monkeys upon Dorothy and her friends. At one point they destroy the scarecrow entirely, leaving him scattered across the landscape. POLITICAL INTERPRETATIONS See Also: Political interpretations of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Some historians who interpret ''The Wizard of Oz'' as a political allegory suggest the Winged Monkeys represent African-Americans, oppressed by an overbearing force and who are relieved to be free of that bondage when the evil force is terminated. Others see them as hired Pinkerton Agents who worked for the Trusts in the 1890s and hounded labor unions. REFERENCES IN POP CULTURE Flying monkeys have appeared in '' Buffy The Vampire Slayer '', '' The Simpsons '', and the 1973 movie '' Hunter '', in which actual footage from the Wizard of Oz movie is used to brainwash a race-car driver, terrorizing him until he screamed the now-famous line "Stop the monkeys! PLEASE Stop the monkeys!" The Wayne's World Catch-phrase "when monkeys fly out of my butt" seems to be a reference, at least incidentally, to the winged monkeys. In '' and '' Son Of A Witch '', the flying monkeys were created by Elphaba (the Witch) as part of her experiments on the nature of the soul and what distinguishes non-speaking animals from intelligent, speaking Animals. In these novels, most of the flying monkeys cannot speak, but Elphaba's favorite (named Chistery) has a distinctive speech pattern characterized by the repetition of similar-sounding words. In the Musical Adaptation , the monkeys gain wings as part of a magic spell gone awry. The Vertigo comic book series '' Fables '' features a flying monkey named Bufkin, who may be a survivor of a conquered Land Of Oz . In the movie '' Jumanji '', monkeys see inside a TV shop on a television the winged monkeys from the Wizard of Oz, so they break inside the shop and steal TV sets. In Todd McFarlane 's action figure line "The Twisted Land of Oz," two flying monkey action figures (with a bloated Munchkin) are available as part of the "Collector's Club." According to the accompanying story, they are the Wizard's minions, transformed into Steampunk cyborgs due to "Ozmic power." |
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