Novels • In the 1998 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 1995 revisionist novel
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West and its 2005 sequel
Son of a Witch. In the book, the
Wicked Witch of the East – the alias of Nessarose Thropp – 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 (presumably Nimmie Amee) 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
Oz Squad, Nick was shown in a sexual relationship with "Rebecca Eastwitch" in order to get closer to Nimmie Amee and attempt to elope with her. • A darker twist to the Tin Woodman is made by author
James A. Owen in
The Shadow Dragons, the fourth installment of his series
The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica, when his identity is revealed to be
Roger Bacon. • The Tin Woodman appears as a major antagonist in Danielle Paige's
Dorothy Must Die novel series. In this series, Dorothy and her friends have been corrupted by Dorothy's use of magic and the 'magic' in the gifts they received from the Wizard, with the Tin Woodman now driven by a twisted 'love' for Dorothy that is nevertheless unrequited. He is described as possessing a more twisted appearance, with his legs compared to horses' legs and his hands possessing knives for fingers. At the conclusion of the first novel, series protagonist Amy Gumm cuts out his heart, having been informed by the Wizard that she must take the gifts of Dorothy's companions to kill Dorothy herself.
Television • In the 1961 animated TV series,
Tales of the Wizard of Oz and its sequel, the 1964 NBC animated
television special Return to Oz, the Tin Man (here named Rusty) was voiced by
Larry D. Mann. • In the 1970s, the Tin Woodman appeared in a series of short animated educational films about heart health from Joleron Productions. • In an episode of ''
The World's Greatest Super Friends'',
Superman temporarily became the Tin Man after a tornado took him,
Wonder Woman, and
Aquaman to
Mister Mxyzptlk's planet of Oz. • In a 1981 episode of
Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo,
Scrappy is dressed as the Tin Man after a tornado took him,
Shaggy, and
Scooby to "Ahz", a direct spoof of Oz with a different spelling by its enunciation. • The Tin Woodman appears in the
Once Upon a Time episode "
Where Bluebirds Fly", portrayed by Austin Obiajunwa as a teenager and by
Alex Désert as an adult. In this version, he goes by the name
Stanum (derived from the
Latin word "
stannum", which means "tin"). Since youth, Stanum has been a
woodcutter and one day when he first met Zelena, the daughter of another woodsman, he finds out that Zelena has magic and befriends her, regardless of whatever the children say about Zelena, who they see as a freak. Many years later, Stanum, now a man, is punished by the Wicked Witch of the North for chopping down a tree in her domain, and his body slowly begins to transform into tin. To prevent himself from completely becoming tin, Stanum seeks out help from Zelena (now the Wicked Witch of the West) at the Emerald City of Oz. Zelena agrees to help him seek out the Crimson Heart, which can save him. During their quest, Stanum tells Zelena that she does not have to be lonely but she is doing her best to deny his advice. Suddenly, a lion comes of nowhere to attack Stanum, and Zelena uses her magic to make the lion go away (at this point the lion has become as Zelena would put it, cowardly). When they finally arrived to the location of the Crimson Heart, the two learned that the only way to make it work is through the absorption of another person's magic. Unfortunately Zelena's actions and selfish greed for magic causes her to betray Stanum, whom she suspect was aligned with Dorothy by keeping the Crimson Heart for herself, leaving Stanum to transform into the Tin Man permanently. Some time later, when
Robin Hood arrives in Oz in the episode "
Heart of Gold", the Tin Man is seen on the side of the Yellow Brick Road, torn apart. • In 1996, they made a cartoon animated
The Oz Kids. The Tin Man rules the Winkie Country, west of Emerald City and has a son named Tin Boy. Like his father, he can cut wood with his axe and he has to be careful with water and snow or he'll rust. He is voiced by Steve Stoliar. • James Kall portrayed the Tin Man in the 2001 ABC miniseries
Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows. • Hiroki Tsujiai from
Ultra Maniac dresses as the Tin Man in the costume party. • In the TV series
Emerald City, the Tin Woodman equivalent is Jack (
Gerran Howell), a friend of the enigmatic Tip, who helps 'him' escape from his imprisonment by a witch. When it is revealed that Tip is actually a girl whose true identity was suppressed by a potion, her strained emotional state causes her to push Jack over a balcony after he kisses her. Jack is subsequently found and rebuilt by scientists in a cyborg-like state; his head and right arm are still organic, but his heart and the rest of his body has been replaced or covered by mechanical armour. • Although not a direct adaptation to the literature itself, the 2013
Super Sentai series,
Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger features the
Deboth Army's members being themed after the characters in
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Sorrowful Knight
Aigallon is designed with the motif of the Tin Man, whose crush on Canderrilla in the series is based on his source of inspiration's desire for a heart. In
Power Rangers Dino Charge, he was adapted as
Wrench. • Tin Man appears in
Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz, voiced by
J. P. Karliak.
Stage and screen • In 1902, Baum helped to adapt
The Wizard of Oz into a wildly successful
stage extravaganza. David C. Montgomery played the Tin Woodman, Niccolo Chopper (who played the
piccolo), opposite
Fred Stone as the Scarecrow, and the team became headliners. The piccolo would continue to appear in early adaptations, such as the
1910 film, but was largely forgotten, and the name "Niccolo" never appeared in any of the books. Revisionist books like
Oz Squad have referred to him as "Nicholas," a name not found in the books, either. '' • In the 1939 film
The Wizard of Oz, the Tin Man was played by
Jack Haley. The role was initially intended for
Ray Bolger, who traded it to
Buddy Ebsen for the part of the Scarecrow. While this switch pleased Bolger, it proved disastrous for Ebsen; the Tin Man's makeup originally contained
aluminum powder that infiltrated Ebsen's lungs and caused an allergic reaction, forcing him to give up the role. Ironically, despite his near-fatal experience, Ebsen outlived every major cast member, dying in 2003. Haley based his breathy speaking style in the film on the voice he used for telling his son bedtime stories. His portrayal of the character is by far the most famous. While the film does not give the Tin Man a backstory, his line "The tinsmith forgot to give me a heart" implies that he was always made of tin. Unlike the costumes of the Scarecrow (in the
National Museum of American History) and the Cowardly Lion (two sets in private hands), the Tin Man's costume was "largely destroyed". Haley also portrayed the Tin Man's Kansas counterpart, Hickory (one of
Aunt Em and
Uncle Henry's
farmworkers). Screenwriter
Noel Langley created this character for the film. Hickory helps Zeke (Lion's alter ego) lower a bed into its place on a wagon at the farm. Unlike Zeke, Hickory and Hunk (Scarecrow's alter ego) lose their hats with Henry as they struggle to open the
cellar when the tornado approaches the farm. He reunites with Dorothy when she awakes from being unconscious. Hickory is seen with Em, Henry, Zeke, and Hunk as well as Professor Marvel (The Wizard's alter ego). • In the original Broadway version of
The Wiz,
Tiger Haynes played the Tinman as the name was altered, a human woodcutter who became tin after the Wicked Witch of the East cursed his axe to chop him up (as in the book).
Nipsey Russell played the Tinman in the film adaptation of
The Wiz. In this version, the Tinman was never human, but was created as a mechanical man (thus having more in common with the Oz character
Tik-Tok the Clockwork Man). A reference is made to the "genius who created me". He worked as the carnival
barker and song-and-dance man. When the park was closed, he was abandoned, rusted and squeezed by his fourth wife, "Teeny" (a heavy tin sculpture of a fat lady). He was saved by Dorothy and the Scarecrow.
Ne-Yo played the Tinman in the TV special
The Wiz Live!. This version portrayed him as a
construction worker on whom the Wicked Witch of the East developed an unrequited crush. When she found out he already had a girlfriend, "Bertha", she became so jealous, she turned him into a heartless tinman. The Witch boasted afterward that if she could not have his heart, then no one could. Like Jack Haley in the 1939 movie, Ne-Yo also played one of Aunt Em's farmhands - John, who walks with a
metal leg brace. • Other notable actors who have played the Tin Woodman include
Oliver Hardy in the 1925 silent film
The Wizard of Oz directed by and starring
Larry Semon, in which a villainous farmhand briefly fell into a tin pile and emerged as a "Tin Woodsman" [sic]. In subsequent scenes the tin was removed and he became "Knight of the Garter". In the 1960
television adaptation of
The Land of Oz, he was played by
vaudeville comedian Gil Lamb; in the 1969 film,
The Wonderful Land of Oz he was played by Al Joseph; and in the 1985 film
Return to Oz, he was played by
Deep Roy, a
little person who was able to fit inside a costume that looked nearly identical to John R. Neill's artwork. • In 1985, the Tin Woodman appeared in the educational film
Act on Arthritis as well as in promotional commercials. •
Roger Daltrey portrayed this character in the 1995 television stage performance
The Wizard of Oz in Concert: Dreams Come True. The Kansas farmworker Hickory does not appear in this production. Daltrey performed a rock and roll tempo of "If I Only Had a Heart" in which he swung his microphone mimicking his
Who persona. He also performed the bridge verses sung by the Tin Man in
Nathan Lane's long version of "If I Only Had the Nerve". Toward the end, he hugged the Wizard (
Joel Grey) saying to him "Thank you from the bottom of my heart!". • In the
Wicked musical theatre adaptation, the Tin Man is a
composite character with
Boq, a minor character from
L. Frank Baum's
original Wizard of Oz novel as well as Maguire's
Wicked. Boq is a
Munchkin attending Shiz University who is infatuated with
Glinda, but since Glinda herself is infatuated with
Fiyero, she instead sets him up with Nessarose. Years later, Boq is a personal servant to a now-Governor Nessarose, who has stripped the Munchkins' rights to keep Boq from leaving her. During a visit from
Elphaba (the
Wicked Witch of the West), Nessarose gains the ability to walk upright after her shoes are enchanted, and Boq is convinced to leave so he may confess his feelings to Glinda before she marries Fiyero. Enraged, Nessarose attempts to perform a spell from the Grimmerie to make Boq "lose his heart" to her, but her mispronunciations cause Boq's heart to slowly shrink. To save his life, Elphaba intervenes with another spell that transforms Boq into the Tin Woodman. Not understanding her reasons, he pursues Elphaba with a single-minded vengeance for his current form. • Boq/The Tin Man appears in the musical's two-part film adaptation,
Wicked (2024) and
Wicked: For Good (2025), portrayed by
Ethan Slater. In reference to the character's fate, his surname is made "Woodsman". • The
Muppet Gonzo plays a similar role, the Tin Thing, in
2005's television film ''
The Muppets' Wizard of Oz''. In this version, he is the Wicked Witch's research assistant, transformed into a
robot to prevent him wanting a day off to marry
Camilla. Gonzo's other role is himself. He appears at the end of this film in the Muppets' show. • In 2006, the Tin Man was the protagonist in a pair of
television commercials for
Chef Boyardee ravioli, in a costume identical to the design used in the 1939
Oz film. In the commercials, the Tin Man (played by 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 torso; thus, he appears to be a 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 and a teacher. 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. • In 2006, the Chicago Under Ground Film Festival premiered Lee Lynch’s feature film titled
Transposition of the Great Vessels, based on the story of his own parents, who moved from Redding to Los Angeles, in hopes of making a better life. His father wanted to work for the forest service, and his mother wanted to be a cook, but their baby was born with a rare heart condition. They were forced to give up those dreams, and make choices that would give them insurance and stability. A naturalist movie interspersed with dream sequences, the “Tin Woodman” makes an appearance while on his deathbed. • At
Sundance of 2007, a film premiered by young director
Ray Tintori entitled
Death to the Tinman. It is a somewhat modernized retelling that takes place at sometime in the 1900s, in the town Verton, rather than Oz. The book of the same name, which tells the origins of the character, is cited by opening intertitles as the source. Although the basic premise is nearly identical, much of the details and all names and locations have been changed. This is partially due to the film's satirical look at criminal reenactments, as it states at the beginning that names "have been changed to protect the innocent." Perhaps the most interesting change that story makes, though, is the origin of the curse upon the Tinman's Axe, which is changed from being the Witch to being a curse from God. This film won a short filmmaking award at Sundance. • A 2007 CG animated short film called "After Oz", produced by the film students at
Vancouver Film School, centered on a stylized version of the Tin Man, after he has received his heart from Oz. The movie shows him moving through a colorful Oz city with his brand-new mechanical heart, before meeting a reddish female Tin Woman (or robot?) to whom he gives the heart. She proceeds to cruelly play with the heart. • An internet-collaboration, CG animated feature based on Baum's book
The Tin Woodman of Oz was produced by A:M Films, and completed in 2009. • In 2010, Whitestone Motion Pictures produced a 23-minute live-action short film,
Heartless: The Story of the Tin Man. The film is based on the book
The Tin Woodman of Oz, where Woot the Wanderer visits the Tin Man and asks how he came to be made of tin. In the film, the Tin Man appears to be more steam- or coal-powered. His chest cavity is covered by a door which reads "Pedudoe Tin Co." but this is a reference to the workings of the film company, and not a reference to any Oz book or material. The movie was made available for free viewing online and free downloading of its soundtrack. • In the 2013 prequel,
Oz the Great and Powerful, although the Tin Woodman does not physically appear, the film introduces his creator, the Master Tinker, portrayed by
Bill Cobbs. • The Tin Man appears in
Dorothy and the Witches of Oz played by Jordan Turnage. He appears in the form of a man named Nick (played by
Billy Boyd). • Tin Man appears in the animated film ''
Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return (which is based on Dorothy of Oz''), voiced by
Kelsey Grammer. • In the 2011 direct-to-DVD animated film
Tom and Jerry and the Wizard of Oz, the Tin Man was voiced by
Rob Paulsen. •
The Woodsman, a 2012 stage play by
James Ortiz, tells the backstory of the Tin Man, using puppetry, movement, and music. • Tin Man appears in
The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part. Alongside Dorothy and the rest of her friends, Tin Man is transported from the Land of Oz to Harmony Town in the Systar System. He later attends the wedding of
Batman and Queen Watevra Wa'Nabi.
Video games • The Tin Man appears as an enemy in the 1997 video game,
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night along with the Scarecrow and the Lion. • Tin Man appears in
Lego Dimensions, voiced by
Dave B. Mitchell. • In the game
Code Name: S.T.E.A.M., Tin Man, along with other Oz characters, is a playable character. His design is more based on Japanese culture and he has the ability to give steam to allies. ==Modern works==