Early works (1902–1933) While the 1939 film is the most well known adaptation (see section below), it was not the first outside work to show the Munchkins in film or musical format. One of the first musical adaptations of Baum's books took place in 1902; it was also dubbed
The Wizard of Oz. The Munchkins make their appearance in act one, called "The Storm", in which they are shown dancing around their
maypole, not noticing that Dorothy's house has fallen to earth killing the Wicked Witch of the East. The first film adaptation of Baum's works, titled
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, was released in 1910, followed by three sequels. However, it was not until 1914 that Munchkin characters first appeared in film works.
Ojo the Lucky and
Unc Nunkie both appear in a film titled
The Patchwork Girl of Oz (based on the book of the same name). This film stars American actress
Violet MacMillan as Ojo and was produced by
Baum.
1939 film ''. L–R: Jackie Gerlich, Jerry Maren, and Harry Doll. The 1939 movie musical
The Wizard of Oz was loosely based on Baum's novel. Notable differences of the Munchkins include their country name of
Munchkinland and their clothes of many colors instead of an all-blue attire. In the musical, the Munchkins are portrayed by the thirty-odd members of the
Singer Midgets, a European performing troupe made up of adult actors with
dwarfism. Their numbers were swelled when a national talent search brought in a further ninety-four little men, women, and teenagers, with a few average-sized children were also included as background extras in order to make up the 124 characters requested by
MGM. In the musical, the Munchkins first appear when Dorothy and Toto arrive in the Land of Oz after her house lands on the
Wicked Witch of the East. The Munchkins hide from all the commotion until Glinda the Good Witch arrives reassuring them that everything is okay. Dorothy tells them how she arrived in the Land of Oz (through a
musical number) and the Munchkins celebrate. To make it official, a Barrister and a number of City Fathers insist to the Mayor of the Munchkin City that they must make sure that the Wicked Witch of the East is really dead before the celebration continues. The Coroner confirms this by saying that the witch is "not only merely dead" but is indeed "most sincerely dead" while showing a
Certificate of Death. The Munchkins then celebrate further as Dorothy receives gifts from the "Lullaby League" and the "Lollipop Guild". Near the end of the song, the
Wicked Witch of the West arrives, which causes the Munchkins to panic. After the Wicked Witch of the West leaves, Glinda tells Dorothy to follow the
yellow brick road to the
Emerald City as the Munchkins guide her out of Munchkinland. The Munchkin actors have since not avoided controversy with alleged behavior behind the scenes. In a 1967 interview,
Judy Garland referred to all of the Munchkins as "little drunks" who got intoxicated every night to the point where they had to be picked up in "butterfly nets". These accusations were denied as fabrications by Munchkin
Margaret Pellegrini, who said only "a couple of kids from Germany even drank beer". On 20 November 2007, the Munchkins were given a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame. Seven of the surviving Munchkin actors from the film were present. As a result of the popularity of the 1939 film, the word "munchkin" has entered the English language as a reference to small children, persons with dwarfism, or anything of diminutive stature.
Actors and actresses The following is a list of actors who portrayed the Munchkins in the 1939 film. Most of the dwarfs hired were acquired for MGM by
Leo Singer, the proprietor of
Singer's Midgets. A
Daily Variety news story from 17 August 1938, stated 124 dwarves had been signed to play Munchkins; modern sources place the number either at 122 or 124. An additional dozen or so child actors were hired to make up for the shortage of dwarves. Only two actors (Joseph Koziel and Frank Cucksey) used their actual voices for the dialogue exchanged with Dorothy where she is given the flowers. The rest of the voices, such as the "Munchkin chorus", were created by
Pinto Colvig and
Billy Bletcher with their voices recorded at a slow speed, which were subsequently sped-up when played back. In 1989, author
Stephen Cox researched, found, and wrote about the surviving Munchkin actors fifty years after they made the film. He wrote about them in his book,
The Munchkins Remember (1989, E.P. Dutton), which was later revised as
The Munchkins of Oz (Cumberland House), and his book remained in print for nearly two decades. When he wrote the book, 33 of the actors with dwarfism who appeared in the film were still alive and were interviewed. Several of them outlived all the major cast, as well as the original Tin Man
Buddy Ebsen.
Jerry Maren, who played the green "Lollipop Guild" member, was the last living adult Munchkin actor. Maren was the only Munchkin alive when the film's longest living cast member,
Shep Houghton, an extra, died in 2016. :
Notes: Some of the information presented in the table below may never be complete as Social Security records remain sparse prior to the mid-twentieth century. Other factors such as immigration and foreign citizenship also add to this difficulty. Stage names and/or aliases are present in italics and quotation marks. Child actresses About a dozen children of average height were hired so they could be used for background fill. Sources differ on the number of children used for these roles ranging anywhere from 10 to 12. The names used for the women are
maiden names with known aliases present in italics and quotation marks. Priscilla Ann Montgomery Clark is the earliest born of the Munchkins listed below and the final living Munchkin actress.
Later works (1940–1989) The 1939 film was adapted into a musical that was released in 1942 that includes the Munchkin characters. The events that take place mirror the film including the song "
Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead". Twenty-seven years later an animated film called
The Wonderful Land of Oz was made featuring
Jinjur as a main antagonist.
Other works • The Munchkins appeared in
The Wiz and were played by children and teenagers. (1978) • The Munchkins appear at the end of
Return to Oz. They are seen celebrating Dorothy's return after defeating the
Nome King and are present at Princess Ozma's coronation. Tommy Kwikstep was also seen there. (1985) • In ''
The Muppets' Wizard of Oz'', the Munchkins were played by Rizzo the Rat (as the "Mayor of Munchkinland") and his fellow rats, allowing them to also pull double duty as the Field Mice that rescue Dorothy from the poppies. (2005) • The Munchkins appeared in
Dorothy and the Witches of Oz. The Munchkins were first seen in the battle against the Wicked Witch of the West's forces in Oz. They were later brought to Earth by Glinda in order to combat the forces of the Wicked Witch of the West. (2012) • The Munchkins appear in
Oz the Great and Powerful. They alongside the
Quadlings and the Tinkers as inhabitants of Glinda's protectorate. Although the film is not otherwise a musical, the Munchkins sing and dance much as they do in the 1939 film. (2013) • The Munchkins appear in
Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz with the "Mayor of Munchkinland" voiced by
Bill Fagerbakke and the background Munchkins voiced by
Steven Blum and
Jessica DiCicco. Ojo, Dr. Pipt, the Lollipop Guild, and the Lullaby League are also featured. Also, Smith & Tinker are depicted as Munchkins in this show. • The Munchkins appear as a culture of farmers in
Wicked. Director
Jon M. Chu decided to cast people closer to the book's original description being about as tall as Dorothy, rather than the 1939 film's cast of much shorter Munchkins. The main Munchkin character in this story, Boq Woodsman, is played by
Ethan Slater who stands at 5'7". Chu also chose to focus more on their culture than their physical appearance. == Explanatory notes==