John Dough

John Dough was a common name for a gingerbread man at the turn of the century, though the best-remembered John Dough is that created by L. Frank Baum, primarily for his cameo appearance in "The Road to Oz", but his most significant appearance was in Baum's 1906 novel, "John Dough and the Cherub". If the fragment known as "An Oz Book" is genuine, Baum may have intended to include John Dough in his fifteenth Oz book has he lived to write it.

Fictional character biography

John Dough was a life sized gingerbread man baked for a celebration of Independence Day brought to life by a mad Arab's elixir. Much of the book deals with the Arab's attempts to eat John Dough, for the elixir, which he had intended to drink to become immortal, was accidentally mixed into the batter that made him. John is carried off in a rocket and lands at the Isle of Phreex, a Jonathan Swift-like asylum for human oddities. There, he befriends Chick the Cherub, the world's first incubator baby, whose gender is never specified. Eventually the two are forced to escape along with Para Bruin, the Rubber Bear, and they visit the constant theatre of the Valley of Romance, the Fairy Beavers of Ev, and others, all while John tries to avoid being eaten.

John Dough loses his coat-tails to birds but manages to keep his body intact. He ultimately sacrifices his hand to save a dying princess.

At the end of the novel, he is made the King of Hiland and Loland, an island dual country, and Chick becomes his Grand Booleywag, who rules the ruler. John fulfills a prophecy that will end the warring between the kingdoms and establishes the capital city of HiLo. One of the Los bakes him a new hand, and he passes a law against the eating of gingerbread more than two days old.

Both John and Chick are seen in the processional for Princess Ozma's birthday party in "The Road to Oz".

In "An Oz Book", a boy named Ahd claims to have come from HiLo through an underground tunnel that leads to a large lake in the Emerald City.

Adaptations

A. Baldwin Sloane, who had contributed to "The Wizard of Oz" wrote a musical called "The Gingerbread Man" around 1906. The main character was named John Dough and sings a song of that title, but had nothing to do with Baum's character, and had no particular qualms about being eaten.

Joseph Schrode played John Dough in "The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays". It is unknown who played the role in the lost 1910 film, "John Dough and the Cherub".

2007. There is a new John Dough on the horizon. John Dough the TV Pilot / Series, kind of a Bourne Supremacy but patisserie & baking related. The first Television sitcom to mesh fiction with food. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_MrVwFfo9sby Action Productions Australia.