Living being in The Oz Series
the Shaggy Man
A shaggy wandering stranger with shaggy clothes, boots full of holes, and shaggy hair and whiskers, but a twinkle in his eye, a sweet smile, and kind eyes; carries the Love Magnet so every living thing loves him.
Appears in 11 chapters, first in chapter 90, last in chapter 100.
This encyclopedia covers chapters 1 to 100 of the story and shows the world as it stands at chapter 100, so it contains spoilers up to that point. To read it spoiler free, one chapter at a time, open the interactive codex.
What the story establishes
| Affiliation | Self-appointed leader and protector of Dorothy's traveling party, guiding Polychrome, Button-Bright, and Toto through danger. (as of ch. 98) |
| Age | Adult man (has whiskers), contrasted with the little girl Dorothy. (as of ch. 90) |
| Appearance | His own head has been magically replaced by King Kik-a-bray with a brown, shaggy donkey head with long ears; he still wears his usual shaggy clothes and carries his belongings, and involuntarily brays 'hee-haw' at times. (as of ch. 96) |
| Being nature | An ordinary human man (a wandering stranger). |
| Body conditions | His own head has been replaced by a donkey's head (a brown, shaggy head with long ears) via King Kik-a-bray's magic staff; the change can only be undone by bathing in the Truth Pond. |
| Conflict | Saddled with an unwanted donkey head from King Kik-a-bray's one-way magic, which the King himself cannot undo; must find the Truth Pond somewhere in the Land of Oz and bathe in its water to get his own head back. (as of ch. 96) |
| Current goal | To find the Truth Pond in the Land of Oz and bathe in it to get his own head back, while continuing on toward the Emerald City with Dorothy's party. (as of ch. 96) |
| Dialogue style | Folksy, whimsical, and evasive; addresses Dorothy as 'miss,' deflects direct questions, and speaks in gently absurd, playful non-sequiturs. (as of ch. 90) |
| Equipment | Carries the Love Magnet (a horseshoe-shaped bit of dull brown metal) and apples; also uses a pocket-knife to cut and serve the turkey, and cuts switches from a roadside tree for himself and the party to manage the donkeys. (as of ch. 95) |
| Gender identity | man (as of ch. 90) |
| Health condition | Physically tough and resilient: takes repeated blows from thrown Scoodler heads without being bruised or seriously hurt. (as of ch. 99) |
| Is alive | yes (as of ch. 90) |
| Maturation stage | Adult |
| Motive | Wants everyone to love him (via the Love Magnet) and rejects money because he believes it makes people proud and haughty. (as of ch. 90) |
| Personality | Easygoing, whimsical and unruffled; philosophical about being lost, with a gentle pleasant humor. (as of ch. 90) |
| Quirks | Whimsically illogical and prone to droll complaints; now that King Kik-a-bray has magically given him a donkey's head, he can't help braying 'hee-haw' at odd moments, much to his own embarrassment. (as of ch. 96) |
| Referential profile | masculine (as of ch. 90) |
| Sex profile | male (as of ch. 90) |
| Skills | Skilled at quickly commanding and pacifying unruly animals; also a skilled catcher, having learned to play base-ball as a boy, which let him catch every head the Scoodlers hurled at him in rapid succession without missing one, tossing each into the gulf. (as of ch. 99) |
| Social status | A poor wandering stranger/vagabond, ragged and unknown in the region. (as of ch. 90) |
| Special capabilities | Carries the Love Magnet, which causes nearly every living creature he meets to instantly love him, including hostile fox-soldiers and King Dox himself. |
| Status | Now wearing a magically-bestowed donkey head courtesy of King Kik-a-bray; having been fed and lodged overnight in Dunkiton, he leaves the donkey city with Dorothy's party, walking at the rear, intending to find the Truth Pond in Oz to restore his own head. (as of ch. 96) |
Relationships
- member of ← Button-Bright ch. 91Found digging alone beside the seventh road and unable to tell his real name, home, or origin, the lost boy Button-Bright is taken in by the Shaggy Man, who decides someone ought to care for the poor little chap and that he should come along with them; the boy willingly joins the party as a dependent under the Shaggy Man's care.
- member of → road_to_oz_traveling_party ch. 90The Shaggy Man, having led Dorothy into the maze of roads while ostensibly seeking Butterfield, chooses the seventh road and sets off at the head of the newly formed traveling party.
- possesses → the Love Magnet ch. 90The shaggy man carries the Love Magnet, a dull brown horseshoe-shaped bit of metal wrapped in paper, which he says makes every living thing he meets love him dearly.
- possesses → sand-boat ch. 100Once Johnny Dooit finishes building the sand-boat, the shaggy man takes charge of it, declaring he only cares that it can carry the group across the desert, and Johnny instructs him to sail it himself.
- wields → the Love Magnet ch. 95The shaggy man holds the Love Magnet and, invoking the friend-love it grants him, recites a rhyme ('Dear Johnny Dooit, come to me. I need you bad as bad can be.') to summon his friend Johnny Dooit to help the group cross the desert.
- transforms ← King Kik-a-bray (ended) ch. 96Moved by the shaggy man's flattering speech and by the Love Magnet, King Kik-a-bray waves his jeweled staff and involuntarily transforms the shaggy man's head into a donkey's head, as what he considers a great gift.
- defeats → Scoodlers (ended) ch. 99As the Scoodlers throw their detachable heads at the fleeing prisoners, the shaggy man catches every head thrown at him and hurls each one into the black gulf, leaving the whole band of Scoodlers headless and helpless.
- recruits → Button-Bright (ended) ch. 91Seeing that the lost boy has no one to care for him, the Shaggy Man decides someone ought to look after him and proposes he come along with their traveling party.
- rescues → Button-Bright (ended) ch. 99The shaggy man carries Button-Bright on his shoulders during the escape because the boy's legs are too short to outrun the Scoodlers, getting him safely across the bridge.
- rescues → Dorothy (ended) ch. 99The shaggy man engineers the group's escape from the soup kettle, telling Dorothy to run for the cave entrance while he holds off the pursuing Scoodlers, saving her from being made into soup.
- rescues → Polychrome (ended) ch. 99The shaggy man directs Polychrome to flee for the cave entrance during the escape and then single-handedly holds off the pursuing Scoodlers so she can get away safely.
- imprisoned by → Scoodlers (ended) ch. 99The Shaggy Man is captured with the party and held prisoner in the Scoodlers' cave, singled out by the Queen (whom he vainly tries to flatter and reason with by means of the Love Magnet) as the largest source of soup; imprisoned in the store-room, he secretly empties a potato sack and plots the group's escape, later hurling every Scoodler head into the black gulf.
- used against ← Scoodlers (ended) ch. 98Angered when Shaggy Man throws a stone at them, two Scoodlers pluck their own detachable heads from their shoulders and hurl them at him with such force that he is knocked over.
- captures ← Scoodlers (ended) ch. 99After overwhelming him with thrown heads, the Scoodlers surround the shaggy man along with his companions and march him across the bridge into their cave as a prisoner destined for the soup kettle.
- communicates with → Dorothy (ended) ch. 90The shaggy man converses at length with Dorothy while she tries to show him the road, discussing being lost, apples, and the Love Magnet.
- communicates with → Johnny Dooit (ended) ch. 100The shaggy man greets Johnny Dooit, thanks him for coming so quickly, introduces him to Dorothy's group, and explains that they need help crossing the deadly desert to reach the Emerald City.
- communicates with ← Johnny Dooit (ended) ch. 100Johnny Dooit questions the shaggy man about his new donkey head, listens to his account of the journey, and then advises him that they must ride across the desert in a sand-boat that he will build.
- frees → road_to_oz_traveling_party (ended) ch. 99The shaggy man captures the guard's severed head in a sack, disables the headless guard, opens the storehouse door, and leads the whole party out of captivity and across the bridge to freedom.
- defies → Scoodlers (ended) ch. 98When the Scoodlers block the road to bar the group's escape, Shaggy Man refuses to be stopped, picks up a loose stone and throws it at them to force his way past.
- confronts ← Scoodlers (ended) ch. 98The Scoodlers surround Shaggy Man's group on the rocky road, declare they want the travelers for soup, and Shaggy Man challenges them, demanding to know who they are and what they want.
- uses → the Love Magnet (ended) ch. 100The shaggy man takes the Love Magnet from his pocket, unwraps it, and holds it while reciting a summoning rhyme, using it to call his friend Johnny Dooit to help the group cross the desert.
- communicates with → Allegro da Capo (ended) ch. 97The Shaggy Man repeatedly demands the musicker stop his ceaseless piping and asks him who he is.
- communicates with → Button-Bright (ended) ch. 91The Shaggy Man good-naturedly settles on calling the boy Button-Bright like his mama does, remarks that no one knows everything, and later jokes that he is just as clueless as Button-Bright about where the road leads.
- communicates with ← Dorothy (ended) ch. 100Dorothy tells the shaggy man that none of them can do magic and the Love Magnet won't help cross the desert, and the shaggy man reveals he can summon his friend Johnny Dooit, who can do anything, to help them.
- deceives → Dorothy (ended) ch. 90The shaggy man misleads Dorothy into believing he wants to travel to Butterfield, letting her take all the trouble of guiding him, when in truth he only wanted the road pointed out so he could avoid going there.
- reveals secret to → Dorothy (ended) ch. 90The shaggy man secretly shows Dorothy the Love Magnet, swearing her to silence, and explains its power to make every living thing love him.
- confronts → Dunkiton Donkeys (ended) ch. 95The shaggy man confronts the noisy donkeys, switching them into silence and sternly demanding to know why they are making such a racket.
- persuades → Dunkiton Donkeys (ended) ch. 95The shaggy man persuades the donkeys to treat the party courteously by declaring them important, distinguished travelers deserving proper consideration, which delights and wins over the donkeys.
- communicates with ← King Dox (ended) ch. 92King Dox questions the shaggy man about why they came to Foxville and what their business is.
- praises → King Kik-a-bray (ended) ch. 96The shaggy man delivers an elaborate, flattering speech calling King Kik-a-bray the cleverest king in all the world, which pleases the King greatly and, combined with the Love Magnet, prompts him to bestow the donkey-head 'gift.'
- communicates with → Polychrome (ended) ch. 94The shaggy man asks Polychrome how the Rainbow's Daughter came to be lost on the lonely road, and later cheerfully invites her to come along with the group.
- negotiates with → Queen of the Scoodlers (ended) ch. 99The shaggy man politely petitions the Queen to spare the group from becoming soup, invoking his ownership of the Love Magnet as a reason she should let them go, but she refuses and insists on eating them anyway.
- uses → the Love Magnet (ended) ch. 98Feeling the Love Magnet in his pocket, Shaggy Man draws confidence from it and asks the threatening Scoodlers directly whether they love him, banking on its magic to protect him and his friends.
- expresses love ← Button-Bright (ended) ch. 92Button-Bright, affected by the Love Magnet, loves the shaggy man at once and willingly takes his hand.
- shows respect ← Dunkiton Donkeys (ended) ch. 95Delighted by the shaggy man's grand words about being distinguished travelers, the donkeys bow to him with great respect.
- located in → Kansas (ended) ch. 90–92The shaggy man arrives at Dorothy's Kansas farm asking the road to Butterfield, then wanders with her into the ten-acre lot and pasture around the farm.
- communicates with → King Dox (ended) ch. 93The shaggy man converses with King Dox, defending Aesop's fables and remarking that he himself may not be civilized.
- expresses love ← King Dox (ended) ch. 92Unaware of the Love Magnet, King Dox instantly and inexplicably comes to love the shaggy man upon meeting him.
- communicates with → the fox-captain (ended) ch. 92After being captured, the shaggy man greets the fox-captain politely and asks after his health and family.
- expresses love ← the fox-captain (ended) ch. 92Affected by the Love Magnet, the fox-captain's sharp manner instantly softens into warmth and affection toward the shaggy man.
- warns ← the fox-captain (ended) ch. 93The fox-captain tells the shaggy man not to be afraid of the beasts in the next village, while withholding details about what they are.
- uses → the Love Magnet (ended) ch. 99The shaggy man invokes his ownership of the Love Magnet when pleading with the Scoodler Queen, telling her that whoever meets him must love him and his friends.
- protects → Button-Bright (ended) ch. 92The shaggy man keeps a firm grip on Button-Bright's hand, keeping the gawking boy from stumbling and falling as they are marched through Foxville.
- gives → Button-Bright (ended) ch. 98Shaggy Man divides his two saved apples into four pieces and gives Button-Bright his portion, which the boy is glad to receive.
- communicates with ← Button-Bright (ended) ch. 96Button-Bright crossly tells the shaggy man to stop braying 'hee-haw' after his donkey head sounds off at daybreak.
- communicates with ← Dorothy (ended) ch. 96Dorothy comforts and gently teases the shaggy man about his new donkey head, reassuring him they will find the Truth Pond once they reach the Land of Oz.
- gives → Dorothy (ended) ch. 98With no lunch available but two apples he had saved from breakfast, Shaggy Man divides them into four pieces and gives Dorothy her portion.
- gives ← King Dox (ended) ch. 93King Dox has a luncheon packed for the travelers, which the shaggy man takes and pockets for their onward journey.
- gives → Polychrome (ended) ch. 98Shaggy Man gives Polychrome her share of the divided apples, though she is satisfied with only a small bite of hers.
- communicates with ← Polychrome (ended) ch. 96Polychrome asks the shaggy man to stop saying 'hee-haw' because it gives her cold chills, and he apologizes, explaining his new donkey head makes him want to bray continually.
- injures ← Toto (ended) ch. 90Toto bites the shaggy man's finger inside his coat pocket, a minor nip that makes him jerk his hand out and cry 'Oh!' (also earlier making a dive for his leg).
- uses → Toto (ended) ch. 90The shaggy man stuffs Toto into his coat pocket along with the apples, claiming he brought the dog to guard the apples so no one would steal them.
From the text
All I want is to have people love me; and as long as I own the Love Magnet, everyone I meet is sure to love me dearly.Chapter 90
His clothes were shaggy, his boots were shaggy and full of holes, and his hair and whiskers were shaggy. But his smile was sweet and his eyes were kind.Chapter 90
"It's no use asking Button-Bright questions," said the shaggy man, who had been eating another apple; "but someone ought to take care of the poor little chap, don't you think? So he'd better come along with us."Chapter 91
"Good afternoon, captain," he said, bowing politely to all the foxes and very low to their commander. "I trust you are in good health, and that your families are all well?"Chapter 92
"I think we ought to be going now," said the shaggy man, uneasily, for he didn't know what the King might take into his head to do next.Chapter 93
"as long as I carry the Love Magnet every living thing will love me, and you may be sure I shan't allow any of my friends to be harmed in any way."Chapter 95
See the Shaggy Man chapter by chapter in the interactive codex →