Mechanical automaton in The Oz Series

Tiktok

Also known as the copper man, the clock-work man, Smith & Tinker's Mechanical Man, the copper fingers, Mr. Tiktok, a copper statue, the slave, Tik-tok the Machine Man.

A copper mechanical man, only about as tall as Dorothy, with a round ball-shaped body; a Smith & Tinker wind-up automaton with separate wound-up mechanisms for voice, action, and thinking, wound by a clock-key at the back of his neck. He runs down and freezes motionless when insufficiently wound, but runs at least twenty-four hours when fully wound. He is built of solid material, is the only automatic mechanical man Smith & Tinker ever completed, and is so complicated that no one now living can repair him.

Appears in 20 chapters, first in chapter 52, last in chapter 89.

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

Construction material	Burnished copper body, head, and limbs (jointed with metal caps over the joints), fitted internally with Smith & Tinker's Improved Combination Steel Brains.
Functional attachments	Three separately wound clockwork mechanisms (No. 1 thinking under the left arm, No. 2 speaking under the right arm, No. 3 walking/action in the middle of the back), operated by a detachable clock-key kept on a peg at the back of his neck; also Smith & Tinker's Improved Combination Steel Brains. He has no alarm/striking mechanism.
Is minded	yes
Manufacturer account	Manufactured by the firm of Smith & Tinker at their works in the town of Evna, Land of Ev; he is the only automatic mechanical man they ever completed. Both makers are now gone: Mr. Smith (an artist as well as inventor) drowned falling into a river he had painted, and Mr. Tinker climbed a ladder to the moon and stayed there.
Power source	Wind-up clockwork, driven by three separately wound mechanisms (thinking, speaking, walking/action) turned with a clock-key; each winding lasts a limited time before running down.

Relationships

provides service → Dorothy ch. 52
Once wound, Tiktok pledges himself as Dorothy's obedient servant. He rejoins her party for the trip from Ev to Oz, where Dorothy winds his machinery for the journey, but when she leaves for Australia she leaves him behind in Ozma's care rather than bring him into the ordinary world.
oath bound → Dorothy ch. 52
Tiktok kneels and vows to be Dorothy's obedient servant from this time forth, doing whatever she commands so long as she keeps him wound up; fulfillment_status: pending.
advises → Ozma ch. 59
Tiktok repeatedly coaches Ozma on how to deal with the Nome King, telling her she cannot command him since she does not rule him, and that if requesting his appearance fails she should try entreaty instead, while also assuring her the Nome King is honest and can be trusted to do right.
created by → Smith & Tinker ch. 52
Tiktok is a patent clock-work mechanical man built by Smith & Tinker, as declared on the printed maker's card fastened at the back of his neck.
possesses ← Dorothy ch. 86
Tik-tok the clockwork copper man belongs to Dorothy, who winds him up for the procession, though she has left him in Ozma's care since he is useless outside a fairy country.
enslaves ← Evoldo ch. 52
After buying Tiktok, King Evoldo held him as a beaten servant, repeatedly striking him as he did his other servants, though the beatings could not harm the copper machine.
guardian of ← Ozma ch. 69
Dorothy leaves Tiktok behind in Ozma's care rather than bringing him to Australia, since he would not do for a servant in a civilized country and his machinery might not work there.
includes ← ozma_rescue_expedition ch. 57
Tiktok marches beside the Tin Woodman as part of the expedition, joining because he is Dorothy's slave and goes wherever she goes.
originated from → Evna ch. 52
Tiktok was manufactured at Smith & Tinker's works at Evna in the Land of Ev, per the maker's card fastened to him.
frees ← Dorothy (ended) ch. 52
Dorothy unlocks the rock door with the golden key and winds up Tiktok, freeing the copper man from his long imprisonment inside the sealed chamber.
frees ← Billina (ended) ch. 64
Billina, aided by Ozma, finds the golden ornament that is Tiktok's transformed shape and restores the machine man to his working form.
discovers ← Dorothy (ended) ch. 52
Dorothy discovers the copper man standing motionless inside the unlocked rock chamber, and by reading his card and winding him learns he is Smith & Tinker's mechanical man.
reveals secret to → Dorothy (ended) ch. 53
Tiktok discloses to Dorothy the hidden news of Oz — that the Scarecrow was deposed by General Jinjur, who was in turn deposed by a little girl, Ozma, the rightful heir now ruling as Ozma of Oz.
enchants ← the Nome King (ended) ch. 62
Tiktok enters the palace to make his guesses and, on his last failed guess, is transformed by the Nome King's magic into an ornament (a yellow glass vase painted with daisies), vanishing from sight.
reveals secret to → Dorothy (ended) ch. 52
Tiktok recounts to Dorothy the hidden backstory of his imprisonment: how King Evoldo sold his wife and ten children to the Nome King, regretted it, then locked Tiktok in the rock and drowned himself.
communicates with → Dorothy (ended) ch. 53
Tiktok converses at length with Dorothy on the rocks, explaining the Wheelers' harmlessness, the royal family of Ev, his makers, and news of Oz while she eats her dinner.
protects → Dorothy (ended) ch. 53
Tiktok offers to lead Dorothy away to the town of Evna and protect her from the Wheelers.
bound to → Dorothy (ended) ch. 57–64
Tiktok declares himself the bound servant of Dorothy, who rescued him from prison, and commits to go wherever she goes.
reveals secret to ← leader of the Wheelers (ended) ch. 54
The captive Wheeler leader confirms and confesses the Wheelers' secret helplessness and pretended fierceness, and tells Tiktok about the rule of Ev and Princess Langwidere.
imprisoned by ← leader of the Wheelers (ended) ch. 54
Tiktok held the Wheeler leader fast by the neck of his jacket only until he had guided the party to the Left Wing of the royal palace of Ev, then released him to rejoin his fellow Wheelers.
captures → leader of the Wheelers (ended) ch. 54
Tiktok grabs the fallen Wheeler leader by the neck of his gorgeous jacket and holds him fast as a prisoner to force information from him.
reveals secret to → Ozma (ended) ch. 57
Tiktok reveals to Ozma and the assembled party that King Ev-ol-do, not the Nome King, was actually to blame for selling his family into slavery, correcting Ozma's assumption.
creates ← Smith & Tinker (ended) ch. 64
The firm of Smith & Tinker built the clockwork mechanical man Tiktok.
transforms ← the Nome King (ended) ch. 63
The Nome King transforms Tik-Tok, the machine man, into an ornament after he fails his guessing test in the enchanted palace.
defeats → Wheelers (ended) ch. 54
Tiktok routs the attacking Wheelers, swinging the tin dinner-pail against their heads until they flee in panic, then seizes their leader.
discovers → Wheelers (ended) ch. 54
Tiktok exposes the Wheelers' secret weakness, deducing that their wheels leave them helpless and that their fierceness is only pretense.
discovers ← Billina (ended) ch. 52
Billina, whose sharp eyes spot the door-crack and key-hole in the rock, shares in discovering the copper man revealed inside the chamber and correctly notes it is not alive.
injures → colonel (ended) ch. 54
Tiktok pounds the dinner-pail against the colonel's head hard enough to knock him to the floor dazed and astonished; a stunning blow rather than a lasting wound.
communicates with ← Dorothy (ended) ch. 56
Dorothy takes out Tiktok's key, winds up his action so he can bow to the company, and tells the others how useful he had been to her.
communicates with ← Dorothy (ended) ch. 68
Before setting out across the desert, Dorothy attends to Tiktok, winding up his machinery as far as possible so he can join the party and step off briskly with the others.
communicates with → Dorothy (ended) ch. 52
Once wound to speak, Tiktok converses with Dorothy, greeting her, thanking her for rescuing him, telling his imprisonment story, and answering her questions about his name and workings.
protects → Dorothy (ended) ch. 54
During the Wheelers' charge Tiktok embraces Dorothy with his left arm to shield her while beating off the attackers with the dinner-pail.
reveals secret to → Dorothy (ended) ch. 57
Tiktok reveals to Dorothy, along with the rest of the party, that King Ev-ol-do sold his own family to the Nome King and then drowned himself, rather than the Nome King being solely to blame.
communicates with → Dorothy (ended) ch. 59
When Dorothy shrinks back frightened at the shifting rock-colored shapes, Tiktok reassures her they are only the harmless Nomes, rock fairies who serve the Nome King, and explains that the King must be called to find the palace entrance.
imprisoned by → Evoldo (ended) ch. 52
King Evoldo, in despair, locked Tiktok inside the rock chamber and threw the key into the ocean, leaving the copper man imprisoned until Dorothy unlocked the door.
defeats → Langwidere's army (ended) ch. 54
Tiktok knocks down seven of the ten soldiers with the dinner-pail, leaving them sprawling on the carpet, before his action runs down and the fight ends.
commands → leader of the Wheelers (ended) ch. 54
Tiktok orders the captive leader to send the other Wheelers away and to guide them to the palace's Left Wing, shaking him until he obeys.
gives ← Ozma (ended) ch. 68
Ozma gives Tiktok two bracelets set with eight rows of clear, sparkling emeralds at the reception.
commands ← Ozma (ended) ch. 87
Ozma appoints Tik-tok the Machine Man to serve on the nine-member jury for Eureka's murder trial.
confronts → Ozma (ended) ch. 57
Tiktok challenges Ozma's plan by questioning why they should fight the Nome King, arguing the Nome King has done no wrong since the royal family was sold to him by King Evoldo himself.
communicates with → Ozma (ended) ch. 58
Ozma asks Tiktok whether the iron giant can think and speak like him, and Tiktok explains the giant was built by Smith & Tinker for the Nome King, has no thinking or speaking attachment, and only pounds the road to guard the underground palace.
communicates with ← Scarecrow (ended) ch. 55
The Scarecrow converses with Tiktok about brains, conscience, and being alive versus being a wound-up machine, treating him kindly and promising not to take him apart.
communicates with ← Scarecrow (ended) ch. 67
The Scarecrow and Tiktok converse wistfully about missing the Tin Woodman during the journey, discussing the merits of tin versus straw as materials, shortly before the Tin Woodman is unexpectedly restored.
communicates with → Billina (ended) ch. 52
Tiktok greets Billina along with Dorothy and takes part in the conversation, and Billina hears his ticking and helps arrange her morning cackle as Dorothy's waking signal.
uses ← Dorothy (ended) ch. 53
Dorothy operates Tiktok by winding his voice, action, and thinking clock-works with the key, directing him to think of a plan of escape and lead them away.
communicates with ← Dorothy (ended) ch. 62
Dorothy finds Tiktok run down and winds him up so he can make his last guess; he warns her the Nome King has set a trap and they are likely all lost, and Dorothy agrees to watch what shape he becomes if he fails.
uses ← Dorothy (ended) ch. 89
Dorothy winds up the mechanical man Tik-tok so that he dances a jig to entertain the farewell company.
located in → Kingdom of the Nomes (ended) ch. 57–67
Tiktok marches with the procession that sets out at daybreak and has made good progress toward the valley leading into the Kingdom of the Nomes by sunrise.
creates ← Mr. Smith (ended) ch. 53
As a partner of Smith & Tinker, Mr. Smith helped make Tiktok, the only automatic mechanical man the firm ever completed.
creates ← Mr. Tinker (ended) ch. 53
As a partner of Smith & Tinker, Mr. Tinker helped make Tiktok, the only automatic mechanical man the firm ever completed.
rewards ← Ozma (ended) ch. 68
At the reception honoring the rescue mission, Tiktok receives two bracelets set with eight rows of clear, sparkling emeralds.
located in → royal palace of Ev (ended) ch. 54–57
Tiktok is inside the royal palace of Ev, left run-down and motionless in the center of Langwidere's drawing-room.
praises ← Scarecrow (ended) ch. 56
The Scarecrow shakes hands with Tiktok and thanks him for protecting Dorothy.
communicates with ← Scarecrow (ended) ch. 61
Alone in their room, the Scarecrow mourns the loss of the Tin Woodman to Tiktok, who replies in his mechanical monotone that they will make rather absurd ornaments themselves the next day.
communicates with ← Tin Woodman (ended) ch. 55
The Tin Woodman joins the conversation with Tiktok, pointing out that unlike Tiktok he is alive, has a heart, and does not need to be wound up.
praises ← Tin Woodman (ended) ch. 56
The Tin Woodman shakes hands with Tiktok and thanks him for protecting Dorothy.
uses ← Dorothy (ended) ch. 86
Dorothy winds up Tik-tok the clockwork copper man for the procession, setting his mechanism going for the occasion.
communicates with → the Nome King (ended) ch. 60
After Ozma fails to guess correctly and is transformed into an ornament, Tiktok anxiously asks the Nome King "Has she failed?" and the King cheerfully confirms it, then announces that the next challenger will get twelve guesses.

From the text

From this time forth I am your o-be-di-ent ser-vant. What-ev-er you com-mand, that I will do will-ing-ly--if you keep me wound up.Chapter 52

He was only about as tall as Dorothy herself, and his body was round as a ball and made out of burnished copper.Chapter 52

You have no i-de-a how full of ma-chin-er-y I am.Chapter 53

I am on-ly a ma-chine, and can-not feel sor-row or joy, no mat-ter what hap-pens.Chapter 54

"No," said Tiktok, "I am on-ly a ma-chine. But I can think and speak and act, when I am pro-per-ly wound up. Just now my ac-tion is run down, and Dor-o-thy has the key to it."Chapter 55

"They were sold to the Nome King by King Ev-ol-do," replied Tiktok. "It was the King of Ev who did wrong, and when he re-al-ized what he had done he jumped in-to the sea and drowned him-self."Chapter 57

See Tiktok chapter by chapter in the interactive codex →

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