Children's Literature, Children's Games, and the Enduring Legacy of L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz

Presumed and actual divisions between childhood and adulthood influence the creation and dissemination of children’s media, particularly children’s literature and children’s games. The supposed immaturity of children’s media generates a key cultural paradox, evident in the many adults who continue to enjoy children’s stories and games long past their childhood. These tensions are illustrated through an analysis of L. Frank Baum’s classic novel The Wizard of Oz and its numerous adaptations in various media, notably Victor Fleming’s iconic 1939 film. Translating beloved literary narratives into playable formats shifts the storyline in surprising ways, evident in the many ludic adaptations of Oz, including board games such as The Wonderful Game of Oz (1921) and The Wizard of Oz Game (1974), the critically reviled Nintendo video game The Wizard of Oz (1993), the adult-targeted tabletop role-playing game Oz, Dark & Terrible (2010), and the escape room adaptation The Adventurers of Oz (2018). These diverse examples demonstrate the complexities encountered when adapting children’s literature into games, highlighting cultural dialogues around age and audience.