"Anyone in a fairy country like the Land of Oz can do anything" Believing that the modern fairy tale no longer required a fearsome moral rendered by horrible and blood-curdling incidents , L. Frank Baum (1856-1919) decided to create a world in which the wonderment and joy are retained and the heartaches and nightmares are left out . Since the early successes of the Oz series during the author s lifetime, and with the production of numerous stage, film, television and literary adaptations in the years since his death, Baum s magical fairyland of Oz - devised solely to please children of today has continually delighted and influenced the imaginations of millions across the world for over a century.