The Purple Prince of Oz (1932) is the 26th in the series of Oz books created by L. Frank Baum and his successors, and the 12th written by Ruth Plumly Thompson. It was illustrated by John R. Neill.
While visiting the neighboring kingdom of Pumperdink, Prince Randy of the Purple Mountains criticizes the king's grapes, claiming they are sour. Randy is sentenced to be "dipped", but Kabumpo, the Elegant Elephant makes him his attendant instead. Later, the royal family disappears and Randy and Kabumpo must save the day.
This is the first of Thompson's Oz books to carry the entire story (except for a bit at the very end) on characters of her own creation. The unpredictable, hot-tempered Jinnicky the Red Jinn from Jack Pumpkinhead of Oz returns as a much more pleasant companion to Randy, and soon becomes a popular character.
The Silver Princess in Oz is a direct sequel to this book, reuniting readers with Randy, Kabumpo, and Jinnicky.
Famous quotes containing the words purple and/or prince:
“Hundreds of dewdrops to greet the dawn,
Hundreds of bees in the purple clover,
Hundreds of butterflies on the lawn,
But only one mother the wide world over.”
—George Cooper (1838–1927)
“They say princes learn no art truly, but the art of horsemanship. The reason is, the brave beast is no flatterer. He will throw a prince as soon as his groom.”
—Ben Jonson (c. 1572–1637)