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:
“And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet’s wings.”
—William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)
“Much more frequent in Hollywood than the emergence of Cinderella is her sudden vanishing. At our party, even in those glowing days, the clock was always striking twelve for someone at the height of greatness; and there was never a prince to fetch her back to the happy scene.”
—Ben Hecht (1893–1964)