Munchkin Land and Flying Monkeys




I went to the Magic of Oz sim today. I was there once before but it was winter then and looked quite a bit different. Jenne Dibou did the most remarkable job of creating what is a blend of whimsy, fantasy and steampunk. There are elements that one would expect but there are also surprises, some very creative interpretations of what we have all grown up with.


The building skill is not only great but very unique. Jenne has a style that one could recognize anywhere, regardless of whether it's a Munchkin shop or a steampunk boat ... her skill with sculpted prims is surpassed by none.





When I first teleported in I landed at the Munchkin Land Shops, nearby is that poor house that barely survived the tornado. There is a poseball that you can jump on and pretend you are the Wicked Witch, trapped under the home.


The shops are so colorful, organic and rich with design. It's hard to believe they are made with prims, they appear to be soft and pliable. It almost gave me the feeling of being in a candy shop ... which is interesting as the Queen of Oz is Candy Cerveau, owner of .::eyecandy::. fine jewelry. I haven't met her yet but hope to one day.





I soon spotted Jenne's shop, The Mechanical Toy Factory. It was slightly different than the other shops, which makes perfect sense considering that she is the creator of them. A unique builder is well deserving of a unique store. This of course is not her main store, but I like it a lot.





These textures are so unbelievable, even up close, the lighting and color is like nothing I've come across in Second Life before. These 'little curly things' are so cute too and add whimsy to the Munchkin area. I would like to have a shop here someday myself.





After leaving the Munchkin Market I decided I would follow the yellow brick road. Who should I meet on the road but the Tin Man himself! (he was always one of my favorite Oz characters, second only to the Glass Cat). Complete with oil can, the Tin Man was created by Balthazar Fouroux. He moves when you touch him, even donning a heart in one of the poses.





I spent a lot of time looking at him, the more I looked the more impressed I became, his face is very well textured, I can't even imagine how long it must have taken to create. What amazed me the most was how he captured 'the kind heart' in his face and eyes. You can almost feel compassion emanating from him.





I now know how Dorothy felt when she came upon the crossroads, I had no idea which way to go! I looked around and saw some poppies in the distance so I headed that way.





From the poppy field I looked up and saw this enormous building that I could tell was Emerald City, although this was a very unique take on it. The closer I got the more beautiful it became.





There is an interesting blend of textures ... worn stucco and stone combine with glistening emeralds to make this building appear to have emerged from an emerald earth. Really amazing, but it must be seen 'in person' to be appreciated. It's especially magical set to midnight.





The first floor of the building is used for Candy Cerveau's store. It's adorned with emeralds, some encorporated into statues, some floating and some as part of the architecture itself. What delighted me the most was the shimmering light that appeared to radiate from the gems. There is a very slight amount of glow, but not overkill like we so often see, just the right amount. Jenne did a wonderful job with the effects here.





Outside I found a fountain, this too is one of her creations, and I just had to jump on the poseball and get a closer look a the sculpted fish. The fountain, made of emeralds, is a wonderful contrast to the fish that are impeccably textured in verdigris. It's interesting to me how effective contrasting materials can be even when the colors are similar.





After the Emerald City I was off to explore the darker side. What an imagination Jenne had with this! It's similar to the dark castle that we all know 'in feeling', however it has a steampunk twist to it. Could we expect any less from Jenne Dibou? There is a giant skull ...





... monkeys are in the eyes, they appear to be operating this system that has a lot of rusted steel gadgets and gears that move and make sounds. There are aged steel 'teeth' which water flows through.





The flying monkeys are adorned with steampunk gears, metal hats and wings that are a work of art in and of themselves. I don't know for sure but the monkeys don't look so happy to me, maybe they just take their jobs very seriously.





Not only does Jenne have them perched here and there, she also has several that fly around in the sky. It's really rather creepy and brought me right back to that childhood fear of the monkeys from The Wizard of Oz movie that I watched every single year on television. It's odd that kids now can just go rent any movie and watch it at any time ... we had to wait for our favorite movies and they were only televised once each year. If I remember correctly The Wizard of Oz was in the springtime. Now that I think of it I'll bet it was because it's the beginning of tornado season here in the U.S.


The Magic of Oz sim is owned by Malkavyn Eldritch and Candy Cerveau, what a great idea they had to create an Oz sim, and I'm awed once again by Jenne Dibou's building slills, texturing and amazing imagination.

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