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| Billina | |
|---|---|
| Oz character | |
 Billina illustration byJohn R. Neill | |
| First appearance | Ozma of Oz (1907) |
| Created by | L. Frank Baum |
| Portrayed by | Mak Wilson (Return to Oz) |
| Voiced by | Denise Bryer (Return to Oz) |
| In-universe information | |
| Alias | Bill |
| Species | Chicken |
| Gender | Female |
| Children | multiple Dorothys and Daniels |
Billina is a fictional character in the classic children's series ofOz books byAmerican authorL. Frank Baum. She is introduced inOzma of Oz (1907).[1]
InOzma of Oz, Billina becomesDorothy Gale's animal companion after she and the girl are on a small ship and are thrown overboard. Dorothy was traveling on an oceanvoyage toAustralia with herUncle Henry when a violent storm hit, thus tossing the ship over the waves. The two wash up on the uncharted shores of the enchanted country ofEv in a chicken coop they had taken refuge in. Billina serves in this adventure the role that Dorothy's pet dogToto served in the first Oz book,The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900).
A spunky, sassy and talkativechicken, Billina was originally named Bill because, she tells Dorothy, "no one could tell whether I was going to be a hen or a rooster". Dorothy insists on changing the hen's name to a feminine form. Billina endures several scares with theKansas farm girl before they defeat theNome King as only a hen can since eggs are poisonous to Nomes. At the end of the novel, Billina settles in theEmerald City in the magicalLand of Oz.
InThe Road to Oz (1909), Billina accompaniesTik-Tok in welcoming Dorothy,Shaggy Man,Button-Bright, andPolychrome to Oz. Billina is later present atPrincess Ozma's royal birthday party.
Later books reveal that Billina has hatched many chicks (their father unknown). She names all of them Dorothy after her young friend. Gender confusion reappears, however, and the proud mother discovers that some of those chicks will be "horrid roosters"; she changes the males' names to Daniel.
One of Baum's earliest books described raisingHamburg chickens, and he drew on that expertise in depicting Billina.
Billina appears inThe Fairylogue and Radio-Plays (1908) with the credit "The Yellow Hen as Herself". Presumably a real hen was used in thislost film, as a real dog was used forToto, also credited with playing himself.
In Disney'sReturn to Oz (1985), Billina is a main character. She is ananimatronic puppet performed byMak Wilson and voiced byDenise Bryer. Like the books, Billina arrived in the Land of Oz with Dorothy Gale. Later on, she hides in Jack Pumpkinhead's head. During the final battle against the Nome King in his monstrous form, Billina unintentionally lays an egg which falls into the Nome King's mouth enough to kill him. When Princess Ozma is crowned, upon being freed from the mirror by Dorothy, Billina elects to remain in the Land of Oz.
Billina appears inDorothy and the Wizard of Oz. She is depicted as a red hen whose clucking can be understood byScarecrow and is often seen inside Tin Man's chest compartment.
