The Far Side has referenced many movies in its time, from Jaws to Frankenstein. One movie, however, had been of particular interest to creator Gary Larson, possibly being the most referenced movie of them all: The Wizard of Oz.

An adored and much-acclaimed 1939 classic MGM film, The Wizard of Oz managed to find its way into multiple Far Side strips. Whether being parodied by bugs or using its characters in unexpected situations and scenes, The Wizard of Oz popped up multiple times in The Far Side. The Wizard of Oz's candy-colored fantasy and its optimistic viewpoint might seem like a startling contrast to the more absurdist, cynical tilt of The Far Side. As a result, the two contrasting tones make for some hilarious scenarios.

7 "Spiders, Scorpions, and Insecticides, Oh My!"

May 31st, 1983

Walking through tall grass and incredibly high flowers, three bugs are spooked by the atmosphere around them. They are scared of possibly lurking spiders, scorpions, and insecticides lying low in the grass that could get them at any time. Not unlike the iconic scene from The Wizard of Oz where Dorothy, the Tin Man, and the Scarecrow get scared in the forest before they come face to face with the Cowardly Lion and sing "lions, tigers, and bears, oh my," the three bugs face their own threats in their journey.

Spiders, scorpions, and insecticides are all life-threatening to bugs, being threats that are on par with carnivorous animals like lions, tigers, and bears for humans... and scarecrows and tin men. Hopefully things go as well for these buggy Far Side protagonists as they did for the characters of The Wizard of Oz. One wonders what things these three bugs are looking for on their journey, not looking like the kind to care about a brain or a heart.

6 "The Circus Is Back in Town"

Looking at the newspaper, one Wicked Witch is excited to see that the aptly-named Dingling Bros Circus is coming back to town. Seeing the news of the circus's reappearance, they reminisce about the last time they went to the circus when a clown asked her to smell his boutonniere. Clowns usually have water in their boutonniere that they use to squirt in people's faces by tricking them into smelling the flower. Seeing how the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz got melted to death from a pail of water to the face, this Far Side witch deals with the same water affliction but manages to have a better fate than her Oz counterpart.

Being splashed in the face with the water from the boutonniere, the witch has the side of her face melted. After experiencing an injury that results in the melting of a face, many would be hard-pressed to go back to the scene of the injury. However, a clown-based injury is not enough to deter these two witches from the fun of the circus. Now much wiser after some important life experiences, this Wicked Witch knows better than to smell any clown's boutonniere at the circus this time around.

5 "He Gave Me a New Brain!"

When the Scarecrow gets home, he makes a call to deliver some fantastic news: he finally gets his new brain. He had been telling his conversation partner for some time about the Wizard, whom he had just gotten back from seeing. The Wizard did the impossible in giving him a brain. Elated at his new brain, he leaves it on the coffee table where his dog can easily get to it. It turns out that the Scarecrow's placement of the brain on the coffee table was not the best decision, because the dog is seen chowing down on the brain. This dog may have taken the saying to "pick one's brain" a little too far and a little too literally.

In a pretty morbid comic strip, something that was not rare for The Far Side, the Scarecrow's brain gets eaten up by his dog, which is not an image anyone wants in their head. It was the Scarecrow's dream to have a brain, so it is a bummer for both the Scarecrow, who is in for a massive disappointment when he goes back to his brain, and for the reader who knows how much he has always wanted a brain. How will the Scarecrow confer with the flowers and consult with the rain now?

4 "Let's Have 'Em!"

August 7th, 1983

Dorothy and the gang wind up in the very bad side of town, where they come face to face with one truly unsavory guy. He holds them at gunpoint and orders them to hand over the items they just spent so much hard work, time, and energy on, nearly getting killed by a vengeful witch in the pursuit of their hard-won items. Specifically, the robber barks at them to give him the Tin Man's heart and the Scarecrow's brain. They are a far way from Oz with Dorothy really wanting to get back home after dealing with the ordeal presented in this Far Side comic strip.

While the Cowardly Lion may have received the gift of courage, he is unprepared for such an occurrence, making all of them look incredibly scared. One can't help but wonder what a robber would do with a plastic-looking heart-shaped watch and an honorary degree in Thinkology, but he seems desperate to take them. Now would be a good time to realize that their hearts and brains are actually within them and not in the items that are getting coldly stolen from them.

3 "I Just Used My Last Heart and Brain"

April 9th, 1980

Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Man, and the Scarecrow go to Dr. Frankenstein's house to try to get a heart and a brain. Unfortunately for the group, they had some bad timing, because Dr. Frankenstein just used his last heart and brain. The recipient is standing right behind the door: Frankenstein's Monster. Dr. Franksetin apparently has a very good business reputation, being the one to go to when in need of a brain or a heart. Luckily, Dr. Frankenstein has a good recommendation for where they can all go since he is not an option; they can go to see the Wizard up the road.

While the quartet may be disappointed to not get the services of Dr. Frankenstein, they still find a way to get the heart and brain for the Tin Man and the Scarecrow.

How convenient! While the quartet may be disappointed to not get the services of Dr. Frankenstein, they still find a way to get the heart and brain for the Tin Man and the Scarecrow. The Wizard of Oz would have been a very different movie had they been successful in getting Dr. Frankenstein's services, veering more towards the horror genre rather than the fantasy genre. Although, all Dr. Frankenstein really needed to do was let the Tin Man and the Scarecrow know that they had a heart and brain within them this whole time.

2 "Why, Gary, You've Always Had the Power to Go Home!"

January 1st, 1995

With a Glinda the Good Witch-type character speaking to the one and only creator of The Far Side himself, Gary Larson, she tells him that he had the power within himself the whole time to go back home. To get back to where he came from, all he has to do is quack three times and to think to himself that "there's no place like home." Surrounded by all the famous characters he made for The Far Side, including the aliens, snakes, and bears he frequently used, Gary does what she says and ends up back home in his bed. He wakes up and tells his Aunt Zelda and Uncle Bob that all the women looked like her and all the cows looked like him.

Likewise, he tells the farmhand Ernie that he saw cavemen who looked just like him and that there were so many nerdy kids that looked just like Billy. He also tells of all the monsters that were there, and that animals could even talk, making it a confusing place at times. The scenes of this comic match up perfectly with the final events of The Wizard of Oz. This comic was actually the last comic of The Far Side's original run, with it providing a surreal and humor-filled conclusion that was fitting for the beloved comic strip series.

1 "Marathon"

September 16th, 1981

As the Scarecrow, Dorothy, and the Tin Man make their way to Oz, they come across a marathon coming right towards them from the opposite direction. As a result, the three L. Frank Baum characters have nowhere left to go on the narrow pathway that is about to be completely taken up by the group of marathon participants. Following the yellow brick road seems to be words of advice that Dorothy, the Scarecrow, and the Tin Man have been given, as well as a whole crowd of marathon runners. The Scarecrow, Dorothy, and the Tin Man better jump into the forest soon before they get run over by a bunch of marathoners.

Scared of a collision, The Wizard of Oz gang are scared stiff, looking in horror at the mob of people running in their direction. This Far Side comic leaves its reader on a cliffhanger, with no one except for Larson knowing what happens to the beloved characters. The trio just want to follow the yellow brick road, but they keep experiencing obstacles, especially a whole crowd of marathon runners that take up the entire pathway. Dorothy may have to get those ruby slippers dirty if she wanted to escape getting clobbered in The Far Side.