Baum created not only a distinctly American fairyland but a cultural franchise something to drive forward the engines of capitalism, that most American of institutions.
The Dark Woods are a hallucinogenic nightmare of scuttling creatures and pustulated swamps, while an interlude in "Fairyland" is pure kitsch but charmingly imaginative: Toadstools have eyes, and flower petals transform into fluttering butterflies.
At least he had a plan that might return Fairyland at Foggy Bottom to a semblance of its former good standing but it would take great time and sacrifice and the people were not in the mood for any more sacrifices.
Finally, as our tale draws closer to its conclusion, we find that the residents of the kingdom of Fairyland at Foggy Bottom have now become so fat and lazy that no one wants to work any more, even if there was a way to plant and harvest a crop.