Oz Mythbusters: It's Not Easy Being Green

One of the more popular misconceptions as far as the original Oz books were concerned was that the Wicked Witch Of The West was green. It was only in the original 1939 Wizard Of Oz movie that we first see her as having green skin. However there, the Witch's Winkie guards were also green. This would mean that by the movie's standards, everyone from the Winkie Country would have green skin, just as the regulars of Munchkin Country would all be short.

However, in Gregory Maguire's Wicked book series, as well as the Wicked stage musical, it is revealed that the Witch(Elphaba)is the only girl in Oz born with green skin, aside from the possibility of some of the elves briefly mentioned. This is mainly attributed to her true heritage, which also possibly includes her mother's ingestion of a magic elixir by the illustrious Wizard of Oz. Years later, Elphaba's granddaughter Rain was also born with green skin, as well as her family's talent for magic.