The Phonograph
Victor Colombia Edison, nicknamed Vic, and also known as the Magic Phonograph or simply the Phonograph, was a phonograph granted life by the Powder of Life in the Land of Oz.
Biography
Visited by Acquaintanceship
In the version of Oz which was visited by Acquaintanceship-982, the Phonograph was one of the beings who had been brought to life using the Crooked Man's Powder of Life over the years. He appeared as “an old and broken phonograph, attached to a table”, its horn “rather badly cracked” and the table missing a leg, with another one broken.
After the Imps Olite, Udent and Ertinent escaped, stole Dorothy Gale's Magic Belt and brought it back to Blinkie, also stealing the Magic Picture and the Great Book of Records, they travelled through Munchkin Country back to Jinxland, and briefly crossed paths with the Phonograph. Intent on warning Ozma about the Imps, the Phonograph began to make his way down the Yellow Brick Road and happened upon Ozma and friends themselves, on the thieves' trail. They agreed to let him join their possé aboard Acquaintanceship-982's Fog Ship, and, together, they eventually made their way to the Imps and Blinkie. While she was gloating about her plan, the Phonograph used his loud and discordant music to distract the witch while Acquaintanceship-982 tried to romanticise her. He missed by a hair, but did knock the Powder of Life out of her hands. Taking his chance, Acquaintanceship grabbed the bottle and ran off with it into his Fog Ship, but Blinkie (who had yet to realise he had the Powder and thought he was just escaping) used the Belt to cause him to crash into the forest, and transformed most of the Ozites into various objects, with only Dorothy managing to escape, despite their attempts to attack her.
Acquaintanceship was unharmed, however, although his Ship was down. Out of other options, he used some of the Powder of Life to attempt to repair his Ship, with the effect of bringing it to life as a sentient entity. Startled, he dropped the rest of the Powder onto his bow and arrows, which similarly came to life. Together, they returned to Jinxland and managed to romanticise Blinkie and the Imps, who subsequently apologised to everyone and returned the magical items. However, the Ship's inexperience with flying itself caused it to crash again with Acquaintanceship itself, injuring him this time. With the Bow and Arrows finding them, however, the Imps worked with Tik-Tok to repair both of them. Healed, Acquaintanceship was offered the chance to stay in the Emerald Palace as a permanent resident but turned it down, unlike the Ship, Bow and Arrows, with Ozma decreeing that the Disagreeable Arrow would get a quiet room to himself. She also decreed that the Phonograph could now stay in the Emerald Palace, despite the Patchwork Girl and the Shaggy Man arguing against it. (PROSE: The Crew of the Copper-Colored Cupids in Oz)
Behind the scenes
Having debuted in the 1913 novel The Patchwork Girl of Oz, the Magic Phonograph is now in the public domain.
His name is actually spelled as “Victor Columbia Edison” in the book in question, as opposed to “Colombia” as rendered twice in The Crew of the Copper-Colored Cupids in Oz.
