Wizard of Oz -- Toto the Cairn Terrier

"Toto" in The Wizard of Oz

When the Cairn Terrier who played Toto in The Wizard of Oz was chosen for the role, he was already a Hollywood veteran, having appeared in eleven movies between 1934 and 1942. The terrier's name was Terry, and he was trained by Carl Spitz, a famous animal handler. MGM offered the shy dog $300 a week to play the role of Toto. But Spitz was so unsure of Terry's ability to perform that he accepted only $150. Terry, whose name was eventually changed to Toto, went on to create a role as memorable as those of the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, and the Cowardly Lion.

Toto was originally drawn into life in 1901 with the publication of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The first edition of 8aum's book was playfully illustrated by the artist William W. Denslow. He envisioned Toto as a Cairn Terrier. The other thirteen volumes, however, were illustrated by R. A. Neill, who depicted Toto as a French Bulldog. When the movie version of The Wizard of Oz was in preproduction, MGM cast a Frenchie named Captain to play Toto. But the Frenchie turned out to be an uncooperative actor, so the studio went with Denslow's depiction. Toto the scrappy Little Cairn Terrier became firmly embedded in our collective consciousness.

In the 1902 musical version of the Wizard of Oz, two actors played Toto as a spotted calf named Imogene. This was because, as Baum explained, "We found Toto an impossibility from a dramatic point of view." He felt that a calf would amuse children as much as a dog would.

Philosophers, sociologists, and even students of religion have long argued over the metaphysical interpretation of Toto. One theory postulates that Toto represents Anubis, the dog-headed Egyptian god of death. After all, it's Toto's fault that Dorothy never makes it to the Kansas storm cellar - and to safety. It's also Toto who exposes the wizard, and it's Toto who keeps Dorothy from returning home by leaping out of her arms at the worst possible moment. Thus, it is because Dorothy faces death at every corner that she must finally draw on her own inner strength - her spirituality, which is symbolized by her ruby slippers.

In his book The Wizard of Oz, Salman Rushdie refers to Toto as a "yapping hairpiece of a creature; that meddlesome rug!"

Dorothy might have had an easier time if it were not for Toto's shenanigans, but she wouldn't have had nearly as much Fun.

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