Nikko is the leader of the flying monkeys. He is the movie version of the character called the Monkey King in L. Frank Baum's original novel.

DOROTHY: Oh, but anyway, Toto, we're home -- home! And this is my room -- and you're all here -- and I'm not going to leave here ever, ever again, because I love you all! And ... oh, Auntie Em, there's no place like home!

The ASPCA refused to allow the horses to be dyed; instead, technicians tinted them with lemon, cherry, and grape flavored Jell-O. Stage hands had to prevent the horses from licking the colored powder off between takes.

Because producers wanted to attract a youthful audience by appealing to modern fads and styles, the original score featured a song called "The Jitterbug", and the script featured a scene with a series of musical contests. A spoiled, selfish princess in Oz had outlawed all forms of music except classical and operetta, and went up against Dorothy in a singing contest in which her swing style enchanted listeners and won the grand prize. The role of the Princess was initially written for Betty Jaynes, but the plan was later dropped.