The Munchkins are the natives of the fictional Munchkin Country in the Oz books by American author L. Frank Baum. They first appeared in the 1900 children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, in which they are described as wearing only blue clothing, as blue is the official dominant color that represents the eastern quadrant in the Land of Oz. They and the non-Munchkin Witch, the Good Witch of the North who accompanies them upon Dorothy Gale's arrival to Oz, are described as being Dorothy's height who is hinted to be no older than twelve-years-old. The classic 1939 film The Wizard of Oz loosely based upon Baum's book, depicted Munchkins as being much shorter than other residents of Oz; they are played by either adults with dwarfism or children, dressed in brightly multicolored outfits, and their land is called Munchkinland. Many of the Munchkins' voices were achieved by pre-recording some of the actors' voices onto tape, and speeding it up to give them higher pitched voices.
On November 20, 2007, the Munchkins were given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Seven of the surviving Munchkins actors from the film were present. As a result of the popularity of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, the word "munchkin" has entered the English language as a reference to small children, persons with dwarfism, or anything of diminutive stature.