Not in Kansas Anymore

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

A Stock Phrase referencing The Wizard of Oz, used to express the realization that the character is in a completely unfamiliar (or indeed otherwordly) place.

The original quote was "Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore." But it is sometimes misquoted and shortened to "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Toto."

Saying this to a person from Kansas is a good way to get a boot in the ass. It's unknown whether Kerry Livgren, Dave Hope, and Robby Steinhardt said this to each other in 1985.

Examples of Not in Kansas Anymore include:

Film

  • The Wizard of Oz: The Trope Namer. As Dorothy, who is originally from Kansas, sets foot for the first time into the colorful and Magical Land of Oz with her dog Toto, the quote given above (the original) is something of an understatement. When Glinda shows up in her magic bubble, this only confirms things for her: "Now I know we're not in Kansas!"
  • The Matrix: Just before the red pill taken by Neo kicks in, Cypher warns him "Buckle your seatbelt, Dorothy, 'cause Kansas is going bye-bye!"
  • Avatar: Colonel Quaritch warns the newly arrived soldiers "You are not in Kansas anymore!"
  • Honey, I Shrunk the Kids:

Amy: I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Toto.
Nick: I don't think we're in the food chain anymore, Dorothy.

Audrey: "Am I dreaming?"
Audrey II: "No, and you ain't in Kansas, neither."

Alice: "I don't know where we are Toto, but it sure isn't Kansas. "

Literature

The commander loved quoting "The Wizard of Oz". Three of his cousins were in the movie.

  • Parodied in one of S.P. Somtow's stories about a world where the Roman Empire survives to the 20th century and interacts with Red Indians Native Americans. At some point one of the Romans says something like "All things considered in toto, I don't think we're in ---- anymore."[please verify]
  • Not in Kansas Anymore: A Curious Tale of How Magic is Transforming America is a book by Christine Wicker.
  • We're not in Kansas Anymore: Strategies for Retiring Rich in a Totally Changed World is a book by Walter Updegrave.

Live-Action TV

  • Stargate SG-1: In episode Solitudes: "What's the bad news, 'cause unless they've redecorated the Gate room, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore."
    • In the episode 2001, the team ends up on an agrarian planet. Jack's reply is "Just when you think you're not in Kansas anymore, it turns out you are."
  • Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Aisha goes to find her piece of the Zeo Crystal and ends up in Africa. She sees a lion, and says "I don't think I'm in Angel Grove anymore."
  • The first episode of 90210 is titled We're not in Kansas anymore.
  • In The Pretender episode "Road Trip", Jarod sets Miss Parker and her posse following a chain of clues that begins with a yellow brick with GPS co-ordinates written on it. As they approach the location of the co-ordinates (which turns out to be a scarecrow with the next location clue), Broots looks up from the GPS to announce that they've just crossed a state line and aren't in Kansas any more.
  • In an episode of MythBusters, they were testing hurricane myths, and built a scale house to put in front of a giant hurricane wind machine. Adam Savage quipped, "Oh, we are so not in Kansas anymore."

Music

  • Referenced in Big Country's song "We're Not in Kansas", a song by a Scottish band lamenting the state of the USA.
  • A parody by Filk writer Bob Kanefsky of Mercedes Lackey's "Threes" (music by Leslie Fish) synopsizes Arthur C. Clarke's Rendezvous With Rama. There's a line, once Rama's automated factories start producing biological robots, when the song notes that the human explorers "wonder if perhaps they're not in Kansas anymore."

Newspaper Comics

Toys

"I have a feeling I'm not in Karda Nui any more... maybe if I tap my red feet together and wish real hard...

Video Games

  • Quoted almost to the letter by Cortex in Crash Nitro Kart.
  • Strangely enough, used in The Legend of Spyro.
  • In the game Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, the action begins in the country of Azad, and enters a magic area that leads to a magic well that increases his life-bar when he drinks from it; upon entering, he says "I don't think I'm in Azad anymore."
  • In Dreamfall: The Longest Journey, Zoe said this after entering an alternate world.

Web Comics

Web Original

Western Animation

  • Mocked in Courage The Cowardly Dog, where most of the main happenings are in Kansas.
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