Wicked Fandom Blog - Athenia Tabango

Wicked

The original Broadway poster 

The Wicked fandom is a community full of long-time theatergoers, and musical enthusiasts that share their love and connection to the Broadway music Wicked. The musical first debuted back in 2003, but it's remained so popular that Broadway still shows it today. The musical is based on Gregory Maguire's novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. The musical itself focuses on the characters Elphaba (the wicked witch of the West) and Glinda (the good witch) in college. Over the last twenty-one years, Wicked has had a large cultural impact on musical theater and is considered an iconic musical that has gained a large audience and fan base of all ages and backgrounds, who share their love for the characters, storyline, songs, and themes. The fans refer to themselves as Glindas, Elphabas, Ozheads, and Ozians. The fans love the fictional Wicked World and the love triangle between Glinda, Elphaba, and Fiyero. The musical has influenced many fans worldwide to start groups, social media accounts, fan fictions, and art dedicated to Wicked. Now especially, Wicked has been the talk worldwide due to the upcoming movie coming out November 22nd. Wicked fans all over the world, including myself, are now reuniting their excitement and are active more than ever because of the new content they will be able to engage with. 

The Ozians of Wicked

Fanart created by @harleyydrawss

Ozians is the official name that Wicked fans have given themselves, they are a diverse group of long-time theatergoers who have been drawn to the musical. Ozians engage with Wicked in many ways, they have created a Facebook group called The Ozians: The Offical WICKED. The Broadway fan group has over 9.4k members who regularly discuss the musical. The amount of members in the group can fill 31 loaded airplanes. Ozians use platforms like, X (Twitter), Tumblr, Instagram, Reddit, and Tiktok to share fanart, debate on theories, and just to overall discuss Wicked. There is a very popular subreddit called r/wicked and it has 62k members, it was created in 2009 and has still been gaining more and more members. Here fans analyze scenes, share memes, discuss their        opinions and theories, and share their personal connections. One popular fan theory is that "Elphaba's magical powers are a metaphor for hidden talents or traits society might not understand" which resonates deeply with fans who may feel like outsiders. Beyond digital spaces, Ozians regularly attend Wicked-themed events, fan conventions, meetups, and costume contests. Some fans even host their own Wicked watch parties, where they play the musical's original Broadway cast album. This community keeps fans creativity. 

Cosplaying Through Life

Fans like to cosplay, they put a ton of dedication into recreating costumes from the show. Cosplay can be a pricey hobby but fans pour their heart out doing it. Whether fans are cosplaying outfits from Glinda's glittering bubble gown to Elphaba's black dress and iconic hat, the outfits are always those that mirror ones seen on stage. These cosplayers showcase their creations at different conventions, Wicked performances, and themed events. Social media is filled with a bunch of wicked fans sharing how they created their costume, especially on TikTok. One fan, Kenz shared on her Tiktok (@Costumekenz), the "4 months" process of sewing, gluing, and cutting to create Glinda's gown. She says "It took like 1,000 hours". The attention to detail that fans put in is amazing, using so many different fabrics, and materials, the costume always looks accurate. Cosplay is a form of fan expression, it allows people to interpret characters in their own unique ways. Whether they gender-swap the character or create a steampunk Elphaba, the cosplays are always creative and celebrate Wicked. 

For over two decades, Wicked has captivated audiences. Its fandom, which is comprised of passionate, creative, and fun individuals just showcases the musical's enduring legacy. The legacy will forever grow because of the fanart, cosplays, fanfictions, and online communities. As anticipation for the movie adaptation grows, the Wicked fandom remains active and more enthusiastic than ever. This just proves that this musical is more than just a performance for people, it's a cultural phenomenon that continues to inspire and unite people all around the world. 

Work Cited

Davey, Jenny. "There's No Place Like Home: Glinda the Good Witch Halloween Costume 2017." Jenny DIY Davey, 3 Nov. 2017, https://jennydiydavey.wordpress.com/2017/11/03/theres-no-place-like-home-glinda-the-good-witch-halloween-costume-2017/.

New York Theatre Guide. "Everything You Need to Know about Wicked on Broadway." New York Theatre Guide, https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/news/everything-you-need-to-know-about-wicked-on-broadway.

Proboards. "What Are Wicked Fans Called?" Verdigris Forum, https://verdigris.proboards.com/thread/11/wicked-fans-name.

Instagram. "Glinda Cosplay Showcase." Posted by @thestephanienicole, https://www.instagram.com/p/C9U62-JOa68/?img_index=1.