The Wizard of Oz Quotes

Context

This line is spoken by Dorothy, the Tin Man, and the Scarecrow, played by Judy Garland, Jack Haley, and Ray Bolger (respectively) in the film The Wizard of Oz, directed by Victor Fleming (1939).

While walking through the dark forest, Dorothy, the Tin Man, and the Scarecrow get scared when they start hearing noises coming from the foliage around them. The Scarecrow wonders if there are any animals out there who might be interested in eating things like, um, straw, and the Tin Man's like, Yeah, there are probably lions and tigers and bears out there. Whatever.

Naturally, this causes the Scarecrow to anxiously repeat, "Lions and tigers and bears," and Dorothy throws in the good old "oh my" for dramatic effect. Pretty soon, the three rapscallions are skipping through the forest chanting, "Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!"

Where you've heard it

You may have heard this come from someone at the zoo, trying to be clever, or possibly even from a friend while walking through your local woods. Regardless of where you hear it though, the speaker has probably seen The Wizard of Oz, because why else would someone seriously say that?

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

This quote is pretty much the definition of "hit or miss." If you pull this one out at the right time, you'll sound like a nostalgic hero. But if you mistime it, you'll get glared at like you're the Wicked Witch of the West.