Behind The Scenes Secrets: The Wizard Of Oz

The Head Winged Monkey

In the Wizard of Oz one of the creepiest parts of the film is the winged monkeys who do the bidding of the Wicked Witch. In the film, the head winged monkey is named Nikko. Nikko is reportedly named after a Japanese town. The town also happens to be home to the shrine of the original “Hear No Evil/See No Evil/Speak No Evil” monkeys. The monkeys are found at the Tōshō-gū shrine. The monkeys are apparently the macaques monkey which is indigenous to the area. The monkeys also all have names, first is Mizaru seen covering his eyes, who sees no evil; then there is Kikazaru who is covering his ears, who hears no evil; and lastly there is Iwazaru who is covering his mouth, who speaks no evil. This is supposed to signify a person who present good thoughts, good speech, and good actions.