The King of Gee-Whiz

In Short

Emerson Hough’s 1906 juvenile fantasy The King of Gee-Whiz follows Zuzu and Lulu Pickle, twins with green and blue hair, who embark on an extraordinary journey from their mother’s cupboard to a distant magical land. Guided by a fast-talking Private Secretary and an Enchanted Banjo that breaks into song, the children explore the Island of Gee-Whiz, negotiate with dragons, accidentally cause political chaos, and eventually journey into Fairy-Land itself to restore order. The book has endured as an inventive, whimsical turn-of-the-century tale that blends absurd humor with classic fairy-tale adventure.

The Story

The adventure begins when a strange little dark man visits the Widow Pickle and her twins, Zuzu and Lulu, whose vibrant green and blue hair sets them apart from ordinary children. Pointing toward the late Mr. Pickle's cupboard of chemical substances, the visitor—the Private Secretary to the King of Gee-Whiz—reveals that the family possesses the means to summon the Gee-Whiz Submarine Express. Accompanied by the self-playing Enchanted Banjo, the family sets off across thousands of miles of ocean, traveling under the sea until an explosion blasts them over a mountain range and onto the shores of the Island of Gee-Whiz.

Upon arriving, they meet the absent-minded King, a ruler prone to banishing his subjects or ordering executions before forgetting all about it by lunchtime. The island faces immediate troubles: the royal cows are lost, forcing the Widow Pickle to make brown waffles using a newly minted gold waffle-iron and coconut milk. However, when the King accidentally drinks sap from a rubber tree (Arbor elasticus horribiliensis) thinking it is syrup, his leg stretches eleven feet long and he loses his shadow entirely. Meanwhile, the mischievous Black Fairy, Gobo, tricks the children using the "Fairy Telephone"—a network made of dewy spiderwebs and chirping crickets—to cause further chaos.

The plot thickens when the royal twins disappear and the King’s shadow remains missing. Determined to fix the damage, Zuzu and Lulu journey to the heart of the realm. Guided by the Enchanted Banjo’s music, they board the Bumblebee Express and ascend a Golden Ladder to the secret Valley of the Fairies. There, they meet the gracious Fairy Queen Zulena, who welcomes them to the fairy city of Almalena. She shows them the wondrous sights of Fairy-Land, including the glittering Valley of Gold and its blinding source, the Madre d'Oro.

Queen Zulena reveals her long-held wish: she and the King were childhood friends before wicked fairies led him astray with greed, and she hopes he will grow into a good monarch so they might rule together. The Queen leads a confrontation at the cave of the Wicked Fairy Gobo, forcing him to surrender the stolen White Cricket and the King’s missing shadow. With their quest complete, Zuzu and Lulu return to the island’s upper world, pacify the single-legged Dragon Jankow by reattaching his missing wooden leg, and return the shadow to the palace.

The story culminates in a grand celebration where the King and Queen are reunited, the mother's wishes are granted, and the Enchanted Banjo sings a final melody. The twins suddenly awaken back in their own beds at home, left to wonder if their grand journey across the ocean was a wonderful, shared dream.

How It Unfolds

The voyage begins After discovering secret chemical powders in their father's cupboard, the Pickle family boards the Gee-Whiz Submarine Express. A sudden underwater explosion propels them over the Agalone Mountains, dropping them safely onto the sandy beaches of the Island of Gee-Whiz.

Meeting the King The travelers meet the island's absent-minded Monarch, who routinely banishes subjects only to forget he did so by lunch. The Widow Pickle settles in, using a custom gold waffle-iron to bake treats for the court.

Disaster at the rubber tree Fooled into drinking sap from an Arbor elasticus horribiliensis, the King suffers a bizarre reaction that stretches his leg to ten feet and detaches his shadow. The Court Detective fails to solve the crime, gathering useless baskets of plaster footprints.

The Fairy Telephone Using spiderwebs and crickets as a communication line, Zuzu and Lulu accidentally contact Gobo, a Wicked Fairy. Gobo tricks the twins into using the Enchanted Banjo to unlock hidden paths, leading to the disappearance of the palace's treasures.

Journey on the Bumblebee Express To set things right, the twins ride the buzzing Bumblebee Express up a Golden Ladder to Fairy-Land. They arrive at the hidden city of Almalena, greeted by the radiant Fairy Queen Zulena.

Confronting the Wicked Fairy Queen Zulena leads the children to Gobo’s mountain cave, demanding the return of the stolen White Cricket and the King's shadow. Defeated by the Queen's authority, Gobo surrenders his plunder.

Restoring the realm Returning to the surface, Zuzu repairs the multi-legged Dragon Jankow by screwing his missing wooden leg back into place. The group returns to the palace, where the King recovers his shadow and reunites with Queen Zulena.

The morning after Following a festive grand ceremony filled with magical wishes and music, Zuzu and Lulu wake up in their own beds at home, happily discussing the marvelous dream they shared.

The People

• Zuzu Pickle: A spirited young boy with bright green hair. Curious and bold, he eagerly dives into adventure, manages the magic items, and steps up to repair the Dragon's wooden leg.
• Lulu Pickle: Zuzu’s twin sister, distinguished by her vibrant blue hair. Compassionate and thoughtful, she wishes for her mother's happiness and seeks to help the shadowless King.
• The King of Gee-Whiz: An extraordinarily absent-minded monarch. He constantly forgets his own decrees, gets tricked into drinking rubber-tree sap, and suffers great distress when he loses his long-cherished shadow.
• The Fairy Queen Zulena: The benevolent ruler of Fairy-Land who resides in the city of Almalena. She seeks to steer the King back toward goodness so they can rule happily together.
• The Private Secretary: The King’s polite, efficient representative who introduces the Pickles to the island's strange customs and explains the workings of fairy technology.
• Gobo: A sneaky Black Fairy who manipulates the children through the spiderweb telephone network, stealing the royal shadow and causing trouble throughout the kingdom.
• The Enchanted Banjo: A sentient musical instrument that offers advice, plays self-prompted songs in the "Diamond language," and acts as a faithful guide to the twins.

In Its Own Voice

"I can not help feeling," said the Widow Pickle, as she combed the long, wavy hair of her two children, "as though something was going to happen."

Before the Pickles leave home, their magical journey is foreshadowed as the mother combs her children's distinct green and blue hair.

"If you have a good Cricket and place it at your ear, it will say things to you. Have you not heard Crickets chirping, chirping away, hour after hour?"

The Private Secretary explains the mechanics of the Fairy Telephone to the astonished twins, revealing how dew and spiderwebs carry messages across the island.

"The bed, the chair, your clothes, the wall, / The turned-down light--they one and all / Seem glad, and speak of you and say: / 'You have been very good to-day.'"

The Enchanted Banjo sings a comforting bedtime ballad near the book's conclusion, summarizing the story's gentle moral framework.

What It's Really About

Beneath its nonsense humor and playful absurdities, The King of Gee-Whiz explores the tension between material greed and simple goodness. The King's foolish obsession with gold and jewels—egged on by bad influences—literally separates him from his own shadow and leaves him hollow. The narrative repeatedly contrasts the destructive nature of wealth, such as the blinding reflection of the Madre d'Oro, with the modest, selfless desires of children and the natural beauty of the fairy realm. At its heart, the book argues that true contentment cannot be telephoned for or bought with gold; it is found in loyalty, kindness, and a clean conscience.

Why Read It Today

The King of Gee-Whiz offers a charming slice of early twentieth-century American fantasy that will delight fans of The Wizard of Oz or Edward Lear's nonsense verse. Emerson Hough's writing balances tongue-in-cheek satire of royal bureaucracy with genuinely imaginative world-building, complemented by Wilbur D. Nesbit's frequent, rhythmic musical lyrics. Modern readers will enjoy the story's dry humor, particularly the absurd antics of the Court Detective and the King's casual forgetfulness.

The prose is swift and accessible, though modern readers should expect periodic Victorian literary conventions, including theatrical song interludes and occasional light moralizing. The episodic structure makes it an ideal read-aloud book for younger audiences who appreciate whimsical creatures, silly magic, and high-seas adventure. Ultimately, the book stays with you as a lighthearted, imaginative escape that doesn't take itself too seriously while still delivering a warm, satisfying ending.