The comic strip, written by Baum and illustrated by Walt McDougall, brought Oz characters including the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and others[2] to the United States for various humorous adventures.

[6] Baum and Morgan's picture book was published in January 1905, to help publicize a new musical play, The Woggle-Bug, that was being mounted that year.

The book was copiously illustrated, with pictures and text alternating on recto and verso pages; it was printed in bright colors in a large format, eleven by fifteen inches.

The Bug pursues his love through the town, ineptly courting the women (Irish, Swedish, and African-American, plus one Chinese man) who have the dress in turn.

"[8] At its best, the book also delivers zany absurdities: In Africa, the Bug meets a charming Miss Chimpanzee who guides him through the intricacies of jungle life.

Miss Chim has a low opinion of human beings: The Bug has his fortune told by a hippopotamus: The king of this jungle is not a lion but a weasel, who rejects flattery and accepts only insults and face slaps.