This was the country once ruled by the malevolent Wicked Witch of the West before Dorothy Gale "melted" her with a bucket of water, as narrated in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Michael Patrick Hearn suggests the name Winkie means "a little bit of light," referring to the country "where the sun sets.

Among them are: The most famous depiction of the Winkies is in the 1939 musical film where they appear as the regimental army of the Wicked Witch of the West, marching in formation and chanting repeatedly.

This region is also almost completely isolated from the rest of the country, as it is bordered by deserts at north, west and south, and obstructed to the east by the Great and Lesser Kells mountain ranges, with the only way in Kumbricia's Pass.

The Vinkus is the least populated and least fertile land of Maguire's Oz as well, being portrayed as a semi-desolated place with vast extenses of grasslands, mountains and deserts, with its largest lake, Kellswater, described as toxic and lifeless.

The Vinkus River runs up to Kiamo Ko, home of the Tigelaar Family, leaders of the Arkiji Tribe and the only permanent settlement in the region.

Metallica sampled the chants of the Winkie guards outside the Wicked Witch's castle from The Wizard of Oz film on the intro to the track "The Frayed Ends of Sanity" on their 1988 album ...And Justice for All.

In the 1995 television special The Wizard of Oz in Concert: Dreams Come True which is based on the 1939 film, the Winkies appear without being dressed similar to Russian guards and holding pikes, but perform their chant until Dorothy melts the Wicked Witch (Debra Winger).