The author of "Wicked" has revealed that the idea for the friendship between Elphaba (the Wicked Witch) and Glinda (the Good Witch), revealed in an interview with BBC. Gregory Maguire was inspired by the origins of "The Wizard of Oz" and the time he was visiting Beatrix Potter's farm in Cumbria, England. The author also shared his own experiences with the Denver Center for Performing Arts and the Times of Sadaam Hussein. Despite initially thinking the idea of Glinda and Elphab attending college together was a kooky idea, Maguore pursued it.