Answer to Puzzle Contest:
Munchkin. The "nowhere near Kansas" part was a reference to Dorothy's famous statement in The Wizard of Oz. Munchkins appeared in The Wizard of Oz, and this work is the origin of the word munchkin.
Winner: Henry DeGraaf
Contest Statistics: Newsletter sent to 316255 subscribers, 23 answers submitted, 23 answers correct, 100.00% accuracy. Chance of a correct answer winning: 4.35%. It would appear that I will need to start making these puzzles a little harder...