Munchkin Country is the nickname used by US government insiders for what is technically called the US Government Overflow Storage Facility #2 but what is really an underground bunker in which important members of the government could shelter in the occurrence of a catastrophic event. Not only does the use of nicknames like this decrease fear or anxiety when the place or item is used, but it also creates a sense of being an insider and part of a club. A similar term used to name the nuclear football that contains the codes needed to confirm the president’s identity and authority to launch nuclear war is “the Biscuit.” This name occurs in the novel and in real life as well. The US government has given bombs similar nicknames, such as “Thin Man,” “Fat Man,” and the atomic “Little Boy.”

The name “Munchkin Country” references the Hollywood musical fantasy film The Wizard of Oz (1939) based on the series by L. Frank Baum. In the film, Dorothy’s house is flown in a tornado from the normal world to that of the magical and chaotic Oz. A quote spoken by Dorothy to her dog, “Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore,” is a saying and meme to express that things are no longer normal but rather uncomfortable and unknown.