H.G. Wells' short story "The Man Who Could Work Miracles" ends with this happening, thanks to a very ill-advised wish on the protagonist's part. Also the 30's movie adaptation...
The "original book" was written co-currently with the movie. The book/movie combo was loosely inspired by an earlier short story by Clarke called The Sentinel.EDIT: I was trying to reply to dnc's comment
Additionally, I've read that the original version of that critter didn't have that headpiece; it was added after the female star of the movie made fun of this squatty little thing trying to be scary.
"And even if he was a lazy man - and The Dude was most certainly that - quite possibly the laziest in Los Angeles County .. which would place him high in the runnin' for laziest worldwide."
Thomas Midgley, one of the other scientists, didn't "die with a smile on his face" as the article speculates. He contracted Polio, built an elaborate rope and pulley system to help himself in bed, and ended up strangling to death when it malfunctioned. So yeah, backfired would be an understatement.
I wouldn't be surprised if it was based on garbled reports of hippos, who actually do spray intruders from the back end. If they aren't just chomping on them.
The article gets at least one fact wrong- it was a different good witch that kisses Dorothy at the start of the novel, not Glinda. Which also points out a plot-hole that the movie introduced by having Glinda send Dorothy off on her quest, instead of just telling her straight off about the shoes. In the original, the first less-powerful witch doesn't know about the shoes, and sends Dorothy to the Wizard after she does some divination-magic. Glinda only appears at the very end, after Dorothy and Co. travel to her distant home. And they did make a sequel, Return to Oz, which is actually pretty good, if maybe too scary for really young children.
It should be made clear this did star Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno, reprising their roles from the TV series. And that it wasn't until these movies got made that this version of the Hulk met any other Marvel superheroes; in the second film in the series he/they meet Daredevil. In the last one, Banner dies. I guess he was supposed to be brought back to life, but then Bill Bixby died in real life, putting an end to it all.
And they did make a sequel, Return to Oz, which is actually pretty good, if maybe too scary for really young children.