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ANTIQUES PEEK
ANTIQUES PEEK
Follow the Yellow Brick Road
s everyone knows, multi-film movie
franchises often change the way we all
Aview the world. Some movie
franchises even seem to take on lives of
their own. Among them are Harry
Potter and Star Wars. Every once
in a while, throughout the history
of film, single movie releases have
also had the same type of impact.
Their scenes are memorable, their
lines are quotable, and they are indelibly
etched into our minds and hearts. One
such film is The Wizard of Oz.
Let’s take a peek at what makes this
film such a beloved classic and why
collectibles relating to it are still so
popular, even nearly 85 years after its
initial release.
L. Frank Baum’s Oz Impact
From 1900 to 1920, L. Frank
Baum wrote 14 Oz books, beginning
with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. That
book was the inspiration for the later release
of the 1939 movie we all know and love
starring Judy Garland. Mr. Baum’s books
were full of wonderful flights of fancy
children loved. They were also
brimming with
important
themes as
well as
morals.
The topics
ranged from
forming friend-
ships to fighting
back against bad
treatment. The books
were initially thought
of as mere fairy tales
for children until the
The Wonderful movie’s release.
Wizard of Oz When The Wizard of
First Edition Oz came out, it brought
Baum’s vision to
life in an extremely vivid way. That
caused adults to suddenly realize it
had a lot to offer them, too.
The Wizard of Oz in Technicolor
A reason The Wizard of Oz is so
popular today is that it was one of the
earliest full-length films
produced in Technicolor. The impact
of Dorothy and her friends
following the yellow brick road
would not have been the same if
the road was lacking its vibrant hues.
Nor would the impact of the ruby
slippers or Emerald City. Bringing The third floor of a collector’s home
all of those elements and more into
38 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles
by Jessica Kosinski
a bright, vivid perspective cemented those Of course, dresses are not the only expen-
images in the minds of anyone who saw sive props from the film. Another example is
the film. the Cowardly Lion’s costume. In 2014, it sold
for over three million dollars. Then there are
The Songs and Dances of Oz Judy’s famous ruby slippers. Several pairs
The Wizard of Oz is also such a were made, but one iconic pair is highly
beloved film because of its sound- coveted for an unusual reason today.
track. Songs viewers could actually After they were stolen from the Judy
hear and see performed brought new Garland Museum in 2005, they
elements to the story not conveyed vanished. They were not
in the books. In fact, Judy recovered until many
Garland became almost syn- years later. When they
onymous with Somewhere were stolen, they were
Over the Rainbow after she valued at between one
sang it as Dorothy in the
movie. Similarly, the danc- and two million
ing and choreography made dollars. Since their
it not just one of the most recovery, their value
beloved movies of all has only increased.
time, but also one of
the most beloved General
musicals. Collectibles
The lost then found of Oz
Dorothy’s Dress The Colorful Movie Chances are
Memorabilia available for you may not
The Wizard of Oz have a few
If you are thinking of collecting The million dollars
a Fan Favorite
Wizard of Oz items, you have two options. lying around to
The first is to collect actual memorabilia from invest in The Cowardly Lion Costume -
the movie. Movie memorabilia refers to any movie
objects used in direct connection with the memo -
production of a film. Depending on the film rabilia
in question, examples of memorabilia might from The
include scripts, advertisements, costumes, or Wizard of Oz,
assorted props, among other items. but not to worry! You
One example of movie memorabilia from can still become a Wizard of Oz collector,
The Wizard of Oz is Dorothy’s dress, or rather thanks to the millions of products produced
Dorothy’s dresses. Several were used during based on the Oz books and movies. A good
production. One was sold at auction in 2015 place to start is with the books by Frank L.
for well over one million dollars. Another Baum. I am the proud owner of a few early
copies, but new copies are still being produced
dress was slated to be sold in 2022 after its today, so they are easy to find.
re-discovery. It had been missing for decades
Once you have a full set of the Oz books,
and expected to sell, but an ownership dispute you can begin branching off into other
delayed the sale. Oziana, which incidentally is also
the name of an international The
Wizard of Oz club you can join, if
you so choose.
Your collectible options are practi-
cally limitless. You could collect Oz
dolls, lamps, or jewelry, just
to name a few options.
There are also more
unique options avail-
able, like a nutcracker
wearing an Emerald
City hat with
Dorothy and her
friends on the brim.
The sky, or in this case
somewhere over the
rainbow, is the limit!