Save The Ruby Slippers: Smithsonian Seeks Funds To Preserve Dorothy's Shoes
- by Paula Vaughn
- in Culture
- — Oct 21, 2016
- NOT MADE TO LAST: The shoes are almost 80 years old, and like most movie props, they weren't built to last.
The ruby slippers at the Smithsonian are among five known surviving pairs of red shoes from the film production (including the "Arabian Test Pair", in a more ornate style, which was made for the movie but never actually used in the film). In addition to keeping the shoes' color from deteriorating further, the money will go toward a technologically advanced display case that will preserve them for future generations. The Smithsonian also plans to move the slippers to a new exhibition on American pop culture that's set to open in 2018.
Museum officials started a Kickstarter fundraising drive Monday to fix the iconic slippers from 1939's "The Wizard of Oz" and create a new state-of-the-art display case for them at the National Museum of American History.
This is the second major Kickstarter campaign from the Smithsonian museum.
Dorothy's iconic red slippers from "The Wizard of Oz" are in need of fix after 77 years in the spotlight, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Smithsonian's pair was donated anonymously in 1979 after being sold at auction in 1970.
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While all of the Smithsonian museums are funded by American taxpayers, public, private and corporate donations are often sought for ambitious projects not covered by its annual budget.
Last year, their first Kickstarter raised over $700,000 to preserve Neil Armstrong's space suit he wore on the moon.
To add to the uniqueness of the props, one shoe is wider than the other and Garland's name is written on the inside of each of the slippers. The sequins are made of gelatin with a primitive plastic coating, and many are no longer red because the coating has flaked off, in part because of decades of exposure to light and moisture.
According to the Smithsonian's Kickstarter page, numerous slippers' sequins are no longer red due to exposure to light and moisture, and threads have torn and ripped over the years.
The Smithsonian has also pledged to use donations to research the ideal conditions in which to store the shows. The new case is likely to contain a gas other than oxygen, with controls on temperature, humidity and barometric pressure, Barden said. Various rewards are on offer, depending on the amount of money pledged.
