The Most Important Kickstarter Campaign Oz Fans Can Ever Back!

Occasionally, I will post a Kickstarter campaign here, because there are a lot of good Ozzy ones out there. But there are also so many that I don't dare try to look at them all, or encourage you to back them. But this is probably the one Ozzy campaign that I can most emphatically say you must contribute to if you are at all capable of doing so: The Ruby Slippers.

Let me just say that again to make it real clear what this is: Conserving and preserving the Ruby Slippers, the pair used in The Movie at the Smithsonian Institution.

One more time, in case you still don't understand:

Conserving. The. Actual. Screen-Worn. Ruby. Slippers.

Have I made it clear now?

This is one of only four known pairs of the slippers in existence, and probably the most famous. They were the first pair auctioned off, at the famed 1970 MGM auction where they went for a then-astonishing price of $15,000 (that sure seems like a bargain today). They were later donated to the Smithsonian, where they became one of their most popular and visited exhibits. It turns out that being on display for thirty years under hot lights is taking its toll, and the sequins are deteriorating and discoloring. The Institution wants to conserve and restore the slippers, and create a state-of-the-art display case for them to preserve them for a long, long time to come. I got to see them a few years ago in Portland when the Smithsonian went on tour for its 150th anniversary, and it was a pretty special moment. The rest of the items were cool, too, but there is something about the Ruby Slippers that just made the whole thing that much better (but I may be biased).

The Smithsonian is looking for $300,000 over the next thirty days, and it looks like they're already off to a good start. But one can never assume anything with something like this. So if you can contribute, please do so. Then spread the word! We need not only Oz fans, but anyone interested in the Golden Age of Hollywood or American pop culture in on this. Let's get them that money ASAP so we can see what kind of stretch goals they offer! Just click your heels together three times right here to watch the video and see what kinds of goodies they have to offer.