Oct 18, 2016
By Jane Brown
The ruby slippers that whisked Dorothy back to Kansas in three clicks are looking a little worn down, prompting the Smithsonian to launch a $300,000 online campaign to conserve them.
Museum staff have started a Kickstarter fundraising drive to repair 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.
The sequined shoes were crafted almost 80 years ago by the MGM Studios prop department for Judy Garland to wear in the iconic film and have grown fragile and faded over time.
The campaign, dubbed KeepThemRuby, offers donor rewards ranging from T-shirts and tote bags to replica slippers and behind-the-scenes tours.
This isn’t the Smithsonian’s first Kickstarter drive. In 2015, it raised $700,000 to conserve Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit.
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