Monday, January 28, 2008

Valentine Cards

Inside reads: "And I Just Wanna Hug the Stuffin' Out of You." Oversized card measuring 13" x 19" Price: $6.99



Lenticular ruby slippers on the front that click together as you move the card. Inside reads: "There's No One Like You, There's No One Like You, There's No One Like You." Innovations from Hallmark. Price: $4.99



My camera didn't capture the shiny ruby slippers. Inside reads: "If you said one woman who won't be stealing your guy, you're absolutely right! Have a Wickedly fun Valentine's Day." The reverse of the card reads: "and keep your hands off my shoes, too!" Price: $2.29

These cards can be found anywhere and everywhere Hallmark cards are sold. Thanks to Tracy Petroski and Eugene DeMarco for the heads up!

Friday, January 25, 2008

Update from Quilting Treasures

"Each Spring and Fall we will continue to offer a series of colorful fabric collections featuring the most compelling images from the movie, culminating in Fall 2009 with a celebration for the 70th anniversary of the film! Stay tuned and we will keep you updated on each Film Series collection as they arrive!"

This is some of the most exciting Oz collector news I've seen in a long time. Over the years I've read many, many requests on message boards for Oz fabric or bedding items. I'm starting to see auctions on eBay so it looks like the fabric has started shipping.

Friday, January 18, 2008

Vandor Pics 'n' Particulars

Wicked Witch Beautiful Wickedness Nylon Tote 16.75 "x 4" x 20.25"


Wicked Witch Coin Purse 6"

Miniature 4 Oz. Wicked Witch Mug 3.5" x 2.5"

Toto Salt & Pepper Shakers 3.5" x 3.5"

Ruby Slippers Mini Alarm Clock 2.75" x 1.5" x 3.5"


Ruby Slippers Night Light 3.25" x 2.75" x 4.25"


Ruby Slippers Waste Basket 9"x9"x10"

Glinda Mug & Coaster Set 5.5" x 5.5"

Domed Tin Tote 8" x 4.5" x 7.25"

Item nos. and pricing info to order from Karen Owens
storylandmi@aol.com
Wicked Witch Tote VN71473 $32.00
Wicked Witch Coin Purse VN71673 $9.49
Wicked Witch Mug VN71051 $4.49
Toto Salt & Pepper Set VN71131 $20.49
Ruby Slippers Clock VN71724 $10.49
Ruby Slippers Night Light VN71159 $16.49
Ruby Slippers Waste Basket VN71075 $9.99
Glinda Mug and Coaster Set VN71067 $16.49
Domed Tin Tote VN71076 $13.49

Thursday, January 17, 2008

The Wonderful Winsome Whimsies of Oz


Oregon folk artist Christy Meyers left the world of stock brokerage after 17 years to follow her heart. CC's Whimsies was born and celebrated their fifth anniversary in October. Christy's self taught artistry has grown by leaps & bounds. Christy is featured in the Winter 2008 issue of Art Doll Quarterly and her work was noticed by Ashton Drake who approached her about a series of Christmas ornaments based on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Ashton Drake was so pleased with the Oz designs that Christy has been commissioned to create Alice in Wonderland ornaments. The head of design was also impressed with Christy's artistry and requested that Christy make a series of vintage Mickey Mouses ornaments.



The Oz ornaments are made of resin and embellished with metallics, cloth, glitter and simulated crystals. The variety of textures adds a new dimension to our well loved characters. Their loosely jointed limbs is another charming feature giving the ornaments the appearance of dancing when they are moved. The first set is shipping now.

Due to the overwhelming response the Oz ornaments received, Christy Meyers will be making a series of clocks for Ashton Drake. Test Marketing is expected to kick off this month. First up in the series is the Tin Man. Illustrations of the Wicked Witch and Dorothy are shown below.


Christy still has many hopes and dreams for her enchanting creations, one of which is to publish stories about the Whimsies. Let's hope she considers a Wonderful Wizard of Oz storybook! I'm sure we'll be seeing lots of Christy's work in the future and I hope all of her dreams and whimsies come true!

Special thanks to Christy Meyers for allowing the use of her ad and conceptual photos in this entry. The Curiozity Corner extends a hearty Congratulations on all of CC's Whimsies new endeavors.

Madame Alexander

8 inch I'm Melting Set


8 inch Professor Marvel

8 inch Winged Monkey

Eight inch Elphaba

Eight inch Glinda

10 inch First Day of School Glinda

10 inch First Day of School Elphaba
The 10 inch Glinda and Elphaba dolls are limited to 300 pieces. Do not wait long if you plan to purchase. The first two dolls in the Wicked series sold out very quickly. Karen Owens will be carrying all of the Madame Alexander dolls. Please contact her for pricing and ordering info.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Best of 2007 Pt. 1

It's getting more challenging to pick the best because Oz collectibles have been getting better and better every year. I had to ask Karen Owens and Jim Whitcomb for their opinions. Karen has been an Oz retailer for many years and Jim is a long time collector with a genuine love of Oz. Not surprisingly they both gave it up for the green girl. She's getting more attention than ever and her cohorts are starting to make more appearances. I think in the coming years we'll be seeing more "minor" Oz characters pushed to the forefront.



Made in editions of 350 pieces, the 10" Coquettes of Elphaba and Glinda sold out very quickly. The dolls were introduced at IDEX in January and many retailers who waited a month later for Toy Fair missed out. No stranger to Broadway, the Alexander Doll Company has been producing dolls based on theatre personalities since 1952. Last year Alexander tackled the newest sensation from the Great White Way, Wicked. The first two dolls from the collection were featured on the cover of the July 2007 issue of Doll Reader. Elphaba's olive skinned beauty has been difficult to capture properly on film. Both dolls are 10 times more gorgeous when seen in person. Elphaba's Act II dress and Glinda's bubble gown are meticulously reproductions of Susan Hilferty's Tony winning costume designs.



Yes, I'm a little biased because I love Looney Tunes and Hallmark. These little guys just scream fun. I am pleased to say the Looney Halloween ornaments sold out faster than the Disney ones.


My other pick is Toto's Great Escape. To the delight of Oz fans we're starting to see more & more flying monkeys independent of the Wicked Witch. This ornament was very limited but luckily it wasn't as hard to find as first thought. As the 70th anniversary quickly approaches, Hallmark is one place to keep an eye on.


Disney and Oz, another great combination! The Mickey's Magical Time in Oz figurine and display set was designed by Disney artists for the Hamilton Collection. The figurines are interchangeable and measure from 2 1/2" to 4 1/4" tall. The display stands at 6 1/2" tall.


Hawthorne Village gave us two long awaited pieces last year. The Wizard of Oz Collectible Sculpture is a double sided miniature capturing Dorothy's arrival in Oz and her tearful departure on the reverse. The scenes light up and include 10 figurines that can be moved around. It measures 12 1/2" wide by 7 1/2"tall.


My favorite of the two is the 'Wizard of Oz Wicked Witch Castle'. You can relive the capture of Dorothy & Toto by the flying monkeys as the Wicked Witch circles overhead proclaiming "I'll get you my pretty, and your little dog too!" There have been a couple of Wicked Witch castle pieces produced, but this is the best one in my opinion. The sculpture also lights up and is made of hand painted resin. It measures 9" wide by 12 1/2" tall.



Some of my very favorite Oz pieces by far are by Jim Shore. He has won numerous awards from the collectibles community for his amazing stone resin work. He draws inspiration from various decorative techniques including rosmaling, applique', and quilting and had integrated these sources of inspiration into his Wonderful Wizard of Oz Collection very successfully. The pieces measure 6 3/4" - 8 1/2" tall. The displayer is 9" tall by 13" long and reads 'Follow the Road Paved with Yellow Bricks'. Warner Brothers really needs to grant license to Jim Shore. He does wonders with the Disney characters and there's no doubt he can do the same for MGMs.


Since their Oz series started, Lenox has been delivering excellence consistently. I suspect their new Wizard figurine is an early contender for my best of 2008. No Wicked Witch lover will want to be without 2007's An Evil Spell is Cast. It plays 'We're Off to See the Wizard' and stands at 10" tall. All of Lenox's figurines are china with 24K gold accents.








Best of 2007 Pt. 2


The third time's a charm! Mattel's latest run down the yellow brick road gave us the Wicked Witch of the West and Winkie & Winged Monkey giftset. The Winkie giftset was a KB Toys/Toys R Us exclusive and can still be ordered from Toys R Us online. The Wicked Witch of the West was a huge hit and proved difficult to find in some parts of the country. She is now completely sold out from Mattel.


Who can forget how much fun it was to collect the Madame Alexander Happy Meal Toys and promotional displays?


The Wicked Witch Hat Globe is a magnificent piece of art. Frankly, I was getting a little bored with waterglobes then San Francisco Music Box produces this wonder. It's 11" tall and plays 'Optimistic Voices'. Dorothy and the flying monkeys rotate inside the globe. The brim and conical are decorated with relief scenes of the Witch's castle.


A second best of 2007 from the SFMB is the 5 foot tall Wicked Witch of the West. The gargantuan green goddess can be yours for $2,500. Yowza! These are very limited in number. Please contact Karen Owens if you are interested.
storylandmi@aol.com


Taking Flight is one of the most beautiful Oz dolls ever produced. She wears a lavish re-design of the original Wicked Witch costume with shiny winged monkeys adorning the full skirt. A tiny flying monkey is perched atop her bonnet. She stands at 16" tall and Tonner accessorized her with a 6" tall crystal ball so she can keep an ever watchful eye on Dorothy and her three companions.


Vandor's Bad Witch cookie jar is a limited edition of 1200. Having this fantastically frightful rendition of the Wicked Witch and Nikko guard over your cookies might be a good diet incentive.


The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Wee Forest Folk miniatures are sold exclusively at Fairy Tales. They were premiered during Fairy Tales' 'Simply Wicked Weekend' in September. In addition to the main figures shown below, attendees also had the option to purchase 3 pairs of Munchkin figurines which quickly sold out. The individual figurines also were quick to sell and now the mice can be purchased only in matched numbered sets. All of these charming little mice are signed by designer Willy Peterson and they are limited to 500 pieces. It is difficult to judge their full appeal with photos. The burlap on the Scarecrow's face and the hint of green on the Wicked Witch's are the kinds of details Wee Forest Folk takes pride in. Glinda and various accessories have since been added to the line.


















Vandor 2008

Thanks to a heads up from Jim Whitcomb here's a list of the new items from Vandor:

Toto & Basket Salt & Pepper Shakers

Beautiful Wickedness Cloth Tote and matching coin purse (sold separately) Karen Owens already has these in stock.

storylandmi@aol.com
Wicked Witch Mug

Glinda Mug & Coaster Set

Oz Metal Tote vintage poster art from the 1970s

Ruby Slippers night light, trash can, and alarm clock

I'll post pics soon when I find some better quality photos.

Sunday, January 06, 2008

Wizard of Oz Train Set


The Wizard of Oz Express. Hawthorne's first-ever train set inspired by "the greatest fantasy film of all time"...The Wizard of Oz.

Begin your illuminated On30 scale train set-that runs on HO gauge track-with the Steam Locomotive and Tender. You will be billed the first of three easy payments of $23.31 (plus $8.99 shipping and service) before it is sent. Soon, you can look forward to adding coordinating The Wizard of Oz Express passenger cars including the FREE figurines-billed separately each at the same attractive price and sent about one every other month. You can cancel at any time simply by notifying us.

Figurines, power-pack and E-Z Track elevated roadbed-enough for a 56" x 38" oval included FREE - a $100 value.

Locomotive & Cars light up.

Hawthorne Village Masterpiece Railways. Item No: 917182-E85701


Thanks to Eugene DeMarco for the pic and ordering info.
Note: The coloring might be a little off. The photo was a dark so we had to tinker with it a bit.

Friday, January 04, 2008

This Just In...From Quilting Treasures

"We are working on some great new collections for Spring. Accompany Dorothy and Toto as they meet the Tin Man, The Scarecrow and The Cowardly Lion in Classic Film Series 3 of The Wizard of Oz!"