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.

Finalized Tin Man DVD Art

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Tin-Man-Final-Box-Art/8776

Wizard of Oz Village Online

http://www.collectiblestoday.com/ct/product/prdid-917097.jsp?_wizard+of+oz/_prod/_/_/_48/_/_/_Y&endeca=true

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.

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!"

First Look at Tentative Tin Man Cover Art

Cover art is still subject to change though I hope it doesn't. Click on photos to enlarge. Please see the TV on DVD site for a list of some of the extras.
http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releases/Tin-Man-Complete-Series/7369

Half Moon Bay UK

I've seen a couple of these things on eBay and couldn't figure anything out other than they were from the UK. I think I'm loving the make up bag. It's nice to see things that are functional and not just pretty. Not that I don't just LOVE pretty..... I have been advised these items are not for sale in the United States and that shipping is quite expensive so proceed with caution!

http://www.halfmoonbay.co.uk/ProductCatalogue.asp?GroupID=1562

New Westland Giftware

This entry is a bit of a mess because I was experimenting with the photos a bit. But you get to see the new stuff and as always, I'm sure Karen Owens will be stocking these.

San Francisco Music Box 2008

Wicked Witch fans are not going to get a rest this year! Sorry guys. San Francisco Music Box's 2008 introductions do not disappoint. Please see Karen Owens' site for particulars and ordering info. Thanks Karen!

http://www.wizardofozland.com/sfmb.php

Lenox 2008 The Wizard

Another marvelous piece of work from Lenox. Retail: $195. Release date is January but some have already shown up on eBay.

2008 Intros Have Begun

New additions to the Jewelled Boxes line from Dept. 56

Glinda $60

No Place Like Home $60

He's a Bad Apple $60

Wicked Witch of the West $60

Winged Monkey $50

Karen Owens is taking advance orders now. http://www.wizardofozland.com/dept56.php

Thank you Karen!!!

More new announcements are expected soon so please keep checking back!

Enlarge pictures for more detail.

WMS Gaming

I'm not entirely sure what this is, possibly a slot machine, but it's really darn cool!!!!!

http://www.wms.com/game-detail.php?Category=00&SubCat=&SubCat2=&Themes=768


Online game:
http://www.road2g2e.com/php/play.php?g=2&u=f8d52ab4c91e2a8a5b9948f9313d7c38

Video: http://www.road2g2e.com/gi/wizardofoz/index.php?g=2&u=f8d52ab4c91e2a8a5b9948f9313d7c38

Wicked Popular Snowglobe

You can order the snowglobe via the Ozdust Boutique here:

http://www.wickedmerch.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=POPULARGLOBE

One more globe is planned for the series. For Good will probably be available this time next year.

Fabric Pt. 1

Wizard of Oz decor is always in demand. The last Oz bedding I'm aware of is from the 1970s. There was to be a bedding line in the early 2000s, but the deal fell through. Oz fans have been forced to rely on fabric companies to fill in the gap. Even fabric seems to be few and far between, but I'd think you'd be surprised at how many there really are.


Quilters often use their craft to tell a story. The universal theme of searching for where one truly belongs makes Oz a favored motif among quilters. Who wouldn't feel at home wrapped in a cozy Oz quilt?


Here are some of the Oz fabrics that have turned up over the years. Click on the photos to enlarge.







In addition to the patterns shown below, this pattern comes in yellow checks. A company identified as CBS had bedding and towels with Denslow illustrations. It's possible the fabric is theirs as well.

This next piece was sold as fabric on eBay, but I'm unsure if it was fabric or if it was part of the bedding line that had been cut up.

This fabric I really doubt is meant to be for the Wizard of Oz. I'm not inclined to believe that every little girl with a scarecrow is Oz related. Scarecrows are usually staples of farm scenes which are common in collectibles and a lot of times mistaken for Oz. It's hard to tell without seeing the entire pattern but there's nothing on this swatch that gives any hint of the land over the rainbow. However, it's worth noting in case I'm wrong.

This next piece is Wizard by Never Misbehaves. The book 100 Years of Oz: A Century of Images from the Wizard of Oz Collection of Willard Carroll by John Fricke dates this fabric to the 1950s.

The Wizard of Oz Collector's Treasury by Jay Scarfone & William Stillman identifies this fabric as being made by Home Fabrics & Draperies, Inc. Late 50s - early 60s.

Again, this is a piece that I'm unsure whether or not it's fabric unto itself or a piece cut from the Fieldcrest bedding line, early 1960s.

Fabric Pt. 2

100 years of Oz places this fabric in the 1970s, but the manufacturer is not named.

The green picture below shows a pattern on curtains by Ronni Ray. I'm unsure if the curtains were made from this fabric or vice versa. The same characters are also pictured on a white background which may or may not be fabric or from yet another bedding line.



This cheery fabric seems to have taken great pains to avoid copyright infringement, yet note the Wicked Witch hanging out of the castle holding a red shoe! I found this photo in 2003, but the actual date of manufacture remains unknown.

This is what I call the Dark Side of the Moon fabric. I found this picture in 2005 and I've only seen it once. It could possibly be foreign or unlicensed altogether. To the best of my knowledge this was the only fabric to use the MGM characters until this year.

The Friends of Oz flannel fabric was sold exclusively at JoAnn Fabrics.

This cute Japanese fabric is from a line of fairytales and what fairytale line would be complete without The Wizard of Oz? This fabric also came in white, red, lime, and pink.

Fabrics Pt. 3 David Textiles

In honor of the 100th anniversary of the publication of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, David Textiles produced a large line of cotton and fleece fabrics in shades of green, gold, blue, pink, and purple. The patterns were designed by Beth Rruske and the fabric was licensed by the Baum Trust. This was a very popular line that sold out quickly.

Below is a link to a beautiful quilt designed by Jim Whitcomb. His website also features other projects using this fabric. Be sure to take a look around Jim's site. It's the most comprehensive Oz site and has been cited many times in articles on the internet and in magazines around the world.

http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/hills/6396/ozquilt.htm

Fabrics Pt. 4 Quilting Treasures

An Oz-stounding line of fabrics commemorating the 70th anniversary of the MGM film comes to us from Quilting Treasures. The line starts with the lush sepia toned Under the Rainbow Collection. Dorothy's Kansas never looked so good!! .

The Over the Rainbow Collection transports us to the dramatic technicolor of Munchkinland where Dorothy not only encounters the native inhabitants but both her guide and her nemesis.

Pattern for Whirlwind Quilt

http://www.quiltingtreasures.com/stuff/contentmgr/files/c8137efab1b1f10313f825e4f22b8cd2/download/whirlwind_quilt_project_sheet.pdf

Pattern for Not in Kansas Anymore quilt

http://www.quiltingtreasures.com/stuff/contentmgr/files/8cafd91a52ec724a41902eeec6c32901/download/not_in_kansas_anymore_.pdf

Fabrics were expected for release this month, but have been pushed back to January or as late as February. Keep watching http://www.quiltingtreasures.com/ and the Curiozity Corner for news. There's already quite a buzz about the new fabrics and there are rumors of new patterns and possibly a quilt.

Start planning your projects now and order your fabric early. Anticipation is high and I'm sure this is going to be the most sought after Oz fabric yet. Mass retailers like Jo Ann Fabrics & The Fabric Depot will not be carrying the Oz line as Quilting Treasures deals with only independent retailers, but you can order these fabrics from Karen Owens.

http://www.wizardofozland.com/fabrics.php

Any dream you dare to dream is possible with these 100% cotton medium gauge fabrics. Napkins, tablecloths, curtains, clothing, quilts.......let your imagination take you up over the rainbow and beyond.

Tin Man on DVD

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Tin-Man-DVD-Details/8592

I'll post cover art as soon as it's available.

Check out the website of Rick Ewigleben

Launched just in time for Christmas!

www.ricksartstudio.com