New From Breygent

Officially announced!

http://www.breygent.com/wizardofoz2.htm

Curiozity Updates

The Hallmark tablepiece has proven to be a very popular item even among non-Oz collectors. Many stars around the country sold out their stock within the first hour of opening on October 7th. ‘I’ll Get You My Pretty’ is a lovely, animated recreation of the Wicked Witch’s confrontation in Munchkinland. Be sure to check your piece carefully. I’ve heard of faulty paint jobs and pieces not working. Good policy when buying any collectible. If Hallmark Gold Crown retail stores are unable to reorder they are more than happy to attempt to track down a piece for you or you can order direct from Hallmark.com.  Please see the video to view the piece in action.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vxsV18xgVg

The Wizard of Oz trading card boxes from Breygent sold out very quickly, but rest assured, no one need miss out entirely. Breygent recently made two new introductions. The first is a nifty wooden box containing 10 packs of cards. Oversized sketch and prop cards are randomly inserted. Only 2000 boxes have been produced so don’t wait too long if you are considering buying this. The box will be useful storage for your trading cards or any other small Oz treasures. Prepackaged sets of cards in an edition of 500 are also now available. In addition to the 72 base cards, the set includes 5 promo cards and one sketch card. There is a second series of cards in the works, but approval is still pending from Warner Brothers.
  

I found a white long sleeved a t-shirt by Quail Hollow. It reads “Are you a good witch or a bad witch?” with an illustration of ruby slippers and striped witch socks. This was hanging with the Halloween shirts at my local Fred Meyer.

There’s been a recent surge of Oz paper products. The Current Catalog offers exclusive 12 x 12 scrapbooking papers in various designs, 2 sets of stickers, and a set of note cards. Thanks Karen O. for this info!  Anthony Grandio, who has produced Oz personal checks for years now has address labels. Perfect for paying all those Oz related bills or happier Oz mailings.  And in case you missed them, Colorful Images carries address labels and other assorted paper goods.

The highly anticipated Wizard of Oz Celebriducks should be available for purchase any day now. Wizard of Oz festival attendees last month were treated to a sneak preview and the precious few sets were snapped up quickly. These are limited in number and will undoubtedly be sell outs. http://www.marinij.com/marin/ci_4481233

Virginia Turner has introduced Glinda to her dazzling Oz line in her recent newsletter. Glinda is a real beauty.

And lastly, a couple of pieces of jewelry to report. Ashton Drake carries a flip flop shoe pendant encrusted with ruby like Swarovski crystals. The familiar phrase ‘There’s No Place Like Home’ is engraved on the reverse of the shoe. The pendant measures 1 inch and comes with an 18” gold plated sterling silver chain. The ‘There’s No Place Like Home Swarovski Crystal Pendant’ is priced around $40 plus shipping and the item no. is 03-00789-001-B Thanks Jim W. for the info.
CANCELLED


Finally, we have the GORGEOUS ‘Wizard of Oz Over the Rainbow Charm Bracelet’ from the Bradford Exchange. There are 9 charms of Oz icons with quotes from the film on the reverse of each charm. The bracelet is 24K gold plated with swarovski crystals accenting the charms. The price is around $119.00 plus shipping. Item no. for the bracelet is 01-02813-002-IVL. This stunning bracelet should be finding its way into a lot of Christmas stockings this year! Both the Ashton Drake pendant and Bradex charm bracelet can be ordered by calling Collectibles Today at 1-877-268-6638. Thanks Robyn B!!   http://www.bradfordexchange.com/products/102813002_wizard-of-oz-bracelet.html



Hard as I try, it’s impossible to keep up on Oz collectibles by myself. Thank you again to Karen O., Jim W., and Robyn B for the heads up on all of the wonderful Oz items.

HUGE 2007 NEWS FROM MATTEL!!!!!

New from Mattel...........Another set of Wizard of Oz Barbies!!!!!! And this time including THE WICKED WITCH!!!!!!!

 Munchkins too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Curiozity September 2006 Updates

Walmart is carrying a t-shirt of the Scarecrow in their Juniors Department. It's a nice inexpensive item to show off your Scarecrow pride!! I've seen similar shirts of Dorothy, the Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion but I do not know where they are sold. Keep your eyes peeled wherever you shop!!  2011 Update:  Turns out these shirts weren't licensed.   The company was taken to court by WB and you can read about the results here.

And speaking of t-shirts, a purple Wicked Witch shirt is being sold in Cracker Barrel restaurants.



And more for the Wicked Witch fans...Lenox has just released their Witch's Fury figurine. A wonderful addition to the Lenox Wizard of Oz collection.

The Wicked Witch's Castle masterpiece edition from Hawthorne Village is now listed on the Bradford Exchange site. This piece has been a long time coming so I hope this means the wait is almost over.  The piece measures 9" W by 12 1/2" T.   The piece lights up and you can hear the Wicked Witch threaten Dorothy while the Witch flies around the castle.

Fans of the Oz books will be delighted to know Eric Shanower's Adventures in Oz was published in July. Adventures in Oz is a collection of Eric Shanower's beautiful graphic novels.

I have heard the Celebriducks will make their debut at the Wizard of Oz Festival in Indiana. I predict these will be HOT items so be sure to check them out. Other characters from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz are expected to follow shortly.

Early news for 2007.......Madame Alexander Wizard of Oz Happy Meal Toys!!!!!!!! I can't tell you how excited I am about these. Characters and exact release dates haven't been confirmed yet. Stay tuned!

Lastly, for the Judy Garland fans, one of my favorite Judy films, Presenting Lily Mars will be released on DVD on December 19th. Other Judy films to be possibly released next year include The Pirate, The Clock, and a Mickey Rooney/Judy Garland boxed set. Let's hope so!!

As you can see, lots of Oz to enjoy right now and the Indiana Oz festival is only days away. Hopefully, there will be more news to report afterwards and I expect to hear news of 2007 items in late fall/early winter. I'm planning a couple of special blog entries to be posted soon so please keep checking back!
P.S.    Karen Owens should be carrying many of these items. Please check with her after mid-September regarding pricing and availability. It's never to early to start putting your Christmas wish list together! If you are attending the Oz festival please stop by her booth. She'll have lots of great Oz items.    www.wizardofozland.com

Alexander Doll Photos

Please enlarge photo for detail.

Madame Alexander and the Dolls of Oz

The dreams you dare to dream really do come true. This was certainly the case for Madame Beatrice Alexander who wanted to create beautiful dolls that would stimulate a child's imagination and be cherished for a lifetime. Eighty-three years later her dream lives on.

Madame Alexander's father Maurice was the epitome of the American Dream. He was born in Russia and learned the doll trade in Germany. He immigrated to the United States where he met and married another immigrant, Hannah Pepper. In 1895, Maurice opened the country's first doll hospital in New York City and later that same year "Madame" Beatrice Alexander was born in an apartment of the hospital.

Madame Alexander grew up watching the powerful bond between children and their dolls when tearful little ones would bring their broken dolls to the hospital for repair. No doubt an image that influenced Madame Alexander greatly as her very first dolls were unbreakable.

When World War I cut off the supply of dolls from Germany, Beatrice started to create her own cloth dolls and in 1923 the Alexander Doll Company was born. At a time when women weren't encouraged to go into business, Madame Alexander forged ahead and her company prospered. Also in 1923, FAO Schwarz became the first retailer to carry her dolls. Over 60 years later, FAO Schwarz would dub Madame Alexander the "first lady of dolls."

Over the years, Madame Alexander engineered many firsts in the doll world and won numerous awards for her designs.

Madame Alexander was often inspired by children's literature, history, and film. She seemed to have keen insight for knowing what characters would excite the public and continued finding innovative ways to recreate them time and again. The impeccable costuming, hairstyles and irresistible cherub-like faces have endeared Madame Alexander dolls to collectors from the company's inception and the designs get more elaborate with each passing year.

Among her first dolls was Alice in Wonderland, one of Madame's favorite literary characters. In 1933 Madame Alexander started a relationship with Disney that continues to this day and in 1937 a Scarlett O'Hara doll was produced based on the novel Gone with the Wind that was published the year before.

With the company's history of producing dolls of famous personalities and characters, it's no wonder in 1989 the Alexander Doll Company paid homage to the 50th Anniversary of the MGM film The Wizard of Oz with the release of a 14" vinyl Dorothy doll. Dorothy, dressed a blue jumper over a short sleeved white blouse with her dark hair tied in ponytails, looked like any little farm girl ready for adventure.

The following year an 8" 20th Anniversary Dorothy was made in a limited edition of 50 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Doll Cradle in Kansas. Oftentimes, the Alexander Doll Company creates very exclusive dolls as a token of appreciation for a retailer's continued patronage. In 1991, another 8" Dorothy was added to the Alexander Doll Company's Storyland Series.

Other characters soon followed and the Oz line has continued to expand over the years, eventually adding on such neglected characters as Miss Gulch, the Apple Tree, Auntie Em and Uncle Henry. Even Toto in 8" doll form, made an appearance at the 1997 Walt Disney World Doll and Teddy Bear Convention.

In the 8" doll line Dorothy wore costuming like that of her MGM counterpart while her three companions from the Land of Oz appeared to have jumped right off the storybook pages. The early Oz dolls were attired in enchanting designs and vivid colors that brought the familiar characters to life in a whole new way. In the late 1990s the Oz characters started to take on the look of the MGM film. Characters are added to and retired from the Oz line regularly to keep the line fresh and collectors on their toes. Some dolls are manufactured for only a year or less and others are made in small editions. The munchkins and winged monkey first introduced in 1994 and 1995 were such dolls with limited availability and have escalated in value and continue to be highly sought after.

The Oz dolls and all of Madame Alexander's dolls are a labor of love worthy of becoming heirlooms. Each doll is made by hand taking 2 - 3 weeks to complete. Hundreds of people work year round in the factory that has never moved from its original location in New York City. Extreme care goes into each doll from the face paint to the hairstyles to the minutest details like bows or lace on undergarments. These special nuances thrill doll enthusiasts and make Alexander dolls stand out in any collection.

The story of Oz has appealed to people of all ages for over 100 years. It's very likely that the Oz dolls of Madame Alexander helped endear the Oz characters to public consciousness and to children's hearts. Madame Alexander wanted to make dolls with souls and the Alexander Doll Company has been successful in capturing the souls and whimsy of the Oz characters.

Madame Alexander traveled over the rainbow in 1990, but her company continues to thrive with the Wizard of Oz dolls remaining perennial best sellers. I'm sure she and the beloved personalities that inspired their creation would agree there's no place like your home for Madame Alexander's dolls of Oz.

Madame Alexander Checklist 1989 - 2006

1989 – 1991  14” Dorothy    #1532

1990    8”   20th Anniversary Dorothy     Doll Cradle Exclusive Edition of 50

1991 – 1994   8” Dorothy with pigtails   #464   #140464

1992 – 1995    8”  Glinda the Good Witch   #473   #140473

1992 – 2005    8” Scarecrow  #430   #140430   #13230   #13231

8”   Tinman   Tin Woodsman   #432   #140432   #13210   #13211

8”  Cowardly Lion   #431   #140431   #13220   #13221

1993  14” Dorothy wearing gingham and braids   #1532

1994   14” Glinda the Good   #141573
1994   8” Winged Monkey   #140501

1994 Mid year introductions   8” Emerald City Dorothy   #94-2

8”  The Wizard   #94-1

8”  The Wicked Witch   #94-9

1994 – 1995    8” Munchkin Peasant    #140444

8”   Mayor of Munchkinland   #140443
8”   Munchkin Herald   #140445

1995    8” Auntie Em   #14515

8”   Lullaby Munchkin   #14512

8”   Lollipop Munchkin   #14513

1995 – 2001    8” Dorothy with curly ponytails    #140464    #13200

1996    14” Dorothy    #87007

1997 – 2001   10” Miss Gulch    #13240

1997 – 2005    10” Glinda the Good Witch    #13250

10”    Wicked Witch of the West    #13270

1997     8” Toto with basket edition of 750 (first 400 sold at the Walt Disney
World Doll and Teddy Bear Convention    #79180
1997 Walt Disney World One of a Kind Wizard of Oz Munchkinland Vignette
with 21” dolls of Glinda, Dorothy, the Wicked Witch and 8” Toto
Sold for $6,000

1998 – 2000    8” The Wizard of Oz    #13281

8”   The Wizard with State Fair Balloon    #13280

1999 – 2001   8” The Apple Tree    #13290
8”    Lullaby League Munchkin   Lullaby Munchkin    #13300

2000    8” Dorothy with glitter shoes    #13201

2000 – 2001    8” Oz Flower Munchkin   #27035

15”   Glinda felt (In 2000 only available at FAO Schwarz)   #27570

2000   15” Dorothy felt with curled hair    #25545
2000 – 2002    5” Dorothy porcelain

5”   Lullaby Munchkin Porcelain

2000 – 2003    8” Winged Monkey    #25950

2000   Mid year introduction     21” Wicked Witch

2001    15” Dorothy felt with braids (shown in catalog but never seen one)   #25546
2001 – 2002   8” Daisy Munchkin    #28770

8”  Flower Bonnet Munchkin   #28775

8”  Emerald City Guard      #31395

5”  Cowardly Lion  porcelain

5”  The Scarecrow  porcelain
5”  The Tin Man  porcelain

2002  5”  Glinda porcelain

8”   To Oz Dorothy with 3” teddy bear    edition of 2500    #33630

8”    To Oz Scarecrow with 3” teddy bear    edition of 1500     #33633

8”    To Oz The Tinman with 3” teddy bear    edition of 1500   #33631
8”    To Oz The Cowardly Lion with 3” teddy bear   edition of 1500   #33632

2002 – 2003    8”   OEO Guard    #33595

8”    Hairdresser    #33585

2002 – 2005    8”   Dorothy with long curled hair     #13202    #13203

2003    21”    Dorothy Cissy    edition of 500
2003 Mid Year Introduction – 2004 Dorothy and Munchkinland Set    10” Dorothy Cisette with 5” Munchkins Lullaby Munchkin, Flower Bonnet Munchkin, Mayor of Munchkinland

2003 – 2005    8” Mayor of Munchkinland    #37125

2004    8”   Total Moves Dorothy   edition of 1000    #38715

2004 – 2005    8” Coroner    #38395
8”    Wendy and the Yellow Brick Road

5”  Petite  Tinman

5”  Petite  Cowardly Lion

5”  Petite   The Scarecrow

5”   Petite Dorothy

Petite Wizard of Oz Set    5”   Daisy Munchkin, Lollipop Munchkin,
Coroner and Town’s Lady
2005    8”    Wendy Loves Munchkinland    #40160

2005 – 2006    8” Auntie Em   #39910

8”   Uncle Henry    #39915

8”    Dorothy Wendykin Wood Edition of 750 (only available through
FAO Schwarz for 2005)

9”  Play Dolls   Dorothy
Glinda

Tin Man

Scarecrow

Cowardly Lion

2006    10”    Glinda the Good Witch     #42405
10”  Wicked Witch of the West    #42400

10”  Wicked Witch of the East    #42415

8”    Off to Oz Dorothy     #42420

8”    Wendy’s Wicked Ways     #42410

*** Madame Alexander has made many other Wizard of Oz items such as doll accessories, figurines, teddy bears, waterglobes, music boxes, hinged boxes and pins.

New Alexander Additions for 2006

New styles of the 10" Wicked Witch of the West and 10" Glinda. In the past they had a more storybook type of appearance and seemed loosely based on the MGM characters. This year they have the MGM costuming. Really beautiful dolls.

Wendy's Wicked Ways is an 8 inch salute to beautiful wickedness. The catalog photo shows Wendy in a brown outfit but the final product is burgundy.

First ever, Wicked Witch of the East doll! Again, the coloring of the costume is different than shown on the prototype. The cape has green in it and the skirt is purple.

Added to the mainline catalog this year is the Dorothy Wendykin Wood doll that was previously an exclusive to FAO Schwarz.

Off to Oz Dorothy is an 8 inch doll with plush Toto packaged in a decorated lunchbox.

**I am pleased that at least with the special Dorothys, Alexander has been making better Totos. I have been complaining for years about the chintzy little plastic black Toto that usually accompanies Dorothy. (As a matter of fact, this is a big peeve of mine with many doll companies) Toto was a very important part of The Wizard of Oz and she should be considered a little more than an accessory. Toto has also been in more films than people realize. Give the little dog her due! Make her pretty!!
*** End of rant***

Lastly, The Alexander Doll Company will have a display and will be making a presentation at the International Wizard of Oz Club's annual Munchkin Convention this month. They have made a special one-of-a-kind piece to be auctioned. Very exciting for those attending!

Trading Card Terms

Here's a glossary of trading card terms I found on a non-sports trading card site that apply to Wizard of Oz trading cards. Scroll down to see my entry on Oz trading cards.


Autograph Card – card hand-signed by an actor, crew member, or production member; autograph, costume, memorabilia, and sketch cards may vary from card to card

Archive Box – sealed box that contains all cards found in the trading card series (all base cards, chase cards, and autograph/costume/memorabilia/sketch cards)

Base Set – standard set of common cards; normally comes in sets of 72, 81, or 90, but there are the occasional sets that come with fewer or more cards

Binder Exclusive Card – card found only in the trading card binder for that particular series

Box Topper – card found one per box; there are normally 3-4 different box toppers per series that will make up a set

Case Topper – card found one per case; may be an autograph card, costume card, die-cut, or just a special card to be found one per case

Chase Set – set of uncommon to rare cards; normally comes in sets of 6 or 9 and are found in ratio packs (e.g., 1:9 = one chase card found in every 9th pack of cards); typical chase set can be a puzzle set, a foil set, or a sticker set, or may contain images on a theme

Common Card – card easily found; base sets are made of this type of card

Costume Card – card containing cloth material; may come directly from the costume worn by the actor or from the bolts of cloth from which the costumes were made; autograph, costume, memorabilia, and sketch cards may vary from card to card

Exclusive Promo Card – promo card created exclusively for an event (e.g., San Diego Comic Con) or for a company (e.g., Non-Sport Update)

Hobby Box – sealed box containing autograph cards, costume/memorabilia cards, and/or sketch cards; available from distributors

Insert Set – see Chase Set

Master Set – complete set of cards from a series; includes the base set, all chase sets, all autograph/costume/memorabilia/sketch cards, promo cards and the binder

Memorabilia Card – card containing an authenticated piece of a prop (e.g., paper, foam, yarn, etc.) used in the series/movie; autograph, costume, memorabilia, and sketch cards may vary from card to card

Promo Card – card created by the manufacturer to generate interest in the trading card series; there are normally between 1 and 3 promo cards created per set, but there have been instances where there are more than 3

Prop Card – see Memorabilia Card

Puzzle Set – see Chase Set

Rare Card – card found mainly one per sealed hobby box; autographs, costumes, memorabilia, and sketch cards are made up of this type of card

Sketch Card – card hand-sketched by an artist depicting various characters or scenes from the series/movie; may be in pencil, pen, or may be in color; autograph, costume, memorabilia, and sketch cards may vary from card to card

Subset – see Chase Set

Ultra-Rare Card – card that is very hard to obtain and may be found only one per x cases (x could be 1, could be 6, depending on the rarity of the card) Most high-end autograph cards are considered ultra-rare, e.g., Judy Garland in an edition of only 8 cards total

Uncommon Card – card found 3-9 per sealed hobby box; chase sets are made up of this type of card

Wax Box – archaic term used today to indicate an unopened sealed box that is in the same condition as when it left the manufacturer; it is archaic because the cards are no longer packaged in wax paper

Wizard of Oz Trading Cards

I remember helping my older brothers open their packs of Star Wars trading cards in the late 70s. Would the pack I open have the final card to complete the set? The anticipation was more delicious than all of the gum I was chomping on. It used to be great fun to complete the trading card sets and subsets of stickers. Trading cards used to be pretty simple pleasures. Maybe there would be a card or sticker that was rarer than the others, but that was nothing some haggling with the local comic dealer couldn't fix. Then you'd trot home with your prize and look over your completed card set for hours lingering a few moments longer on that one card that was hardest to obtain. Ah, the good old days.

Like most other hobbies, trading cards have advanced and gotten much more intricate in the past 15+ years. Gone is that vile tasting gum that left residue on the precious cards. Now there are cards of foil, puzzle cards, panoramic cards, autograph cards, costume cards, and sketch cards. Yikes!

Here's a look at Wizard of Oz trading cards. Let's start with the simple ones shall we?

Trading card giant Topps issued a set of 44 Return to Oz trading cards in 1985. Each card had a sticker on the reverse.

A set of 100 cards was issued by Pacific with each card featuring a different scene from the film. they could be purchased in individual wax packs or as a boxed set.

In 1996 Duocards released a 72 card set with a glossy finish and foil logos. Collectors could also look for 6 foil chase cards. Each display box included a purple album that in addition to the basic set and foil chase cards, also had room for two promo cards.

This year, fledgling trading card company Breygent has brought us the most complicated Oz trading cards yet. Five promos were issued to entice collectors. In addition to the 72 card basic set there are foil cards, puzzle cards, munchkin autograph cards, cut signature cards of Judy Garland and Jack Haley, costume cards, prop cards, and sketch cards by 20 artists. These special cards will be very rare and may frustrate Oz completists, but the rest of us will probably enjoy the thrill of the hunt. Breygent also offers a collector's album in an edition of 500. The album includes two exclusive cards. Only 5000 boxes have been produced and sold out from Breygent in about a month.

Journey Back to Oz

I apologize for the lack of updates. Many of you may know my computer crashed but I'm slowly recovering. Onwards and upwards............

I do have some exciting news today, but with very little details yet unfortunately. It was announced at Comic Con over the weekend there will be a Journey Back to Oz Special Edition released on October 24th. No other details are known at this time.

I will be updating soon about trading cards, Madame Alexander dolls, maybe Christmas ornaments, and other new fun things.

Thank you for your patience and stay tuned...........

Tonner 2006 Pt. 2

Doll companies very often spring surprises on us throughout the year. As if the mainline shown at the start of the year isn't enticing enough, very limited dolls turn up as store exclusives or at special events. Tonner seems to be a master at keeping collectors on their toes.

Attendees of the Oz Farewell Brunch held during the 15th Anniversary Tonner Convention received a special souvenir doll "We Welcome You to Munchkinland", a beautiful little lady known to Oz fans as the Flower Pot Munchkin. She has a sweet, dimpled unique head sculpt and black curled hair. She stands at 12 inches and her costuming is made up of vibrant colors of red, teal, and purple. She is an edition of 500.

Also at the Tonner brunch were Wizard of Oz tablepieces of Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion on an exclusive yellow brick road stand. Forty to fifty were made and numbers were drawn for a chance to purchase the piece. This set has commanded prices up to $800 on EBay. Rumor was the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion were sneak previews of dolls to be added to the fall line up and indeed they were introduced this week.

There could still be more releases as FAO exclusives later this year. For now, there is plenty to keep the Oz fan occupied. Stay tuned to the Curiozity Corner. As soon as any news breaks, it will be posted here.

Tonner 2006 Pt. 1 January Introductions

This year the Tonner Doll Company took some really wild liberties with the Oz line. When I first saw the photos of the dolls in January, I thought they might be hard sells, but that seems to not be the case. Over the past few months the 2006 line has really grown on me and I've decided there is something for everyone after all.

Dressed Dolls

If you missed them last year, Glinda, the Wicked Witch, Dorothy, and the ruby slippers are available again this year.

The Winged Monkey has been added to the accessory line. If you were unable to purchase the porcelain Winged Monkey from Mattel a few years ago, the new Tonner monkey would be a suitable, more affordable substitute. He is an open edition.

The Lady Ozmopolitan is a thrill to see. The Emerald City hairdresser is rarely represented in Oz collectibles. Her blonde hair is perfectly coiffed and her make-up is flawless. She's the beauty you'd expect to see in an Emerald City salon.

The Emerald City Cosmopolitan Wicked Witch doll seems strange to me. I've read rave reviews about her from doll aficionados, but as an Oz fan........this doll seems very un-Wicked Witch like to me and I find the yellow and teal colors of the outfit odd against the green skin. In my opinion, the outfit should have been boxed separately and marketed toward the raven haired basic Ozmopolitan.

Emerald City Elegance is a fiery haired stunner barely seen in the Wizard of Oz film. This particular character was featured more prominently during the reprise of 'Ding, Dong, the Wicked Witch is Dead' when Dorothy and friends return to the Emerald City with the broomstick of the Wicked Witch of the West. Unfortunately for these lovely ladies, their already minimal screen time was made even shorter when the reprise was cut from the film. This engaging doll wears a green halter dress topped with beading at the neck and a pleated skirt. A green flower pot hat with white flowers is perched smartly atop her head. This character has never been captured in collectible form before. Tonner has given her the immortalization MGM denied her due to time constraints. It's refreshing to see Tonner really taking chances with this line and bringing inconsequential characters to to the forefront.

The Poison Ivy doll is another one that strikes me as kind of strange.  Due to copyright issues with the original name this doll was changed to Haunted Stroll.  Like the Emerald City Cosmopolitan, the whole Haunted Stroll getup does not seem to fit the character of the Wicked Witch at all. The copper tresses do not seem to work on the witch.

The one dressed doll I absolutely adore is Ambassador in Pink. Glinda, the fashionista of Oz, is a cotton candy confectionery vision. She has a classically beautiful sculpt with a lovely painted face. The pink hair is neither garish nor outrageous. The color really works well for this doll. I'm not a big fan of the color pink, but his doll is really gorgeous. To me, she's SO Glinda or Galinda, for those familiar with Wicked the musical.

Outfits

Perfume Lady is an outfit modeled by the basic Ozmopolitan doll. Like the Emerald City Elegance doll, this represents a character with very little screen time.

The Winkie Business suit wins the award for ozzyest costume of 2006. The Wicked Witch looks prepared to give her legion marching orders to find a certain Kansas refugee and her little dog too!!

There's nothing uniquely Oz about the Oz Rhapsody dress, but I think it's very feminine and compliments Glinda's beauty.

I think the design of Griffin Splendor is appropriate for the Wicked Witch because of the embroidered griffins, but I'm not crazy about the silver color. I think a darker hue more suited to the Witch with silver embroidered enhancements would have been better. It's modeled on the basic Wickedly Silver doll and all that silver doesn't work for the Wicked Witch the same way pink seems to for Glinda. However, Griffon Splendor is a really cool outfit unto itself.

Finally, finally Dorothy gets a wardrobe! With all the money MGM spent on the lavish costuming in The Wizard of Oz you'd think Dorothy would be allowed at least one costume change. A farmgirl in the big city would certainly benefit from some Emerald City glamour. A pretty frock for an audience with the Wizard would certainly have been warranted. Maybe they wanted Dorothy to be a sharp contrast to the fanciful world around her. At least she got a new hairdo! Robert Tonner picked up MGM's slack and gave Dorothy two charming outfits.

The Back to School ensemble I can picture Dorothy wearing down a dusty Kansas road carrying her books with Toto at her heels. It includes a white dress with a flowered pinafore, black stockings, and black shoes.

Bedtime Dreams is a cute nightgown but not very original to Dorothy. I think a poppy design alluding to Dorothy's nap in Oz would have been more appropriate.

All dressed dolls and boxed clothing for 2006 are in editions of 1500.

New Book, Calendars, and Snowbaby/ One Cancellation

Lots of new Oz to look forward to folks!

Two new books. The first is a bio by Lollipop Kid Jerry Maren. The second book comes from noted Oz authors Bill Stillman and Jay Scarfone. Visit Amazon.com for more info on these and the calendars, but keep in mind release dates are tentative and oftentimes are subject to change.
Unfortunately, since the original post date of this blog entry the Scarfone/Stillman book was cancelled.

Two new calendars. Regular wall calendar and Day by Day Trivia calendar for your daily dose of Oz.

Last, a new Avon exclusive Snowbaby from Dept. 56. 'No Place Like Home'   A Snowbaby is wearing a pair of too large ruby slippers and holding a basket with Toto inside. Really adorable. Watch your Avon catalogs.

Avon Along the Yellow Brick Road

Avon's extensive line of make-up, lotions, and perfumes has enhanced the natural beauty of American women for decades. As time passed, Avon sought to add beauty to all aspects of our lives and expanded into clothing, colletibles, and home decor. Over the years Oz merchandise has occasionally slipped onto the Avon catalog pages.
The earliest of these were children's toiletries from a 1967 catalog. We all know that cleanliness is next to Ozliness. Okay, well, maybe not. For some children bathtime is a struggle. Perhaps this set of bubble bath, shampoo, and lotion made bath time a little easier after the annual showing of The Wizard of Oz on television. Children could follow the Cowardly Lion, Tin Man, and Scarecrow along the yellow brick road right into the bathtub. To the best of my knowledge, these toiletries have not been shown in any Oz or toy guides. I am very pleased to be showing them here, possibly for the first time.

In 1985, a lovely Judy Garland as Dorothy porcelain figurine was offered as part of the Images of Hollywood series.



In 2003, Avon carried six Enesco Wizard of Oz figurines. The four main characters were widely available since 1999 wherever Oz collectibles were sold, but Glinda and the Wicked Witch were exclusive to Avon.



 Avon carried a "To Oz" afghan by Goodwin Weavers in 2003. Toto is noticeably absent from the 1999 mass market "Yellow Brick Road" afghan sold through other outlets.



Last year Avon brought us The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Cherished Teddies by Enesco. For photo please refer to my April 13th entry.
For 2006 we have salt and pepper shakers of Glinda's crown and the Wicked Witch's hat by Vandor. The Warner Brothers Studio Stores sold a similar set some years ago, but many people may have missed out. This is a great little item for the Oz and Wicked fans.

Oz collectors will want to keep a watchful eye on Avon for more exclusives to add to our collections.