Stolen ‘Wizard of Oz’ Ruby Slippers Found After 13 Years.
Click your heels together three times, search for 13 years…and you might find a long lost pair of ‘Wizard of Oz’ ruby slippers.
Since 2005, investigators have searched for a stolen pair of ruby slippers worn by Minnesota-born actress Judy Garland in the classic movie The Wizard of Oz. The slippers were taken from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota that August when someone gained entrance by breaking the window on an emergency exit door and broke into the small display case housing the slippers. Investigators say the smash-and-grab took 45 seconds or less.
While speculation on who was responsible ranged from professional thieves to drunken teens, this was no small take: The ruby slippers were insured for $1 million.
“The ruby slippers are the Holy Grail of all Hollywood memorabilia,” says collectibles expert and author Rhys Thomas. “Value today… the last pair sold for $2 million privately.”
While details are scare at this time, law enforcement officials and the FBI say more than a decade after the heist, the slippers have been found.
Four pairs of ruby slippers worn by Garland in the movie are known to exist. The shoes are made from about a dozen different materials, including wood pulp, silk thread, gelatin, plastic and glass. Most of the ruby color comes from sequins, but the bows of the shoes contain red glass beads.
On Tuesday at 1 p.m., the U.S. Attorney representing North Dakota, the Grand Rapids Police Chief and agents from the FBI will host a press conference in Minneapolis to announce the recovery of the slippers.
