Author: Jane Albright

Our friends with the Spirit of Oz are sponsoring a membership drive for us. Prompted by the Giving Tuesday tradition, if you join or renew your membership for 2021 by Dec. 11 and you can be entered in a drawing for a prize package donated by the Spirit of Oz. Here’s what you need to know: A Oz Club membership offers a number of benefits including a 1-year subscription to The Baum Bugle, a journal of all things Oz and Baum published three times a year, and The Oz Gazette, a special newsletter specially prepared for young Oz fans. The Club also hosts events (virtual and in-person) throughout the year, an exclusive online community, and much more! In addition to the regular membership benefits, registering or renewing your Oz Club membership for 2021 will enter you for the chance to win a special prize package! One adult will win a package containing: -A commemorative Chesterton Wizard of Oz Festival 30th anniversary poster autographed by the Oz celebrities, Munchkins, and characters who were in attendance for the 2011 festival. -A set of three 8″ x 10″ pop art OZ prints featuring Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion. -An autographed photo of Margaret Pellegrini, a Munchkin in the 1939 MGM film, and Michael Roche, a sculptor who has created numerous Oz collectibles including many pieces by Dave Grossman collections. One youth will win a package containing: -A 75th-anniversary OZ storybook -A Spirit of Oz autograph/mini-coloring book signed by our friends from Oz -A color-your-own wooden holiday ornament kit. -A selection of Spirit of Oz swag such as stickers, pinback buttons, and postcards–perfect for stocking stuffers! Both our adult and youth winners will receive a special, personalized welcome message from Dorothy Gale herself! Oz Club memberships also make a great holiday gift and these prize packages are also guaranteed to please any Oz fan! HOW TO ENTER 1. Register or renew your 2021 Oz Club membership at https://shop.ozclub.org/product-category/iwoc-membership/. Each standard adult or youth membership entitles you to one giveaway entry. Adult memberships above the standard level entitle you to one additional entry per level. For example, a contributing membership is good for 2 entries or a Wizard’s Circle membership is good for 5 entries. 2. Forward your confirmation email or a screenshot of the website showing your completed membership to [email protected]. 3. That’s it! You’re now a member of the Oz Club and entered for your chance to win the prize package(s)! RULES AND ENTRY WINDOW 1. Membership must be registered or renewed by Friday, December 11, 2020, at 11:59 pm (Eastern time). 2. Proof of membership must be received by Saturday, December 12, at 12:00 noon (Eastern time). Winner will be confirmed and announced no later than Wednesday, December 16 at 7:00 pm (Eastern time). 3. Offer good for 2021 memberships only. 4. Only individuals located in the United States of America are eligible to win.

The Oz Club’s case at the OZ Museum in Kansas now glimpses into the holiday world of Christmas Oz collecting.  I set it up last week taking, as is my bad habit, far more material than I could use. Here’s what made the cut and will remain on display until I return in the new year with a new load of Oz. Books: Life and Adventures of Santa Claus in both it’s original and Bobbs Merrill editions; “A Kidnapped Santa Claus” (1969 Bobbs Merrill edition), and The Christmas Stocking Series represented with the six-volume boxed set, a boxed pair, and an individual book opened to the introduction. Denslow’s Night Before Christmas in the original edition with a smaller reprint opened to a page where a toy Tin Woodman can be spotted in Santa’s bag. Neill illustrated copies of The Night Before Christmas and A Christmas Carol, as well as Ever New Stories for Children that includes A Christmas Carol, plus his collaboration with Ruth Plumly Thompson, The Curious Cruise of Captain Santa. Finally, Ozoplaning with the Wizard of Oz, the 1939 MGM edition of The Wizard of Oz, and Rand McNally’s boxed “Wonderful Library of Oz.” These three were advertised in a book seller’s Christmas catalog that’s displayed with them open to that page.  Ornaments With hundreds to choose from in my collection, I picked about 50.  I worked to mix vintage pieces with new, and mass-produced with homemade. I was sure to add Miss Gulch and the Lollipop Guild Munchkin from the MGM film. Set apart from the wreath is a Santa styled to resemble Denslow’s 1904 illustrations and a ball with a scene from the book printed on two sides. Nutcrackers After deciding to stick with the more expensive nutcrackers, I pulled a Steinbach Dorothy, Munchkin Mayor, Wizard, and Winkie Guard. From Kurt Adler’s collections, I added a Flying Monkey and a Wizard who wears the Emerald City and miniature characters on his head. I was taking home the modern illustrated versions of Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, a set of prototype figurines for that story, and the translations I had of it. Dismayed to have no international representation, I found space for a Japanese Oz cake plate and cup.  Then I added caroling figures, a stocking my sister-in-law made me, Oz Kids VHS tapes of “Who Stole Santa?” and “Christmas in Oz,” and a 12-inch Santa figure made as a collectible in 2005. I added the Santa figure’s box since one side panel talks about Life and Adventures. Stepping back sufficiently pleased, I was left to pack back up what I didn’t use. I should have known the “What’s Your Holiday Wish? Banners from the Warner Brother’s store wouldn’t work as side panels. I’d decided against the Christian Ulbricht Wizard nutcracker because—aside from two being enough—the Steinbach design included the Wizard’s bag of icons and had the State Fair design on the balloon. A large framed print of Santa toasting Ozma in The Road to Oz came back home, too. I didn’t really think there was a place for it, but in case there had been some problem with the wreath, I wanted a backup plan that could fill space.   By the time these return and all the material from the previous display were back in the car, it was back home for me, grateful, as always, that the museum gives our Club this opportunity to promote our Club to its visitors. 

A new podcast hosted by Oz fans Emily Kay Shrader and Tara Tagliaferro was one of the first to deliver an interview about To Oz! You can find Down the Yellow Brick Pod right here. It was a delight to share time with such enthusiastic Oz fans. And I appreciate the opportunity to rave on about all the great work so many people have done to create this weekend for the Oz community.

Scissors! Glue! Make your own Oz…. One of the more interesting step-by-step Oz crafts I’ve seen online is this delightful Tin Man project. Inspired by the Tin Woodman from Legends of Oz Dorothy’s Return, he could be just what you need to keep little hands busy. Now you can have a replica of that famous Kansas Farmhouse! This is a downloadable/printable .pdf file for a paper craft kit that you can print, cut out and build yourself. (use Card Cover or Cardstock) Price- $15.00 There’s not a website to give you a link, but you can email Robert Bruce @ [email protected] to order. If one house isn’t enough, here’s a Youtube link for an Emerald City project. Word to the wise; stock up on green glitter! Then surround it with poppies! There are many, many ways to make paper poppies, but friends recently followed this guide and recommend it. Lessons from Oz For those of you leading school work at home, here’s an extensive Wizard of Oz study guide. Oz history, vocabulary, the mechanics of a hot air balloon….  Lots to learn in Oz! Check it out. Everything Oz: The Wizard Book of Makes and Bakes has many projects suitable for children. To shop for it at an independent book store,  here’s a link to copies available through ABE.com. Weary of crafts? Other kids are learning yoga. Designed by Oz fans for children, why not follow the link and see how your kids like it?   Click the photo at right to see the video on Youtube. The Spirit of Oz characters have been reading Oz stories. You can find the Little Wizard Stories on Youtube.  And the Wizard of Oz Collectors United group on Facebook recently shared this crossword puzzle. Now I’m off to pull together a blog of Oz games — not old collectible ones, but new ones, readily available for family game nights. There are far more than I realized, like this one Emerald City Opoly.