I see a lot of people who think that the pair of ruby slippers that sold at auction last night were the same shoes owned by Smithsonian (they’re not!) or owned by the Academy Museum (they’re not!) or owned by any museum (they never were, but they were stolen from one!) A thread:

Let’s start with the basics: there are actually five pairs of ruby slippers (that we know of!) Two are currently in museums, two are owned by private collectors, and this pair was owned by a private collector before being sold at auction to an unknown buyer for $28 million.

In 1970, an anonymous buyer purchased the first known pair of ruby slippers at an MGM auction and donated them to the Smithsonian museum, who have owned them ever since. These are called “The People’s Shoes”, because they are owned by the public, and will never be sold.

After the first (and to that point only) known pair of ruby slippers were sold and donated to the Smithsonian in 1970, a lady named Roberta Bauman came forward with shocking news: those couldn’t be the only ruby slippers, because she’d had a pair in her closet for 30 years!

Roberta’s ruby slippers are believed to have been the pair worn by Judy Garland’s body double, and are known as “Dorothy’s Shoes”. In 1988, they were purchased by a man named Anthony Landini, who allowed Disney to display them at their Great Movie Ride attraction for 12 years.

In 2000, they were bought by an anonymous private collector through an agent named David Elkouby, and have been kept hidden from the public ever since. To this day, it is unknown who owns them, where they are, what condition they’re in, or if the shoes are even still together.

The pair that are currently displayed at the Academy Museum were purchased in a private sale in 2012 by a group of angel donors (including Stephen Spielberg and Leonardo DiCaprio) for $2 million. While they are not owned by the Academy, they are on an extended loan to the museum.

These are known as “The Witch’s Shoes” — the pair of ruby slippers that you see on the feet of the Wicked Witch of The East. This pair was kept in the best condition during filming (and are still in the best condition to this day) as they were exclusively used for close-up shots.

The fourth pair are the most unique. When the Wizard of Oz was in production, costume designer Adrian first created a bejeweled pair of ruby slippers, with a more ornate design and curled toe. The studio rejected this original design, opting for the simpler design we know today.

These are known as “The Arabian Test Pair,” and were bought by actress Debbie Reynolds in the 1970s. Debbie was one of the first people to start preserving Hollywood memorabilia, and saved countless props and costumes from being destroyed by the studios who saw no value in them.

After countless attempts and failures to open a Hollywood museum, Debbie was forced to sell her collection to avoid bankruptcy in 2011. This included “The Arabian Test Pair” and an earlier “test” version of Dorothy’s dress. Both are now owned by anonymous private collectors.

Now, onto the shoes of the moment: “The Traveling Shoes”

Ironically, despite being stolen and missing for 13 years, that isn’t how “The Traveling Shoes” got their name. They had actually been called that since the 80s, when their owner, Michael Shaw, would tour around the country and display his costume collection at malls and museums.

Michael had been a friend of Debbie Reynolds in the 70s, and had shared her dream of opening a museum, even promising to donate his own collection. The two eventually had a falling out, with Michael vowing that he would burn his ruby slippers before he ever let Debbie have them.

In 2005, Michael’s shoes were stolen from the Judy Garland Museum, which is located in Judy’s childhood home. They were missing for 13 years before finally being recovered by the FBI in 2018 during a sting operation, and brought to the Smithsonian to verify their authenticity.

In February of this year, Michael returned to the Judy Garland Museum, where he was finally reunited with his ruby slippers. After touring with them one last time to cities like New York, LA, London, and Tokyo, the shoes were placed up for auction yesterday.

Before yesterday, the most expensive piece of Hollywood memorabilia was Marilyn Monroe’s subway dress, which Debbie Reynolds had sold for $5.6 million. Shattering all records and expectations, Michael’s ruby slippers sold for $28 million (or $32.5 million, after buyers premium)!

If you like reading about ruby slippers at the Smithsonian, may I interest you in this other very specific thread that I wrote about those two very specific topics, specifically?

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