“We dress up as a family for a Wizard of Oz themed birthday party. Kristine (Good Witch), Kevin (Wizard), Annika (Dorothy 1), Sarah (Dorothy 2). We love the book because the story it timeless.”

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“Here is the Wolkenfeld Family dressed for Purim 2013. The theme was chosen collectively, and the kids worked out who should be which character. Top row, from the left: Rabbi David Wolkenfeld, Sara Wolkenfeld holding Sophie (age 1) Grandma Jo Lang, Aunt Debra Tillinger. Bottom row: Hillel (age 4), Noam (age 6), Akiva (age 4), and Uncle Richie Miller.”

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“My adventures in Oz started in the fourth grade in Ashby, Mass. in 1945. The teacher had taken us to the small library to learn how to use it.  I saw a title that intrigued me, “The Wizard of Oz”. Once I devoured that I read every Oz book written. … I dressed myself up as the Wizard.  I took my bathrobe and made a cape, carved out a stick with the letters OZ for my wand and made a star like crown for my head. I stood outside in the sun and called to my mom to take my picture. There I was at age 10, ‘The Wizard of Oz.’”

—  Frank Maitoza, 75, Hemet, Calif.

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“I have always been terrified of the Wizard of Oz. My mom made me this costume at age 8 to go along with my siblings and cousins as a group for trick or treating that year. Because every 8 year old girl wants to be the Tin Man for Halloween? My “body” was made of a Styrofoam container a rose bush came in. I couldn’t sit or go to the bathroom all day.”

— Nina Schmidt, age 35. (Photo at age 8.)

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“My name is Jenny Barker Devine and I grew up in Council Bluffs, Iowa. We had the perfect back porch for staging productions. Over the years we did such classics as Lady and the Tramp and the Wizard of Oz. This is my sister, Karen Barker Crowley, as the Cowardly Lion, ca. 1985. While I always liked the Oz books and film, Karen has been an absolute FANATIC since she was two or three years old. I’m not sure why she didn’t play Dorothy in our production because since she was a small child she has always been Dorothy in spirit.”

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“2008: Mom made the Dorothy costume about 10 years earlier for older sister and made the Lion costume this year; Dad assembled the Scarecrow costume.”

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“Welcome to Oz—Colin the Cowardly Lion, Karen the Scarecrow, Napoleon as Toto, Lauren as Dorothy, and Scott as the Tin Man. This imaginative book and movie has captured the heart of my daughter! She loves the whimsical characters and the catchy tunes of the movie.” - Karen, 36, San Jose, CA

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“My name is JoAnne Mansell, and I am the executive director of Dorothy’s House and Land of Oz in Liberal, Kansas. We have a Dorothy program where girls from Middle School to High School age dress up as Dorothy Gale. The girls give tours of Dorothy’s House and guide people on a walk through of the 1939 Wizard of Oz movie. In this photo, all of the girls who play Dorothy are on the Kansas Senate Floor from when they visit Topeka. We love the book, and by extension the 1939 movie, because of the great storytelling and the joy the story has brought to people across generations.”

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“I was Dorothy every year for Halloween as long as I can remember. This was the year I made my brother join in the fun as well.”

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“Annabella as Dorothy, Halloween 1998.”

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“It all started with a hand me down Dorothy costume for our baby sister. Mom got crazed with making the costumes as authentic as possible.  The Tin Man had moving joints, Scarecrow was itchy from all the straw, and the Lion was hot and sweaty under all that fake fur!”

Eyde - 50 - Southern California

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“‘We’re off to see the Wizard’ … my amazing children (5,4,2, and 1) sang as they acquired more and more candy from the neighbors.”

- Bethany Jones, Proud Mother and Avid Reader

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“This is a photo of myself, Molly Givens, when I was probably 4. I’m 16 years old now. Toto was my favorite character in The Wizard of Oz, and he was basically the only reason I read the book.”

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“This is a photo from 1977 when the 1st grade class of Miss Franceschetti and the kindergarten class of Mrs. MacNabb took on the challenge of the FULL Wizard of Oz script and musical production. This play was a huge undertaking for such a young group of children. And it goes to show what children can accomplish when inspired and connected with the right story. Recently the photo was shared on Facebook reconnecting the cast who shared their fond memories of being a part of the play over 35 years ago.”

Submitted by Debbie (Coccia) Young, 42, Millersville, MD - Wicked Witch of the West (far left). The elementary school is located in Marcellus, NY.

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Marcella MacGonagle, age 5 (age 4 in photo from October 2012), in Lawrence, Kansas:

I dressed up as Dorothy because I wanted to. I had fun trick-or-treating on Halloween.  I like the book because it is funny and scary. I also like it because the flying monkeys are cool. They carry Dorothy 50 miles to the Emerald City to see Oz. The mice are cute and told Dorothy the charm of the golden cap. I also like the book because the lion acted like a baby and cried!

Love, 

Cella, also known as Dorothy

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