The theft of a pair of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz, having occurred in 2005, is less a news story than an invitation to explore the subset of the film’s fans who venerated these artifacts.

“Who Stole the Ruby Slippers?” in the March 2009 issue of Minnesota Monthly focuses on the ruby slippers owned by Michael Shaw – one of four pairs known to remain from the filming of The Wizard of Oz. They were burglarized from a display case in the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota and have remained missing since August 28, 2005.

The author, after surveying the fascinating personalities of several Oz collectors, concludes:

Yet in their new status as stolen property, the slippers feel more real than they have in years. They are mere objects again, to be lost or found, and perhaps this is for the best…

[Thanks to David Klaus for the story.]