A pair of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz sold for a record-breaking $32.5 million at a Sotheby’s auction on December 7. The buyer, a private collector, remains anonymous. This sale shattered the previous record for Hollywood memorabilia, which was held by Marilyn Monroe’s iconic dress from The Seven Year Itch, which sold for $4.6 million in 2011.

These particular slippers, one of only four remaining pairs, had a remarkable history. They were stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, in 2005 and remained missing for over a decade. In 2018, the FBI recovered them during an undercover operation. Of the four surviving pairs, one is housed in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C., while the other three, including this record-breaking pair, belong to private collectors.

The slippers' record price highlights their immense value in Hollywood history. In The Wizard of Oz, Garland’s character Dorothy is gifted the glittering shoes by Glinda, the Good Witch, and they play a pivotal role in her journey home. The film is widely regarded as one of the greatest movies of all time.

The sale of the slippers comes as Wicked, the musical adaptation of Gregory Maguire's novel, continues its successful run in theaters. However, despite being set in the Oz universe, Wicked does not feature the iconic ruby slippers, likely because the film rights to The Wizard of Oz are owned by Universal, while Wicked was produced by MGM.

The Wizard of Oz is available for streaming on Max, while Wicked is currently in theaters.

Source: TMZ