the wizard of oz had it's 71st anniversary.
that is cause for a celebration.
at least a little one.
i celebrated at target first…..
rainbow is everywhere when you look for it.
when i was a little girl i remember going our neighbors home to watch it
the night it was on tv because he had a COLOR tv.
i thought his house was a mansion.
it was on the corner and his driveway circled from one side, around the back and out to the other side.
heaven for roller skates and bike riding.
and that neighbor used to always say "how are you boys doing?" when he'd see me and my friend.
we'd say "WE'RE NOT BOYS!"
he was funny.
my dad made a cassette tape by putting the tape recorder to the tv (i think?)
and recorded the whole movie.
i listened to it so many times.
still to this day i know all the words….every song…even the background noises like the pigs in the beginning.
i know the EXACT moment when it was time to turn the tape over.
dorothy had just escaped, she screams and the wicked witch busts in and says "GOING SO SOON?"
and you had to quickly turn over the tape.
i have always loved this movie.
i forgot that my kids hadn't seen it.
not the youngest three at least.
i made some rainbow treats….to set the mood.
colored ice cubes and sprite.
this tasted like nothing but they thought it was really cool.
and my kids didn't care that their drinks turned brown.
it was a fun drink….for kids.
adults would be a little grossed out.
fruit arranged in a rainbow.
this is so easy to do!
dessert was rice krispy treats….made with fruity pebbles.
YUM.
we ate on rainbow paper plates.
simple small things that made our evening special.
after dinner we all moved to the couch and watched the dvd.
and i couldn't believe it….
NO ONE left.
all 5 kids watched the whole movie!
it shocked me.
the littler ones had LOTS of questions.
and as soon as the tornado started annie ran to my lap…scared.
she stayed there the rest of the movie.
🙂
even waffle liked it!
this morning annie announced at breakfast "i liked that movie last night!"
victory!
tell me….what is your favorite wizard of oz memory?
Santa Claus - It’s very exiting to find this megduerksen.typepad.com blog. I’m so surprised by your way of thinking and writing. Have you thought about writing a book?
jennyonthespot - Oh my golly, I love you.
Natalie Anthony - Hearing my mom sing “Over the Rainbow” at the last concert she gave before she died of cancer back when I was 15. We have the recording. I can’t wait to share this movie with my children, we did buy the Veggie Tales “Wizard of Ha’s” version, and my 2 year old was scared of that, so I think we need to wait a bit…
Liz - The Wizard of Oz is awesome…and so are all of these rainbows! I have 2 daughters so we are pretty much surrounded by rainbows 24/7. I love this post & I’m now your newest follower 🙂 p.s. I’m making those rainbow ice cubes asap!
Talysa - I think the fact that I “had” to wait all year for that one special moment to arrive is what made this movie so memorable to me…no DVR’ing it…no running to Blockbuster to rent it…or even finding it on cable…just pure anticipation. Love the rainbow ice cubes. 🙂
Mike S. - when i was a kid, it would play on a local station sometime in March. One year, there was a storm front and while watching the movie, we actually had to run to the cellar because of a tornado warning! I seem to recall thinking this movie must have some powerful mojo.
I love, love, love the photos in this post! Nice job!
Lorie - I love everything in this entire post!!!
Rainbows make me HAPPY!!
I can’t tell you how many times I have had to stop myself from buying those bowls because I do not have room for them!
But that didn’t stop be from buying the colored knives at Target that I know aren’t any good, but are PRETTY!!!!
crystal b - Ok, I am just shocked at that last comment — Ellen!!!! I can’t believe you haven’t seen the entire movie!!! That’s just … just … un-American!!!
Hey Meg, I noticed on your “35 things” button you want to learn how to cook pork. Email me, at crystalbeutler@msn.com. I have some awesome pork recipes for you.
Ellen - I am sad (and a little embarrassed) to say that I’ve never actually seen the whole movie in its entirety. When I was younger, just like Annie, I was unsure of the scary parts, so I never made it to the end. I guess that memory stayed with me because I’ve still never seen it! I should watch it just to say that I have.
However, I was Dorothy for Halloween one year in college. That was fun!
Kari - You are such an awesome mom – seriously fun! You are truly inspiring and oh how I wish you lived near WI … I would love a photo session. 🙂
I’ve loved The Wizard of Oz as long as I can remember (I’m 28). It still makes me smile every time I watch it. Favorite memory you ask … I am a big dork, how about this?
*I too can recite every line with inflection as you said (my husband thinks I’m a nut).
*I commandeered my brother’s bedroom when he moved out and turned it into a Wizard of Oz shrine to accommodate my ridiculous collection … plates, Barbies, snow globes, music boxes, statues, ornaments, etc. All things OZ!
*I’ve met several of the munchkins and have autographs from attending “Wizard of Oz Fest” in Indiana two years in a row when I was in high school. My dad was such a trooper…
*I would totally dominate in a round of Wizard of Oz trivia 🙂 *We adopted a Cairn terrier from the humane society when I was 14, and of course, named him Toto (RIP buddy).
*My cousin and I spent hours learning the “we’re off to see the wizard” skip-dance. I told you … dork.
*I have the ruby slippers tattooed on my left ankle – love it! *Epic fail though … if you can believe it I’ve NEVER been Dorothy for Halloween.
We have two daughters (7 weeks & 23 months). Based on some of the other comments, it might be time to introduce the movie to Mallory! I can only hope she’ll love it HALF as much as I do!
Anyway, love your blog and I visit daily. 🙂
Lisa - I’m crazy for rainbows and Wizard of Oz too….hard to think of just one good memory, I have so many from watching it over the years…my daughter picked out the Target rainbow comforter set for her dorm room, we both fell in love w/ it.
akmichelle.blogspot.com - What an awesome way to celebrate the Wizard of Oz anniversary! You’re such a cool mom. I’m glad the little ones loved it too. It’s nice to know that the classics are still classics!
Andrea from O-H-I-O - You made it so fun. Will have to do this for a different movie. Am glad to see that I was not the only one scared of the flying monkeys. I would try to watch the movie and never make it through because of the monkeys. Soooooo, I have never seen the whole movie! And my kids have never watched it at all! It is kind of crazy what we pass on to our kids.
Lori - My parents always made me go to bed before it was over–because they were strict with bedtime. But if I laid just right at the bottom of my bed I could peak into the livingroom and watch it until the end. If I heard my mom or dad coming I would hurry up and flip back to the other end of the bed and fake sleeping. AH memories!!!
Lindsey@ Piecefully Home - I don’t think I have a memory as great as the one you just gave your kids! 🙂 how fun and now I’m thinking about how I can turn our movie nights into more special times.
chrsiti - you are one of the most creative ladies out there. thanks for the constant inspiration.
Emily - I saw Wizard of Oz for the first time when I was four years old (1985). My parents rented it from the local library: reel-to-reel film in big plastic cases. Waiting for them to set up the projector was excrutiating. We hung a sheet over the picture window in our living room and had our own theater. I remember the opening credits: black and white Kansas prairie land, and asking my Mom “where’s the lion?!” It’s a family classic for sure. Love your rainbow photos. Love love love.
TrishNotChris - My youngest was scared to death of the monkeys so we hadn’t watched the movie. In the meantime, my oldest read the book at school. As you probably know, the book is VERY different than the movie…more violent and well, more detailed. Last year, we finally watched the movie and my oldest kept saying “Where are the….what about the….they left out…” and in the end, he said “I’m glad I read the book first…it’s more exciting.” Having read the book, I have to agree, but the annual t.v. showing was such an event and a wonderful childhood memory.
Joanne Kozlowski - There really is no place like home.
Trina McNeilly - you always bring the best rainbowy goodness! sigh!
xo T
robin - I want to thank you for the yummy fruity pepples rice krispie idea! Last night I had between 5pm and 6pm (picking up my 2 kids) to prepapre a dessert to take to see a friend’s new baby. Obviously I didn’t have time to bake or refridgerate, so when I saw the fruity pepples idea I knew I had a winner. Not only did all of the kids love them, but it turns out the new mom’s favorite cereal is fruity pepples. WIN! So, thanks….perfect timing. 🙂
Sandy - Wow, I feel like I missed out on so much (and again I say YOU are the COOLEST mom ever!). Year after year I laid down in front of the tv to watch it and fell asleep (I still do that today). I never watched the whole movie until I was well into my 30s. My family likes to make fun of me for not knowing it was in color since I ALWAYS fell asleep during the black and white part.
Sugar Mama - I don’t know if it played on local channels everywhere else for Halloween, but in Oklahoma growing up we watched in every Halloween. And I loved it. But the scene that especially creeped me out was in the Wicked Witch’s castle. I just knew I never wanted to be in a place like that. EVER.
Elissa - their drinks turned brown. that’s just awesome. we did the WoO about a year ago and they all sat through the whole deal too, my youngest at only 2. Something about that movie.
and rice krispie treats are WAY better with fruity pebbles.
Courtney - I love reading your blog but this is the first time I have commented. I just absolutely had to show you this clip from a live remake of The Wizard Of Oz that has been touring Australia. It is not ‘traditional’ but when I saw it, it was definitely awesome! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlLluGhRlyI
Cheryl @ a pretty cool life. - My sister and I used to wear our Halloween witch hats and watch when it would come on tv. SUCH a big deal to us!
Melissa Mae - It was my favorite movie as a kid too! I was Dorothy for Halloween twice in a row. My mom is an amazing seamstress and she made the coolest costume ever, complete with a little dog popping his head out of a basket and custom glitter shoes. (now you see them everywhere, but those were unheard of back then 🙂
Chicago Jen - I feel the need to respond- I watched it every year on CBS and was scared and left the room when the witch arrived. I probably never saw it through until my teens. Recently, I loved watching it with the kids, they were much braver then I was. We got it from the library and they watched it every day we had it.
Awsome job- your so creative.
Chicago Dave
Aljolynn - What a sweet night. My favorite part of the movie was when they got their makeovers. They look so happy afterwards, getting ready to meet the Wizard.
Nancy - Even though I have watched this TOO MANY TIMES TO COUNT, last time I noticed a quote that I never paid attention to before: Scarecrow to Dorothy: “some people without brains do an awful lot of talking… don’t they?” LOVE IT! And, ooh soo true! 🙂
Dorothy Walker - How neat the kids watched the entire thing! People forget what a fabulous movie The Wizard of Oz truly is. I love what you did with the rainbow colors, you are hecka fun!
Oz has brought much happiness into my life. Because of friends I’ve made through an on-line club (Everything Oz Club) I made the trip from CA to attend the 2007 (Chesterton) Indiana WOZ Festival where I met many of them. I also met a few of the Munchkins who were actually in the movie, as well as other Oz celebrities such as author John Fricke, a voice heard in many Oz commentaries. I attended the Hollywood, CA, ceremony and other happenings where the 7 of the Munchkins were presented their own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a trip my husband and I will never forget.
I collect anything Oz and have tons of it, but the memories made each year sitting in front of the TV and then watching it at the Graum’s Chinese Theatre sitting behind the Great-grandson of L.Frank Baum is better than any collectible I could ever add to my collection!
Lora - You are the coolest mom ever! That colorful drink looked de-lish! I love all the bright rainbow colors! I didn’t get to watch the WHOLE movie until I think I was an adult. Every time they showed it on tv it was always on a Sunday night and we were ALWAYS at church. I wanted to be sick so bad just ONCE so I could stay home from church and watch the entire movie!
tasha roe - LOVE IT!
my mom grew up in Wichita so we were inindated with the Wizard of Oz from a very young age. My fondest memory has to be of being at my mimi & papa’s house (mom’s parents in KS) sitting on the green shag carpet watching the Wizzard of Oz eating Spumoni out of our sundae dishes. ca 1982. 🙂
crystal b - Meg! How funny is that, we both referenced the Wizard on the same day!!!! Even funnier . . . my best friend and I made a cassette recording of the Wizard of Oz when we were in middle school! We tried to memorize the whole movie — it didn’t work but we got close. But, boy could we sing all the songs. We used to do a skit in high school singing like munchkins.
I had no idea it was celebrating it’s 71st anniversary until you left a comment on my blog! The Wizard must have been sending me messages in my sleep.
Awesome photos! Love all the colors. I’m jealous you live in Kansas.
Debby Graber - Megan, I remember the first time I saw it. I was married and we were at KU. They showed it on campus. They never showed this film in Japan where I grew up. Did you know there is an actual scene where there is a guy who commited suicide and he is hanging from the rafters in the background?? It wasn’t erased out.
Kirsten J - Omigosh, what a cute memory you made for your kids. Me? I so remember being dreadfully fascinated by those monkeys. And loving seeing it once a year 🙂
debbie - My memory is the same as yours. We would go to my gramps and grandnana’s house to watch when it came on TV, as they were the only people we knew who had a color TV. Like Annie, I was petrified of the tornado AND the flying monkeys. 🙂
My parents took a trip out west a few years ago, and stopped in Kansas on their way back, and visited the Frank Baum museum. They bought me a beautiful hard cover edition of Oz. I think this is one of the rare cases where I thought the movie was better than the book.
Suzanne D - Every year on January 29 (Kansas’ birthday), our entire grade school would have a school assembly to eat a Kansas-shaped sheet cake and watch “The Wizard of Oz.” Now that I am older, I am surprised that kids weren’t scared…but I guess that is what happens when you watch it every year. My girls have never seen the movie, and I this was great inspiration to have a rainbow night!
Vera - You are so cool.
Tanya H - I love the music. Especially Somewhere Over the Rainbow.
I seriously love your creativity and how fun you are! I am so making those fruity pebble krispy treats for my kids next week when my daughter starts Kindergarten! THANKS!
Jennifer - Who rang that bell! 🙂
Tracy - How Cute, Meg! Such a great idea! I wish when my kids were small like yours that I would have thought about these kinds of ideas. This is so cute and so neat! I love all of the pictures of the rainbow and love the movie the Wizard of Oz. However, I can’t remember which part is my favorite as I liked it all – maybe it was Dorothy’s Red shoes! HA! xoxoxo
Becky @ Farmgirl Paints - You are soooo cool. I love your rainbow themed party:) Those ice cubes would have been a hit in our house. Can I tell ya somethin’?? The Wizard of OZ scares the crap out of me. Those flying monkeys and the mean wicked witch….oh the nightmares I used to have. Seriously you’re brave to love that movie!
Kat - I love the Wizard of Oz! That and Grease are my top 2 favourite movies! When I was in primary school my sister and I sat and watched it and wrote down every song so we could memorise them. We had to stop and rwind a million times. In Australia we don’t really do Halloween but my friend had a Halloween party last year and I went as Dorothy.
Carrie - Loved the rainbow pics – made me smile!
shelby - my favorite wizard of oz memory is watching it with my 3 year old daughter 🙂
Jennifer - When I was in kindergarten, I saw it for the first time. It was 1978 and I remember my aunt asking me the next morning something about the witch’s green face. I was confused. We had B&W TV! I was terrified of the flying monkeys and the scene with the hour glass when the tinman is chopping the door down to get to Dorothy would always play in my head when I had a fever. Weird. I was pretty afraid of the movie—> WUSS????
Julie - My boys just watched this not too long ago when it was on tv. They too watched the whole thing. Shocking! I’m not sure what my favorite part is, but the first scene I think of is when the witch gets squashed. I can see her legs poking out right now.
So… those paper plates!! I commented probably two months ago that I saw plates at Target that made me think of you. Those are them. You probably didn’t read my comment or even think to look for them if you did, but I still feel happy that you found them! 🙂 So silly, I know!
Brandy-Rena - I got a “There’s no place like home…” and The Ruby Slippers tattoo when I moved out of my parents house. It makes me happy when I see it.
Nina @ Mama Roux - What a fun and colorful blog post this was, I loved it! You are so creative. When I was younger I could never stay awake for the whole movie, it seemed so long and I thought the flying monkeys were so scary!
Deputy's Wife - I love the little people. “We represent the Lolipop Guild, the Lolipop Guild.” I can even do the voices. heh.
Tracey Garcia - I remember when I was little (pre-cable) it came on every year on CBS in the spring–usually right around Easter. My Granny and I would always watch it together.
My kids both love it too. I was shocked last year when only one of the kids in my class knew what the movie was and/or had seen it! My kids love it so much, I couldnt’ imagine other kids not having seen it too!
Renae - This is less a “favorite” memory and more of a “memorable” memory but my dad would always pull my teeth by trying to distract me by watching something on TV (shows, an eclips on the news, etc.). Yes of course the Wizard of Oz was one of my favorite movies growing up and I was always so excited when it would be on. So my dad pulled one of my teeth while I was watching it. The worst part was that his big arm got in the way and I remember being mad that I missed the movie (wow, I was a drama queen back then). Nevermind that my mouth was gushing blood, I was ticked about missing 10 seconds of the movie! 🙂 Good times!
Cathy - Thank you for such amazing ideas! We plan on watching the Wizard this weekend…because we saw “Wicked” (so incredibly great!) and realized we should have plunked the kids down BEFORE to watch the Wizard of Oz.
se7en - That is so totally fun!!! Love it!!!
Elizabeth - In fourth grade, I tried out and won the part of Dorothy in the school play. I’ll never forget it, actually — and still haven’t forgotten all the words to all the songs I sang…
www.Kellyloves.wordpress.com - You’re such a cool mom!
http://www.kellyloves.wordpress.com
heidi @ wonder woman wannabe - One of the most memorable times I watched it was when in college.
Someone had heard that you should watch the movie muted while listening to Pink Floyds “Dark Side of the Moon” – (starting the cd on the lions 3rd roar if I remember correctly)
So, one night when we had nothing in-particular to do and one of us had the movie, and another had the CD – we decided to test the theory.
It’s un-canny and a bit eerie how the different scenes in the movie seemed to go with whatever track was playing!!
Love the target shots – I was just there recently looking for some new hand towels and I just couldn’t help but smile with all those bright cheery rainbow colors!
Kelly - seeing one of my students as Dorothy in a stage production!
I have those washcloths! The food is all really fun. Good idea on the ice cubes. Kelly
ashley - I remember always being so scared of the flying monkeys. I would hide and get poked fun of by my best friend, but then we tried to make our own costumes and it was all good. I still want a pair of those ruby slippers!
katy - I just thought that place was so magical, except the monkeys were quite terrifying (and the wicked witch).
tara pollard pakosta - P.s. I LOVE what you did for your kids with this celebratioN! how memorable!
tara
tara pollard pakosta - I remember watching it on my parents bed with my sister and we would run out when the monkeys came, we would be screaming cause we were scared of the monkeys!
later on when I was a nanny for a little boy, named pete, who was an artist. he would draw over and over the chandelier falling down on the witch–I don’t remember that part in the movie ( I am sure you do) but he would draw that over and over . Was it when she melted? I just know he drew over and over the parts that scared him! OH and when Peter met my parents he was about 8 or 9 and I took him with me to MI to meet them and when they asked him “how are you?” he said, “not doing very well with this hole in my back, thank you very much” AND my parents were like “WHAT?” cause he was repeating the scarecrows words, I believe. He was a very peculiar child!
And most recently, seeing my neighbors daughter in the play was so fuN!
Tonya - Meg, have you been to the Wizard of Oz museum in Wamego? It’s a fun little stop, certainly no too big or grand, but cool nonetheless!
There’s so much I love about this movie….the munchkins, Glenda the good witch, the freaky monkey’s, those fabulous ruby slippers! But the thing I love the most are the songs! It just takes hearing a few words to any of the songs and I’m singing it all day!
www.google.com/accounts/o8/id?id=AItOawkSvHxNhASTbfMKlKIaW-AkZHNzxLSguzY - This was also my favorite movie! I remember my dad recording it for me on our old Beta (not VHS!) machine back in the days when the remote control was hooked to the tv/tape player by a cord that was not quite long enough to reach the couch or recliner. He clicked pause during the commercials so that they’d be edited out for when I watched the movie later. Had to make a new take every year because I’d watch it so often!
Emmylou Hart - One time we were visting my grandpa in Manhattan, KS. For some reason all the hotels were full so we found a room in Wamego where the Wizard of Oz museum is. It happened to be the OZtoberfest & some of the munchkins from the movie were staying in our hotel. We met a few at breakfast. My boys were to afraid to say “hi”. They loved the parade & the museum though. Wamego is a very cute Kansas town!
Jessica @ One Shiny Star - That is my favorite movie!
My tenth birthday was wizard of oz themed. My mom put so much time and effort into it, but it snowed, so only one girl came. She even made a rainbow cake!
Courtney - I didn’t read all your comments, so I’m sure this has been mentioned, but anyone who loves the Wizard of Oz this much will LOVE LOVE LOVE the musical WICKED. It is so beautiful, the music will melt you! A good thing to do while the kids are all at school. Then, buy “The Grimmerie” that documents the making of the musical, it’s visually the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. BUT don’t read the book– not at ALL like the musical– very dirty and depressing. The musical is happy 🙂
Jeanelle - Hiding behind the faux fur chaise lounge in our living room when the monkeys came on. Oh how they scared me! But the movie? Pure bliss. So glad the family loved it!
Andrea - I have so many memories of watching the Wizard of Oz! I’d have to say my favorite is my earliest memory of it. My family always watched it together when it came on TV. I was about 2 or 3, and I remember my sister and I had our sleeping bags on the livingroom floor while my parents snuggled on the couch. It was late, but we had bowls of popcorn. I fell asleep pretty early in the movie, but I still remember it so fondly.
We now have a new family tradition that we watch the Wizard of Oz as a family the night before thanksgiving!
Elise - I think I tried to be Dorothy for Halloween 7 years in a row. And to this day, I still feel awesome when I’m wearing red shoes. (Especially sparkly ones).
Have you ever watched it with the sound off and with Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon playing? You have to start the CD right when you see the lion roar before the movie. It’s eerie how well the two match up. And, since you can quote the whole movie, I think you’d enjoy it even more!
beth - I love that show and so does my kids….you would never believe this but one of the munchkins lives in our town.
rachel p - speaking of rainbows (not a wizard of oz memory, but) …
I wanted to *THANK YOU!!!* for the rainbow cake recipe! I made it for my son’s 2-year birthday party (decorated the top with baseball, football, and soccer bouncy balls), and all the kids AND grown ups were so excited when i cut into it and really loved it! I gladly gave you all the credit, so I think you have a few new readers from my family 🙂
And most importantly, my son LOVED his birthday cake 🙂 YUM!!
THANK YOU for the inspiration!!!
Christa aka BabbyMama - My fave WoO memory is probably watching it every year when they’d show it on TV as a special… do they still do that? We never had such an awesome spread, though. Maybe I’ll do this when my daughter gets a bit older!
CK - My older sister would turn off my bedroom light and cackle, “I’ll get you my pretty… and your little dog too! Aaah ha ha ha!” Even though I knew every time that it was my sister, it still scared me:)
My best friend and I would watch it together every year when it came on TV. We don’t have movies like that anymore. The kind that you only get to see once year and that bring your whole family together.
Sarah - I could never ever get over the monkeys. They scared the crap out of me and still do.
Cris - This post brings back so many good memories. It was a big deal, we watched it as a family and had popcorn and homemade grape juice. I was glad to have my siblings to snuggle with when the flying monkey’s made their appearance. The wicked witch was super scary too (both of them). You should see the musical “Wicked” ((awesome)).
Nicole Q. - Those colors make me want to RUN to Target. . . . and the drink idea is a great fun idea! You are so creative! Glad you enjoyed a good family night.
Amy Harle - Excellent idea!!! My favorite Wizard of Oz memory is watching it at my grandparent’s house. It felt like it was hours long…I guess because there was always so much to take in at a young age. Now I love that my kids LOVE the movie, too, and are just as exciting as I am to watch it. PS. We’ve been making your mom’s margarita recipe A LOT this summer. They come out perfect every time and I always get asked for the recipe…I give her credit each time 🙂
lori lucas - I wrote about the Wizard of Oz today too, and my own five children!! http://abigstory.blogspot.com/2010/08/were-off-to-see.html
Your post is much more colorful than mine tho.
If you look at my post, THAT is my favorite memory!
Loved your post. Lori L
Dee Stephens - what a GREAT idea! I’ll have to bookmark this post for when I have kids 🙂
Mary Osborne - My mom always made us watch when we were little and it was on TV that one time a year.
I would be so excited but soooo scared, those flying monkeys were scary!!!! I thought Dorothy was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen.
My two girls loved it when we watched it together and we just saw Wicked for the 1st time this summer. The references to TWoO in that crack me up.
Thanks for bringing back some great memories.
Kathi - Sorry, have to go against the flow. I hated this movie as a kid, scared me to death! I had nightmares for months after seeing it. I couldn’t go into the bathroom when it was dark out without closing the blind on the window, because I thought I could see flying monkeys! My oldest son just saw the movie last year, he’s 22! LOL.
On the flip side, Megan I love your ideas and your blog! I read it everyday. You are so creative and talented, I wish I could get some of it to rub off on me!
Bec - I have so many memories of watching this movie with my mom. It got to the point that everyone knew we loved it so we’d get several phone calls from family members to tell us it was on and what channel. It was almost ALWAYS on when we’d be decorating the Christmas tree. Neither of us love the flying monkeys. My high school performed this a couple of years ago and my mom and I were right on the aisle and they had the monkeys come in from the back and they were right by us and we both turned to each other and were freaked out. I’ve seen Wicked a few times and it is a great addition to the story!!! Your girls would LOVE it if they like the original. Don’t read the book though…it’s weird.
Trasie - I grew up in Southwest Kansas in a small town called Moscow and we use to drive to Liberal a 35 minute drive for us to Dorthy’s House all the time. We loved skipping on the yellow brick road and we felt like we were part of the movie. Every year Liberal celebrated Oztober and they have a Dorthy sing a like contest and when I was a freshman in high school I won the contest and got to eat breakfast with some of the original munchkins and they autographed my winning certificate. I have always loved the Wizard of Oz. I have a movie themed basement and one of the movie posters is of course the Wizard of Oz.
Amanda - When I was little I always loved the part where the house lands on the witch and her feet curled up-thought that was a cool special effect-LOL.
Amy - My girls LOVE Wizard of Oz. They watch it at least once a day.
My favorite memory is a recording actually. It is of my oldest singing “somewhere over the rainbow”. It’s the ringer whenever my husband calls.
LC - I love the Wizard of Oz!
It was a favorite when I was a kid. One of the only movies my Brother and I wouldn’t fight over wanting to watch. We both loved it!
Then when I had my Daughter, around the age of 3 SHE fell in love with it. We watched it every single day for more than 2 years.
Good times.
`Kelly - 71 years and still a family favorite! I love that movie & the memories of watching it every year!
My favorite Wizard of Oz memory is Halloween 2 years ago.
(http://kellymonkeybusiness.blogspot.com/2008/10/happy-halloween.html)We’ve done a “theme” for Halloween for several years but this one was my favorite by far! I still have the picture at the bottom of this post
http://kellymonkeybusiness.blogspot.com/2008/10/lets-get-this-party-started.html) framed in my living room. I love it!
Laura - Oh, it was such a treat to watch it once a year, and when the black and white turned to color, it was magical. There’s so much more sophistication today that I fear kids won’t understand how special that movie is and was…it was groundbreaking for its time. What a fun party you had. Love it.
deb meyers - and … the Lion’s song: “King of the Forest” when he is preparing to go see the Great and Powerful Oz.
now i’m stopping.
deb meyers - We used to wait for Wizard, annually, too.
But the one that I literally lived and breathed for (1964)? was Rodger and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella” with Leslie Ann Warren; and Walter Pidgeon as the king. I actually found it on Ebay (vhs). Such an unsophisticated version … actors did not have capped teeth, sets so plain. But the music…oh, the music!
mandy friend - I was going to try and talk my 4 kids into the Wizard of Oz costumes this year for Halloween! I have 1 girl and 3 boys-perfect! HAve you ever watched the Return to Oz??? Creepy but I loved it! If you haven’t you should, total departure from the original but worth seeing…but I don’t suggest letting Annie watch it!
Angie C - LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the Wizard of Oz. One of my favorite memories is from high school when my friends from chorus and I dressed like the tin man, lion, scarecrow, and Dorothy for Halloween. I am now a Wicked fan as well. Maybe the wicked witch isn’t actually wicked…
deb meyers - Favorite parts of the movie:
When Dorothy looks out the window inside the Twister, and sees the mean neighbor pedaling who turns into the witch (still creepy)
And the end, when she wakes up, and points to the ‘farmhands’ and says “And YOU were there! And, oh YOU were there! And YOU, TOO!” and of course … then … “There’s NO PLACE like home”.
deb meyers
Chris - It was one of the few nights my dad gave up rights to the big console TV in the living room and let the kids watch what we wanted. Every year we got dibs on the TV for the Wizard of Oz, The Macy’s Thanksgiving day Parade and the Charlie Brown Christmas Special, the rest of the time the TV blared HeeHaw and The Dukes of Hazard.
And upon reading your post, I realized my youngest kids haven’t seen it either. What kind of parent am I,lol?
Love the rainbows, love your post!
Lisa K - This post made me cry. A cross between your nostalgic happy memories, rainbows, your good mommy efforts to make a simply special night, and the thought of your kids having this memory for their lifetime. You are spectacular, Megan. And I mean that from the bottom of my heart. xo
Stephanie - I LOVE The Wizard of Oz. I remember before VCR’s and DVD players I would be so excited when it was going to be on TV. I loved when it changed from Black and White to Color.
MommaH - You are such a cool mom. I think my kids were kind of deprived, since I never thought of those very neat things to do. One summer I did take them all around our area to see all the historical stuff, the Mennonite Museum in Goessel, Cowtown in Wichita, the Bethel Museum in No. Newton, I think we even went to Council Grove. It was a neat summer.
Amanda - Oh my goodness, this movie has always been a part of my childhood. I really don’t even remember it being not a part of my childhood in fact. I was absolutely terrified of the flying monkeys when I was little, so much so that I wouldn’t go anywhere near monkey exibits at zoos until I was like 9 because I was always afraid they’d start flying at try to snatch me.
Love your rainbow celebration! I think we’ll be adopting a few of those ideas in our house to celebrate the Wizards anniversary as well 🙂
Heather R. - My Mom was in Ringling Brothers circus…she knew some of the actual munchkins. I always thought that was so cool. I love when she melts the wicked witch. The flying monkeys still freak me out a little. We saw it last year at the Crown Center outside movie. Our girls 9 and 10 loved it :)! We live in Kansas and I have a pair of ruby slippers with plants in them by our front door. 🙂
Christy - So cute!! I love anything rainbow. My favorite part is the lollipop kids and the song they sing. We represent the lollipop kids, the lollipop kids…. now I’ll be singing that all day long..
Natalie - I just made rainbow cake! And I love me some Dorothy. 🙂 http://ovenlove.blogspot.com/2010/08/rainbow-cake.html
Lori H - Like commenter Stephanie, I waited all year for the one showing of the movie, and I had to be really good as the time came so that I would be allowed to stay up and watch it. The same way with the Grinch every year. So much more special than just watching it on DVD whenever they want to! Glad your kids liked the movie. My two kids were probably Talby’s age when I introduced them to it…they made fun of the “lame special effects” and the slow pace. Oh well, I still love it!
mary - finally realizing, after all these years, that glinda was right
i’ve always had the power.
it’s hands down one of the best movies ever.
Jaime - Love all the rainbow stuff! 😀
The Wizard of Oz is a favorite of mine a well. We haven’t seen it in a while; I should prolly put it on our movie night list!
Stephanie - I remember when I was a kid the movie only came on once per year (I think around Easter time). It was always on the same TV channel and we would be so excited when we saw the commercials announcing the date. We would mark the calendar and count down the days. When the big night came we would get into our PJ’s and pop popcorn and the whole family would sit together and watch. We also did the same for The Sound of Music which also was shown once per year.
Our kids are so spoiled now with DVD’s, videos, cable TV, etc. They don’t get to have that anticipation and excitement for those “once a year” events. Sad:(
Courtney Walsh - The moment where it turns from Black and white to color… and seeing the witch’s feet shrivel up and retreat underneath the house. Those are my favorites! lol
My kids found our DVD and watched it not too long ago. I was really surprised they liked it so much (not sure why) and really worried about the monkeys and the witch because they are a little freaky!
What a FUN party you had!! Love it. 🙂
krystall - when I grow up I want to come live at your house, you have the best ideas!! I’m going to “steal” the ice cube thing and rice treats. My kids are gonna love you and your blog:)
Shannon - I love that you celebrated the anniversary of the Wizard of Oz!! We might have to have a “belated” celebration at our house! 😉 I have several fun memories of the Wizard of Oz. 1) For my oldest child’s first Halloween, we dressed her up as Toto (it was the first costume I had ever made)…my husband was the Scarecrow and I was Dorothy. We lived in MN at the time and thought it would be fun since we were still “Kansans” at heart!
2) This year my daughter tried out for her first community theatre production…The Wizard of Oz!!! She got the parts of a munchkin and flying monkey. She was so excited, but then said, “What is a flying monkey?” I then realized she had never watched the movie!! HA!! Needless to say, all 3 of my kids can now recite every line and sing every song! Here’s a post I did about the local production, http://maplememoriescrafthouse.blogspot.com/2010/06/follow-yellow-brick-road.html
Rumor has it that the show next Summer will be Beauty and the Beast!
Kate @ Songs Kate Sang - Meg, I love how you make family events special. Thank you so much for reminding me that just the little touches add up to make an amazing memory!
Jeanne C - Did you know the author(Frank Baum) of Wizard of Oz was a newspaper editor in South Dakota in the 1800’s? He advocated and pressed for the annihilation of all native Americans. He actually called for the extermination. My dad is a Native American and I cannot fathom watching the Wizard of Oz, or promoting it in any way.
laura - how sweet!!!!
shannon - So adorable, you come up with some of the best ideas!
Maria in CT - Back when I was a kid – it was only on once a year. We would find out when it would be on and we all (four of us kids at the time) would sit and watch it, no matter what day it was on or what time, we wouldn’t move from the couch! My favorite part…the music when the Wicked witch (AKA the neighbor) is riding her bike…duntaduntadunta, duntaduntadunta (I know I’m not doing the music right, but you know what I mean)…..
dori - not an old memory…a brand new one. my dad recently introduced the movie to my daughter (who is only 22 months) and she LOVED it. the puppy, the lion, the (flying) monkeys, the colors…the wicked witch didnt phase her one bit.
Deanna - What a lovely party! I wish I could show the movie to my kids, but all 4 are pretty sensitive and would be scared. To be honest, even as a grown up the monkeys still creep me out. 🙂
Danielle H. - I absolutely LOVED this movie growing up and watched it every year. I was so fasinated with the black and white at the beginning and then the brilliant color! I need to show my daughter this movie – I guess I haven’t yet because she’s 4 and I don’t want the wicked witch to scar her! Have you seen Wicked the Musical? You MUST. It is wonderful and I love how it gives history between Glinda and the Wicked Witch (Elphaba) before they ended up in Oz.
Michelle - tree: “are you hinting my apples are not what the ought to be”
scarecrow: “no, it’s jut that she doesn’t like little green woooormss”
that’s my fav quote of all time!!!
Juli - What clever ideas you have! When I was a child in Kansas in the ’60s, only one family in the neighborhood had a color TV. In those days, “The Wizard of Oz” was shown only once a year. The family invited all the kids from the neighborhood to watch it on their set. When the movie goes to color, a crowded roomful of children all chorused, “Oooooh!”
Jodi - My favorite memory is watching it once a year when it came on TV in the family room of the house I grew up in.
Jami - My best memory of Wizard of oz has to be when at Halloween our principal in elemantary wanted to borrow our dog chip (who we rescued from a golf coarse and was oh so mangy) to be her Toto (she of course was Dorothy) I love this cause Chip had to have felt famous. 🙂 He loved all the attention 🙂 I do really also love the WHOLE movie especially when the little munchkin rolls out the scroll and starts singing “As coroner I must advert…….” For some reason it always makes me laugh……
PS I am a nanny and a mom and I adore your blog. We do a lot of your crafts. I did a craft day where I blogged about it too 🙂
mom - The fact that your dad made us watch it every year after that. You were always scared of that tornado!
Poppies! Beautiful poppies!
Trish - loved that it used to be on tv every year… wish they still did that!
Fat Cowboy - Meg, Didn’t you have a dog back when you first watched the movie? What was his name?
annalea @ our hartbeat - oh and this is such a fun and simple family night. great job!
annalea @ our hartbeat - we watched it early this summer with our kiddos. my daughte (3yo) still runs around the house saying “i’ll get you my pretty” and “there’s no place like home.” she also wants a rainbow birthday party this winter because, “the rainbow made eberything so boo-tiful for dorfy.” 🙂
Michelle - When I was a kid. . .7 or 8 . . . my parents told us we were moving to Kansas. The only time I had ever heard of Kansas was in the Wizard of Oz and I was still little enough to be terrified of the tornado and in turn Kansas. We moved in March and I spent that whole spring and summer on the lookout.
Amanda - I, like you, have loved Wizard of Oz my entire life. I don’t even remember the first time I saw it…I just feel like it’s always been there, ya know?
But, my absolute favorite Wizard of Oz memory, is showing it to my kids for the first time. It was on TV one night when my son was 5 and we watched it together. He loved it so much that he asked to sleep on the couch so he could watch it again (it was showing back to back). The first time my daughter watched it, she was about to turn 3. She quickly became obsessed with all things Wizard of Oz and had a Wizard of Oz 3rd birthday party, has been Dorothy for halloween for the past 2 years, and owns 3 pairs of ruby slippers!
FeFe - Well, I don’t love the movie but it does bring me good memories. It used to come on TV once a year and my dad insisted that we watch it. I would snuggle with my dad on the couch. I remember every year that dumb witch would come on and scare me to death. I would bury my head into my daddy’s chest…every single year. Hate the movie but love the memory! 🙂
Amanda Fuentes - I remember only getting to see it once a year too and the year it came out IN COLOR!
My favorite scene is the baby munchkins hatching from their eggs. I wanted to reach through the screen and keep them!
I just bought those rainbow washcloths at Target!
Staci - I’m soooo duplicating everything you did this weekend!!!! We rented the movie a while back and it was scratched….big bummer ;( Soooo, perfect reason to just buy it right 🙂 Hmmmm, I have so many favorites in this movie…but I do love it when Dorothy clicks her heels in those gorgeous slippers and gets to go home….and I do LOVE it when the house falls on the witch and her striped legs roll up under the house 🙂 And of course when the witch melts 🙂 Oh man! Now I can’t wait for my boys to watch this!!!! My puppy dog likes to watch tv too 🙂 I bet Waffle liked Toto 🙂 Thanks Megan!!! you are a rockstar!
Irene - The munchkins. Always. I went to Wicked last year in London and it was amazing!
Please adopt me Meg?! You are the best mum!
Vicki - I just have to say you are too cute!! 🙂 LOVE all the stuff you did!!
I don’t have any specific memories of watching the movie, but my favorite memory OF the movie is when the Lion says “I’ll fight ya with one hand behind my back….Grrrrufff…” 🙂
Dana D@BoysMyJoys - I think I love the songs the most, though I can remember my mom getting us out of the pool at a hotel on vacation so that we could come in and watch it the night it was on tv!
It was such a big deal that it was on!
Love, love, love ‘Ding-Dong the Witch is Dead’.
“The house began to pitch, the kitchen took a slitch…”
It always made me think of ‘Very Merry Un-Birthday’ from Alice in Wonderland.
I guess it was the High School Musical of our generation.
Sophie - Well, in England, The Wizard Of Oz gets played at least once on TV every holiday season. My family and I used to watch it whenever we could. The first time I can remember watching it, I was really small, probably about 3 or 4. I can remember getting scared at the tornado part and running to my dad on the couch to protect me. I also always got scared at the part when they first see the ‘Wizard’.
And when I went to see ‘Wicked’ in London’s West End, it brought back all those memories of Christmases when I was tiny (:
I’m so glad that your kids like it. I think this movie is one of those that is timeless. My parents loved it as children, and so did I. I daresay that one day my children will love it too!
Kimberlee J. - Confession: I have never seen the Wizard of Oz all the way through.
Kimberly - This post made me happy 🙂
We watch The Wizard of Oz a lot – it really is the best movie!
katie - i can’t believe your kids had never seen it!!! mine love it!! so do i, still a favorite of mine!!
Anna Marie - I LOVE the munchkin scene! I often break out into song “We represent the Lullaby League, the Lullaby League…”
heather - I love this!! Especially the colored ice (did it get super gross brown though?)! How can you not love that movie, but especially with that awesome lead in!!
Katie M. - I went to San Francisco about 5 or 6 years ago and we went to a movie theater that had a special sing-a-long production of the wizard of oz! All of the words to the songs were on the screen. Also, when Glenda would come into the scene, everyone in the audience would blow bubbles! It was amazing!!!! This would actually be fun to re-create for a gathering!
Annie - I absolutely love that you made such a celebration out of such a simple thing… And everything looked so fun! And, kid or not, I want colored ice cubes in my drink!
We all need a little more celebration in our lives, don’t we?
Laura - just as you said…the excitement of it coming on..because it only came on once a year. It was special.
DVDs have ruined that for me…everything today is immediate..at your finger tips..see anything anytime…no more waiting…takes the special out of
I wish I were more like you (in so many ways!)…I love that you held this one back for your kids
and that you created the “special” for them
( I too have seen this movie countless times…have you noticed how Dorothy’s braids go from short to long back to short while the scarecrow sings??? check it out…)
sarah - Used to watch this ALL the time.
What a great little celebration you had!!
I wish I could have been a kid at your house yesterday 🙂
Niki - My favorite memory was being in the Manhattan (KS) City Theater production of The Wizard of Oz when I was 7ish. It was performed outside in the city park! I was a munchkin! Sooo fun!
I always wanted a pair of red ruby slippers. Maybe that is why I have a slight obsession with sassy red shoes!
julia - you rock.
lorel - she’s not really melting, she’s just going into the floor. 🙂
amy - I didn’t even realize it was the anniversary. We borrowed the VHS from our babysitter and laid in our bed and watched it last night with some pop corn. How crazy that it’s the anniversary. My daughter LOVES it (she’s 4). She kept telling me everything that was going to happen. Looks like you had a good time!
Holly - I remember growing up and waiting for that one time a year that it would come on tv! I need to make my kids watch it again….not sure my little one has seen it!
Sandra K - Last summer I took my kids to see a wonderful live production at a local theatre and they loved it. Much to my delight, my daughter was DOROTHY for Halloween last year…oh, it will be hard to ever top that costume….LOVED it.