The ruby slippers Judy Garland wore in "The Wizard of Oz" may find a permanent home in Minnesota under legislation proposed by Sen. Justin Eichorn, R-Grand Rapids, on Tuesday.
The iconic footwear is scheduled for a world tour this year before it goes up for auction in December. And Eichorn wants the Minnesota Historical Society to place the winning bid for the prop, one of four pairs known to survive from the 1939 production.
"She's become part of our history and culture," Eichorn said of the "Wizard of Oz" actor. "But since the theft of the ruby slippers, that kind of heritage and culture has become even more ingrained, not only in the history of Grand Rapids and Itasca County areas, but the state as a whole."
He said folks from across the country visit the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids asking about the theft and subsequent recovery of the slippers, which are estimated to be worth about $3.5 million. Eichorn's bill does not include a potential price tag, he said, in order to avoid providing a starting point for negotiations on the price of the slippers.
The famed red heels were stolen from the museum in 2005 while on loan from a Hollywood collector. The FBI recovered them 13 years later. And in 2023 authorities arrested then-76-year-old Terry J. Martin, who later pled guilty to theft of a major artwork. More recently, a second man has been indicted in connection to the theft.
Securing the slippers for display in Grand Rapids would be a boon for the area, Eichorn said, as he quoted a Turner Classic Movies commentator who said the shoes represent hope: "Hope for the Grand Rapids community and hope for a new beginning for the Judy Garland Museum and for Grand Rapids as well," Eichorn said.
