Cover Story

Glinda, Good Witch of the North dazzles in her organza and charmeuse gown with hand-applied stars and rhinestone brooches, crown, and wand. Debut edition of 2000.

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

Tonner translates America's only fairy tale into dolls.

By Toni Fitzgerald

We all remember the first time we went to see the "Wizard." Perhaps as a youngster, watching the movie on the big screen in all its Technicolor glory. Maybe as a teen, catching the flick during one of its numerous broadcast showings over the year. More recently, VCRs and DVD players have brought the film to thousands of children to see over and over and over again. No matter how many times you see it, "The Wizard of Oz" never loses its appeal. Its story offers a lesson for everyone: the true value of home; the importance of loyal friends; and the potential for bravery inside every one of us. The movie and the series of Oz books that inspired the movie are true American treasures.

Little wonder that the new dolls from Robert Tonner's Tonner Doll Co. and Effanbee are inspiring such excitement. For the Tonner Doll Co., Robert has sculpted little Dorothy, complete with a tiny Toto and those ruby slippers; Glinda, the Good Witch of the North; and her nemesis, The Wicked Witch of the West. All three boast amazing facial detail, and the costumes are among Robert's best.

Wicked Witch of the West looks wickedly wonderful in her corseted dress with puffed sleeves, voluminous cape, and pointed hat with chiffon band. Of course, she carries a broom. Debut edition of 2000.

Glinda wears a rhinestone brooch custom-made for the doll. Her gown includes layers of organza and charmeuse, and she literally sparkles thanks to the hand-applied stars that dot the pink floating fabric. The Wicked Witch looks frightening with her green skin and menacing broom. But she's nonetheless beautiful and almost delicate, too, in a corseted black dress, puffy sleeves, and, of course, tall black hat. Dorothy wears the blue-and-white checked dress from the film, the one that seems to come alive when she steps from the black and white house in Kansas into the colorful Oz. She wears her ruby slippers, and another pair of ruby slippers, Tonner fans will be thrilled to hear, is also available to fit both witches, Tyler, and Emme.

Effanbee, Tonner's sister company, couldn't resist the Oz allure, either. The four main characters from the film— Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Lion—have been reimagined as a series of Patsy dolls. (For more on the enduring appeal of Patsy, see page 40.) Before Tonner acquired the company in 2002, Effanbee did several Oz dolls in the late 1980s. But this marks the first time that Robert, who has made Glinda and Dorothy dolls in the past, has done a Wicked Witch doll.

Dorothy, 12 inches, is vinyl and hard plastic with rooted saran hair and hand-detailed, painted eyes and features jointing at the neck, shoulders, elbows, hips, knees, and ankles. She comes with Toto and wears her ruby slippers.

"Both collections have been a big hit," says Tom Courtney, Tonner's director of marketing. "Tonner's witches of Oz were the buzz of IDEX. And the Effanbee Patsy set amazed people in person, because they could not appreciate the 14-inch size from the images on the Web site and the catalog."

The 16-inch witches, both limited editions of 2000, were made with the Tyler Wentworth articulated, bend- ing-wrist body. Twelve-inch Dorothy, who is an open edition along with the basic Glinda and Wicked Witch, has the same body as Tyler's little sister, Marley Wentworth. The Effanbee dolls use the traditional 14-inch Patsy body, although, "Dorothy and the Lion have rooted head versions," Tom says. "Robert created the new bald head with actual ears so he could make Patsy in rooted hair styles."

The Effanbee Doll Company, a subsidiary of the Tonner Doll Co., presents its Wizard of Oz The Effanbee Doll Company, a subsidiary of the Tonner Doll Co., presents its Wizard of Oz collection. Effanbee's 14-inch vinyl collection. Effanbee's 14-inch vinyl Patsy doll, first sculpted by Bernard Lipfert in 1927, portrays doll, first sculpted by Bernard Lipfert in 1927, portrays all four characters — all four characters — Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, and the Cowardly Lion. The dolls feature screen and hand painting and wear detailed costumes based on the movie. For more feature screen and hand painting and wear detailed costumes based on the movie. For more on on Patsy Patsy, see page 40.

The breadth and depth of the significance of Oz and its characters as America's only fairy tale speaks for itself. "The Wizard of Oz" has been an American institution since the release of the 1938 film, which helped secure Judy Garland's reputation as one of our nation's brightest movie stars. Effanbee's history dates back nearly as far as the "Oz" books themselves. L. Frank Baum wrote the first one, The "Wonderful Wizard of Oz" in 1900, and he released 13 more "Oz" books over the next 21 years, including the final one published after his death in 1920. Effanbee produced its first doll in 1913, and 15 years later introduced the little girl doll who inspired so much ardor in Depression-era America and continues to be loved, Patsy. And then there's the Tonner Doll Co itself. In just 14 years, Robert's company has become one of America's premiere doll makers, helping to stoke the fashion doll craze with Tyler Wentworth and winning thousands of fans, and many DOTY awards, along the way.

Robert is not unlike Frank Baum himself. They are both successful artists, both with a lasting effect on their industry, and both examples of how determination and good ideas can really resonate with the American public. Frank tried numerous careers, such as film directing and acting, before he wrote his first "Oz" book. Although he died before he saw his book turned into the masterful Garland film, he did see what an impact his series had on young readers and on literature itself. Many credit him with popularizing the fantasy genre, an area that the Grimm brothers and Hans Christian Anderson had tread before him.

Robert himself certainly feels a special attachment to the books and movie. That his dolls feature some lesser characters more prominently than the major ones is no coincidence. The former Bill Blass designer couldn't resist the idea of costuming two of the most glamorous, mysterious, and dangerous women in film history. Each witch has three outfits sold separately that are entirely Robert's creation and unseen in the films, including a striking purple ball gown for the Wicked Witch and a gorgeous white "Winter in Oz" hooded cloak for Glinda. All six outfits are limited editions of 1,500.

"The witches of Oz has been a concept Robert has always loved," says Tom. "He saw the characters as two glamorous ladies of Oz with extraordinary wardrobes, one wicked and one good. Dorothy is actually an accessory in this collection. For the Effanbee line, he wanted the traditional characters on Patsy because she has a very sweet face sculpt that lends itself well to these characters."

Indeed. It's hard to imagine anything sweeter or more fun than these dolls.

A necessary addition to any witch's wardrobe, this pair of ruby slippers fits Glinda, Wicked Witch, Tyler Wentworth, and Emme.

"The Wizard of Oz" Fast Facts

• Many legends exist about how "Wonderful Wizard of Oz" author L. Frank Baum came up with the name "Oz." One of the most amusing: Baum was testing out his story on a group of children, one of whom asked what this glorious fairyland was called. Frank looked around the room and saw a filing cabinet with two drawers, one labeled "A-N" and one "O-Z." Good thing it wasn't "P-Z!"
• A group called "Oz Central" has been trying to find a location for a "Wizard of Oz" theme park. It's considering Niagara Falls, N.Y., and Houston.
• In the final "Oz" book, Dorothy and her family have moved full time to the fairyland, where she pens this note to Frank: "You will never hear anything more about Oz, because we are now cut off forever from all the rest of the world. But Toto and I will always love you and all the other children who love us."
• "The Wizard of Oz" made its television debut on Nov. 3, 1956, and has become a TV staple ever since, running almost annually since 1960.
• The current hit Broadway play "Wicked," based on the novel of the same name, reimagines the events of "Oz" from the perspective of the Wicked Witch. Turns out she should have been called the Misunderstood Witch.