Ruby slippers

Ruby slippers are red shoes that are worn by the character Dorothy Gale (acted by Judy Garland) in the movie The Wizard of Oz. They are an important part of the story.

Cover of The Wizard of Oz showing Dorothy's red shoes

Costume

Many pairs of slippers were made for the movie. One pair can be seen at the Smithsonian Institution in the United States. The others are owned by private collectors.

The slippers are based on shoes from the book the movie was based on, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, but in the book the slippers are colored silver. The change was made because in the movie Dorothy arrives in the magical land of Oz which is colorful, but her home in Kansas was in shades of grey or sepia, so it was thought the shoes should also have color.

Plot

Dorothy gets the slippers after her house falls on the Wicked Witch of the East, killing the witch. The witch's sister, the Wicked Witch of the West, wants the ruby slippers. She attacks Dorothy many times during her journey down the yellow brick road. The Wicked Witch of the West wants the slippers for herself so she can become the most powerful witch in all of the land of Oz.

Dorothy knows that the slippers are powerful, but she does not know why. At the end of the movie, she learns their power: click your heels together three times, and repeat "There's no place like home."