This phrase refers back to the real-life theft of one of many pairs of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland within the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz. The sneakers, insured for $1 million, have been stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, in 2005. The FBI recovered the slippers in 2018 after a sting operation, however the perpetrator remained unidentified till 2023. The case garnered vital media consideration as a result of cultural significance of the movie and the enduring nature of the stolen artifact.
The theft and subsequent restoration spotlight the significance of preserving historic artifacts and the challenges museums face in defending their collections. The slippers signify a tangible hyperlink to a beloved movie and a bygone period of Hollywood, making their theft a loss not only for the museum however for movie historical past itself. The investigation spanned over a decade and concerned a number of legislation enforcement companies, demonstrating the seriousness with which such cultural thefts are handled. The story captured public creativeness, fueling hypothesis and quite a few theories concerning the perpetrator and the whereabouts of the slippers.
