Dorothy & Toto

Inspiration

rowing up, I shared a bedroom with my twin sister Claudia. Our bedroom was a magnificent place for make-believe and a place where Dorothy & Toto would come to life. It was a nice size room, large enough for two twin beds, a large low antique dresser, and to still have, between the two beds, plenty of area to play. The north wall was a half wall painted royal blue with windows that expanded from side to side. The south wall had a wall to wall and ceiling to floor built-in-closet. The east wall was white, and my bed was against it. The west wall was covered with light cherry paneling, and my sister Claudia’s bed was against it. Disguised by the wood paneling, there was a secret door to the bathroom. Our bedroom was far from ordinary, as it also welcomed Dorothy & Toto from time to time.

The bedroom floor was tiled with large 16” by 16” square yellow tiles. Those yellow tiles were fantastic. They came in very handy when sorting Barbie’s clothes, colored pencils or blocks. They were perfect for playing hopscotch. And the tiles provided a nice surface for playing jacks, and pick-up sticks. But the best of all, was when we pretended to be Dorothy as we skipped across the bedroom following the yellow-brick-road. I remember, in the evenings after brushing my teeth, following my own yellow-brick-road, holding Toto, from the bathroom until I reached my bed. I would crawl in bed, close my eyes, and imagine having reached Emerald City. And then, my dreams would take over, transporting me to the magical worlds I used to draw with my colored pencils. Until the next day, when I would trace back my steps into the bathroom, and into an ordinary world where there was only room for yellow tiles, and none for yellow-brick-roads or Dorothy & Toto.

Book Versus Movie: The Facts Explained

If you ask anyone to describe Dorothy’s dress, the most common answer is a blue gingham dress with a white apron. The truth is, that even though she indeed wears a blue gingham dress with a white apron, as the book progresses, she is seen wearing different outfits, without a checkered pattern as the original illustrations reveal. To fight the preconceived ideas regarding Dorothy’s dress, I chose to dress my Dorothy figurines in dresses made from an array of blue materials with varied patterns. I did add a white apron, as she appears wearing one on several occasions. The color white is very important in the World of Oz, as this color is reserved to be worn only by witches and sorceresses. Because of her white apron, the Munchkins thought that Dorothy was a sorceress.

Another misconstrued common belief is that Dorothy’s slippers are red. In the book, Dorothy’s slippers are described as being silver. So why do people think they are ruby red? Well, as the Wizard of Oz movie was being filmed, filmmakers decided to change the color of the slippers from silver to red. In an industry that was in the middle of embracing Technicolor (1922-1952), red provided a brighter contrast that highlighted the unique benefit of this new technology. So, to be true to L. Frank Baum’s book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, I fitted Dorothy with silver glitter slippers.

Dorothy & Toto Figurine and Ornament Design Process

I gave Dorothy brunette hair that I braided and tied with blue bows. In the book, Dorothy packs her basket with bread, and food and Tin Woodman’s oil can, and any other item she thinks she might need. So, I gave Dorothy a basket to carry. But, instead of filling the basket with snacks, I decided to put Toto inside her basket. I hand-crocheted the basket with hemp string and lined it with a linen napkin. I made the linen napkin from an old pulled thread embroidered placemat. Finally, I placed Dorothy standing on a yellow base that represents hers, and mine, yellow-brick-roads leading us to the Emerald City.