Last week Wild Thing were fortunate enough to have what she enthusiastically calls "Girl Time!" This usually consists of a trip to the Dollar Store, some dinner at McDonald’s, and a movie. When it came time to choose a movie, we decided to go for a classic: The Wizard of Oz.
When I was a child, one of my fondest memories is waiting for The Wizard of Oz every spring. This was back in the days without VCRs or DVDs. You had to wait for a movie to come on television. Every spring The Wizard of Oz was on television. Mom and Dad would make us popcorn and root beer. We had our snacks in the living room in front of the TV. I can still taste the root beer and feel the childish excitement of knowing my favorite movie ever would be on in minutes. Do our kids even know that feeling these days in our society that is incapable of delaying gratification? (Oh. Wait. That’s another post. We’ll get to that another day. Back to the good ol’ nostalgia.)
For weeks after watching the movie on TV I would pretend to be various characters: sometimes Dorothy, sometimes Glinda, many times the Wicked Witch of the West. Once I asked my mother to help me put together a costume so I could pretend on a new level. She helped me find a basket for Toto, put my hair in dog ears, etc. Then I looked at her and asked her to please cut out long fingernails from cardboard so I could be the witch. She did. I taped them onto my fingers and commenced play.
When I was six my Grandma Isiphine bought me the Wizard of Oz castle and dolls by MEGO. I played with them for hours. I loved them. I kept them. And when I had a baby girl, I knew I would give them to her. They are loved and meant to be played with.
Scarecrow’s right leg won’t stay on, Dorothy’s lost her ruby slippers, the wizard only has one shoe, and the lion no longer has his courage. My yellow brick road isn’t fully connected any more and the looking glass has lost its base. The magic is still there, though. I know it is because Wild Thing just asked me to come play Wizard of Oz with her. We re-enacted the entire movie tonight with various makeshift houses and props. I taught her the words to "We’re Off to See the Wizard". She reminded me of a few lines I mis-quoted. We both had a fantastic time tonight.
Really. Does it get any better than this? Because this is pretty darn good.
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Oh, do I remember that! One year we went to visit family out of town and my cousins were singing “Ding Dong the Witch is Dead.” I asked why and she said, “Oh, it’s been stuck in our minds ever since the movie was on the other night.” My stomach turns over just thinking about it, that horrible realization that I had MISSED IT THAT YEAR.
It’s pretty darn good because you’re a fabulous mom. Bravo my friend. Bravo.
That is awesome. Can’t wait til my Corrie is old enough to do things like this!
What a sweet time with your daughter! Having girls is such a blessing!
I remember the first time in came on television in (gasp!) COLOR! We had to watch it in black and white all the way through for several years, then, miracle of miracles, we got a COLOR TV. Shortly after that it was announced by Danny Kaye that this year’s presentation would be IN COLOR. Wow. I never will forget that. The first of the movie was in black and white, and when she opens the door of the house…VOILA! All is brilliant color.
OK, OK, I know. I’m older than dirt. What can I say?
Wizard of Oz best movie ever. Lesson: A girl should never be without her friends and a dog.
I remember watching that movie every year as well. What a classic!
Times spent with our children like the one you describe here… priceless!
What a special time for you two! I watched The Sound of Music yesterday…it has that same kind of nostalgia for me. Good times!
That is so sweet! What a wonderful memory that will be for both of you.
Ditto aggiejenn’s fondness for The Sound of Music. I remember watching that on my Mom and Dad’s laps
That is one of my favorite childhood memories too. Spring was The Wizard of Oz and fall brought my favorite The Sound of Music!
Thanks for the fond memories!
That is so cool that you kept the toys all those years.
I wish I had kept someof my stuff. My mom is such a packrat – and I’m not. Maybe she has some of my old stuff squirreled away somewhere. I’ll have to see.
oh how sweet!
i remember those ‘wait for a movie to come on tv’ days too. i wasn’t as diehard about W of O as you though. i wanted to be called only when it turned to ‘color.’ every year i skipped the black and white part, much to my sister’s shock.
If you love The Wizard of Oz you should read the book “Wicked” by Gregory Maguire. It’s an imagining of the life and times of the Wicked Witch of the West, Glinda and Oz before Dorothy arrived. It’s a wonderful, profound, thought provoking book that I rate my #1 read this year.
I remember watching that on when it came on tv back before it was on VHS. Something about the black and white/color thing felt like magic to me.
I remember watching that on when it came on tv back before it was on VHS. Something about the black and white/color thing felt like magic to me.
At the age of four, my daughter declared that her middle name was now Dorothy. Last year, at the age of 20, she and I saw Wicked in Chicago. Oh, what a legacy! Sharing classics is, well, priceless.