Over the Rainbow

Mar 31, 2017

A fan since childhood, David Anders grew up watching The Wizard of Oz. As an adult, David’s life is now steeped in The Wizard of Oz – from the ‘Oz Junkie’ email he uses to the ornaments he uses to decorate his house, and the themed lamps that light up his home. For David, The Wizard of Oz is more than just a casual interest. It’s a lifestyle.

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

David’s first memory of The Wizard of Oz was when he was just nine or ten years old.

“My sister and I were being babysat at a lady’s house one night when it aired on television. I was instantly hooked. Watching that movie for the first time with her son Jake is one of the rare memories I have as a child.”

Watching this film planted a seed that has followed David into adulthood.

We’re Off to See the Wizard

The obsession with The Wizard of Oz began just two years later when the 50th anniversary of the film was released on VHS.

“I watched that so many times that it became a passion. I watched it a few times a week religiously until I was 20 or so. There was a time that I watched it every day for six months when my mom and stepdad split up when I was 17.”

David still recalls the moment when his collection officially began,

“My first piece was the 1988 Multi toy 50^th Anniversary set of Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion. Sadly, I don’t have them anymore. We moved to Missouri in 2000. When we moved back ten months later, my entire collection got left behind in the basement. All was lost but three pieces. I lost many them, a Wizard of Oz Barbie set, and many water globes. I started the collection over again about 5 years ago.”

Years later, David’s passion for all things The Wizard of Oz has not faded. His collection of pieces from The Wizard of Oz is wide-ranging and exhaustive, with his house now full of the following items:

Water globes
Jewelry box
Cloths
Quilts
Resin figures
Bobble heads
Banks
Paintings
Lamps
Music boxes
Christmas tree ornaments
Puzzles
Books

There is not much of The Wizard of Oz that David doesn’t collect.

Favorite items in David’s collection include a ceramic lamp that his mother hand-painted for him about 15 years ago. One of David’s ‘grail’ pieces is ‘A Horse of a Different Colour’ by the San Francisco Music Box Company. David hopes that one day this piece will take pride of place in his home.

When asked about his favorite character, David admitted that he didn’t have a favorite, although he does like to collect pieces which depict the flying monkeys.

“Just the dynamic of the four main characters together is like nothing else that has ever come out of Hollywood.”

The Merry Old Land of Oz

Unfortunately, David’s family are not as passionate about The Wizard of Oz as David has grown to be, but they are respectful of David’s fascination with it,

“They can’t stand the movie. My kids don’t care for it and I have ruined it for my wife by watching it too often. As far as the collection goes, everyone is cool with it. Most of my pieces have come from my wife or my mother. Both of them understand it. My father died when I was eight years old and I was the oldest of three kids. I had to grow up rather fast. I had a part time job by the age of 13, to help pay bills. I quit cub scouts to help my mom with my younger sisters. The Wizard of Oz is really the only part of my childhood that I got to hold on to. It just reminds me of everything I didn’t get to experience. When I am in the ‘Oz room’ and see all the beautiful pieces I have acquired with the colors and the happiness on their faces, I just feel at home and any stress I have is gone.”