Silver Shoes

The Silver Shoes are the magical shoes that appear in the book "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" as Dorothy Gale's transport home. They were originally owned by the Wicked Witch of the East but passed to Dorothy when her house landed on the Witch. As gathered from the clues throughout the various books and films, the Silver Shoes will only pass to a new owner if they have physically defeated the previous owner or the previous owner willingly hands them over.

Appearances in the books

"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz"

This is the only book in the original series to feature the Silver Shoes directly. They are the property of the Wicked Witch of the East until Dorothy's house lands on and kills her. They are then given to Dorothy by The Good Witch of the North, who tells Dorothy that "there is some charm connected with them; but what it is we never knew"(L. Frank Baum-The Wizard of Oz). When Dorothy is captured by the Wicked Witch of the West, she tries to steal the shoes. She finally gets one by tricking Dorothy into tripping over an invisible iron bar. Dorothy then melts the Witch with a bucket of water and recovers the shoe. In the final chapters of the book, Glinda, the Good Witch of the South explains that the shoes can transport the wearer anywhere they wish. If the Sliver Shoes had any other powers they are never outlined in the books. When Dorothy arrives home in Kansas she finds that the shoes are gone. Although they're fate is never truly divulged, it is believed that they were lost upon entering a non-magical country.

"Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West"

In "" version of the story, the shoes are a gift to Nessarose (the Wicked Witch of the East) that enable her to walk properly. They are given to her by her father and then enchanted by Glinda.

Appearances in film

"The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)"

In the 1939 movie the shoes serve the same purpose as in the book but are changed to red (See Ruby Slippers). This movie proves that the shoes are magically protected. When the Wicked Witch of the West reaches for them, they burn her hands and she cries out in pain.

"The Wiz"

In "The Wiz", the shoes are silver high heels. This movie gives further insight into the shoe's magical protection. When Evillene (the witch of the west) tries to obtain them magically, her fingers are bent backwards and she exhibits signs of pain.

"The Wizard of Oz" (1982 film)

In the anime movie, the shoes are once again transformed into the ruby slippers. They are heeled shoes with pointed, slightly curled toes. Unlike the book, the shoes are still on Dorothy's feet when she arrives in Kansas.

"Return to Oz"

In "Return to Oz", the Ruby Slippers are used once again. In this movie, the slippers have more power than simply transporting people. They allow the Nome King to conquer Oz and turn every one in the Emerald City to stone. Dorothy later uses the shoes to reverse this process. This extra power is due to the fact the slippers replace the Nome King's Magic Belt.

"The Muppets' Wizard of Oz"

In "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz", the Silver Shoes are glittery high-heels. The laws of ownership are again displayed in that the Witch of the West tries to cut off Dorothy's feet to obtain the shoes. Once again the shoes remain on Dorothy's feet when she arrives home.

Appearances in television

"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" (1986 anime)

The Silver Shoes are handled very interestingly in the 1986 anime version. When first seen on the feet of the Witch of the East, they are brown peasant's shoes. The Witch of the North then magically transfers them to Dorothy's feet, they take on the appearance of white slip-on shoes. When Dorothy is forced to give one of the shoes to the Witch of the West, it reverts to the peasant form. After the Witch is melted and Dorothy is shown wearing it again, it has returned to its white form.

The shoes are used twice after they intially send Dorothy home. The first time, she is holding them in her hands when she clicks the heels and drops them. Consequently, Dorothy is transported to Oz and the shoes are left in Kansas (Glinda sends her home). The second time occurs while Dorothy is sleeping. Tik-Tok is emitting a distress signal and the shoes activate, transporting Dorothy to the Land of Ev in a beam of light. Interestingly, her clothes are changed in mid flight.

"The Wizard of Oz" (TV series)

In the "The Wizard of Oz" television series, the Ruby Slippers are used to transport Dorothy back to Oz. They are no longer depicted as high heels.

Dorothy of Oz manga series

The Dorothy of Oz series completely revamps the Silver Shoes. They are instead depicted as red boots created by Selluriah, the Witch of the East. When Mara (codename Dorothy) stomps the heels of said boots, she takes on the form and powers of a witch. This power is channeled (rather inexpertly) through the staff Thrysos. The transformation is rather embarrassing as it involves Mara being momentarily nude and various men are always apt to spot her. It is yet to be revealed if these boots will help Mara return home.