Smithsonian Launches Kickstarter Campaign For Ruby Slippers

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Smithsonian officials are starting a fundraising campaign to repair and preserve Dorothy's ruby slippers from "The Wizard of Oz."

Media outlets report that officials launched Monday a Kickstarter campaign of $300,000 to repair the slippers. The famous shoes were crafted almost 80 years ago by the MGM Studio prop department and are currently on display at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.

The fundraising effort has been named "#KeepThemRuby." The campaign offers a wide range of awards for donors, like posters, t-shirts and tote bags for smaller amounts, and video tours and parties for larger gifts.

Curators and conservators are working to understand how to best display the slippers in a new exhibition, tentatively titled "On With the Show," expected to open in 2018.

Donation can be made on the exhibit's conservation Kickstarter page.