#KeepThemRuby: $300,000 Kickstarter Campaign To Save Dorothy's Slippers

WASHINGTON (CBS/AP) -- The ruby slippers that whisked Dorothy back to Kansas in three clicks are looking a little down at the heels, prompting the Smithsonian to launch a $300,000 online campaign to conserve them.

Related: 5 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Dorothy's Famous Ruby Slippers

Museum officials started a Kickstarter fundraising drive Monday to repair the iconic slippers from 1939's "The Wizard of Oz" and create a new state-of-the-art display case for them at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.

A pair of "The Wizard of Oz" Ruby Red Slippers worn by Judy Garland in 1939 displayed at a viewing at the Plaza Athenee in New York City. "The Wizard of Oz" Ruby Red slippers are a women's size 5 and appraised at $3 million dollars. (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images)

The sequined shoes were crafted almost 80 years ago by the MGM Studios prop department and have grown fragile over time. The fundraising page says the color has faded and some threads affixing sequins have snapped.

The campaign, dubbed "#KeepThemRuby," offers donor rewards ranging from T-shirts and tote bags to replica slippers and behind-the-scenes tours.

This isn't the Smithsonian's first Kickstarter drive. In 2015, it raised $700,000 to conserve Neil Armstrong's spacesuit.