27 Facts That Will Make You Look At "The Wizard Of Oz" Completely Differently

Mind blown.

In honor of The Wizard of Oz turning 80 this year, we thought it would be fun to highlight some interesting facts you might not have known about the film.

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1. Remember Dorothy's infamous ruby slippers? Well, they were originally silver.

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Just like in the book, Dorothy's shoes were really silver. But because Technicolor was a new and exciting thing during this time, MGM studio head Louis B. Mayer thought it would be cool to test it out...ultimately changing the color of her shoes.

2. Oh, and her blue and white gingham dress? It was actually blue and light pink.

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White and pink was easier to shoot on Technicolor, which they used to change it to white and blue.

3. Dorothy's dog, Toto, got paid more than the munchkins.

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The female cairn terrier was paid $125 a week, while the munchkins earned $50 a week (which their manager took half of). Toto (real name Terry) was also injured during filming, after a crew member accidentally stepped on her.

4. Besides Judy Garland, Scarecrow and Tin Man were the big earners on the film.

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Judy Garland earned $500 a week, while Ray Bolger and Jack Haley earned $3,000 a week.

5. Several actors who played munchkins met their future wives and husbands on set.

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124 little people were employed to work in Munchkinland. Some formed lasting friendships, while others met their spouses while filming.

6. The real Dorothy died at a very young age.

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L. Frank Baum, author of the The Wonderful Wizard of Oz book, got his inspiration for Dorothy from his late niece, Dorothy Gage, who died when she was 5 months old. Baum's wife, Maud, was so devastated after her death that he decided to cheer her up by memorializing his niece in the book.

7. Shirley Temple was considered for the role of Dorothy.

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According to Huffpost, "Roger Edens, MGM composer and Judy Garland’s mentor, dubiously made an appointment to hear Shirley Temple sing on the 20th Century Fox lot. He returned to Metro to report that Temple lacked the robust vocal chops required for the extravaganza being prepared, and the part of Dorothy remained Judy Garland’s, as intended."

8. The Wicked Witch had a horrible time on set.

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Margaret Hamilton, who played the Wicked Witch of the West, had a miserable time during production. Her hat, dress, and broom caught on fire while filming the scene of her exiting Munchkinland. She was also severely burned on her face and hand, which caused her to take medical leave for six weeks.

Oh, but it gets worse: Not only did the green face paint get stuck on her face for weeks after filming, but the chemicals were so toxic that she was unable to eat whole foods and was forced to go on a liquid diet.

9. The Wicked Witch was supposed to be a minor character.

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In the book, the Wicked Witch of the West is actually a minor character who appears near the end of the story. In the film, she's the main villain.

And just Margaret Hamilton's luck, most of her scenes were cut from the film after the production company deemed them too scary for children.

10. Jello was the secret behind the Horse of a Different Color.

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During Dorothy's tour of Emerald City they catch a ride from the chauffeur and his Horse of a Different Color. The horse changed colors (purple, red, and then yellow). Jello powder was the safest way to achieve the various hues; unfortunately, the horses couldn't stop licking off the sugary powder.

11. Margaret Hamilton used to sneak into Billie Burke's dressing room.

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Margaret's dressing room was a canvas tent, which she described as "simply awful." Billie's dressing room, on the other hand, was a beautiful blue and pink room on the MGM lot. So whenever Billie wasn't on set, Margaret would sneak in there and eat her lunch.

12. The chauffeur also played FOUR other roles in the film.

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Actor Frank Morgan played five different characters in the movie: the Wizard, Professor Marvel, the chauffeur with the Horse of a Different Color, the Wizard's guard, and the charismatic Emerald City doorman.

13. Frank Morgan wore L. Frank Baum's coat by chance.

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Frank Morgan bought a tethered coat from a thrift store that just happened to belong to L. Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. His name was inscribed in the jacket.

14. The Cowardly Lion's costume was made of real lion pelts (skin and fur).

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With the costume weighing about 90 pounds and the 100 degree temperature on set, Bert Lahr was pretty uncomfortable playing the role of the Cowardly Lion. His facial makeup was like a papier-mâché masterpiece, made up of brown paper bags. Bert had to remove his costume completely between takes.

15. The Scarecrow continued to look like a scarecrow a year after filming.

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Ray Bolger, who played the Scarecrow, wore face prosthetics that ended up leaving marks on his face for more than a year.

16. The original Tin Man looked completely different.

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Christian "Buddy" Ebsen, best known for playing Jed on The Beverly Hillbillies, was cast as the original Tin Man. Well, actually, he was originally cast as the Scarecrow until Ray Bolger showed interest in the role...and they swapped.

When Buddy was in the role, aluminum dust was used as the initial costume. He had a terrible reaction to it, which led to his lungs collapsing, and him being hospitalized for weeks.

Buddy was eventually replaced by Jack Haley and the makeup was replaced with a safer aluminum paste. Still, Jack eventually caught a severe eye infection due to the makeup.

17. The Tin Man cried chocolate syrup.

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As mentioned previously, Jack Haley played the new and improved Tin Man. In order to give off the appearance that he was crying oil, the studio used chocolate syrup, because it photographed better.

18. Judy Garland was forced to lose 12 pounds.

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Judy Garland was 17 when she was cast to play Dorothy, a big difference compared to Shirley Temple, who was 11 at the time. To make her appear younger, Judy was forced to lose 12 pounds for the role. To achieve this look, Judy also wore a corset to appear more childlike.

19. Judy Garland's daughter married the Tin Man's son.

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Judy Garland's daughter, Liza Minnelli, was married to Jack Haley's son, Jack Haley Jr. from 1974-1979.

20. 3,210 costumes were made for the film.

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And what a job they did on those costumes!

21. Director, Victor Fleming, slapped Judy Garland on set.

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When Bert Lahr made his entrance as the Cowardly Lion, Judy Garland could not stop laughing. Victor pulled Judy aside, slapped her on the face, and told her, "Go in there and work."

22. Dorothy and Scarecrow were originally supposed to be romantically involved.

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In earlier versions of The Wizard of Oz scripts, Dorothy and Scarecrow form a love connection. Obviously, the film went in another direction. Maybe that's why Dorothy said she'll miss him most...or maybe it's because he was her first friend in her Emerald City journey. I guess we'll never know.

23. The Wizard of Oz flopped at the box office.

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The film cost $2.8 million to make and only raked in $3 million during its initial release. It went on to win two Oscars (nominated for six), for Best Original Score and Best Song. Popularity for the film wasn't reached until it aired on TV in 1956.

24. The snow was made of asbestos.

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The snow seen in the poppy field scene was made of 100% industrial-grade asbestos.

25. "Over the Rainbow" almost didn't make it into the film.

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"Over the Rainbow" was almost cut because studio head, Louis B. Mayer, thought the song was too sad. Producer, Mervyn LeRoy, threatened to quit the film if the song wasn't included. Well, we know who won that fight.

26. There was a Disney connection to the film.

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Adriana Caselotti, the actor who voiced Snow White, made a voice cameo in The Wizard of Oz. You can hear her during Tin Man's "If I Only Had A Heart" saying, "Wherefore art thou, Romeo?"

27. L. Frank Baum wrote several sequels to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

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L. Frank Baum has written 17 sequels altogether. He grew tired of the series after the sixth book, but continued to write due to money problems.