Did you know that Michael Jackson was a massive Wizard of Oz fan? His fascination with the classic film may have been sparked when he played the Scarecrow in The Wiz back in 1978, his very first feature film role.
Michael’s love for all things Oz was so deep that he once tried to purchase one of the movie’s most iconic props: the Wicked Witch of the West’s hourglass. This is the very piece that ominously ticked down Dorothy’s remaining time in the story.
When the hourglass went up for auction, Michael’s representative placed a capped bid on his behalf. But another determined collector, filmmaker Willard Carroll, kept raising the stakes and eventually won it for around $80,000. According to Carroll, it remains the single most expensive collectible he has ever bought. Michael could have outbid him had his cap been higher, a rare loss for the King of Pop when it came to memorabilia.
The hourglass itself has an impressive history. Beyond The Wizard of Oz, it appeared in other MGM films such as Babes on Broadway (1941), Diane (1956), and 7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964). It has also toured in museums across the United States, securing its place as one of Hollywood’s most treasured props.
In fact, demand for Oz relics hasn’t slowed down. In December 2022, a different screen-used Wicked Witch hourglass sold for a staggering $495,000 at Heritage Auctions.
As for the original hourglass Michael once tried to claim, it still resides in Carroll’s private collection, occasionally displayed in exhibitions but never in a permanent museum.
