$300K campaign to rescue Dorothy's ruby slippers

Washington— 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.

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 National Museum of American History.

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 colour 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.

(Photo: AP)