Wizard of Oz Party

INT . CAR – LOS ANGELES – DAY

“Mommy! Mommy! Look at that MAN!”

“Oh! Wow! That’s a– he’s a dwarf, honey.”

“So, he’s like Dopey?”

“Well, no one likes to be called Dopey… anyway, Dopey’s animated. He’s more like a munchkin. Like in The Wizard of OZ.”

“So munchkins are real?”

“They prefer to be called ‘Little People’. Munchkin is just their character name. You know what? Forget I said munchkin.”

“Is he a REAL person?”

“Yes, he’s a real person. He’s just really small.”

“He looks like a kid! Only he’s Daddy’s age!”

(Overcompensating) “Yes, isn’t that interesting?! See how people come in soooooo many different shapes and sizes, honey?”

(Off, dreamily) “A munchkin. A real munchkin…”

***

For her 5^th birthday, Pearl had a Wizard of Oz party. I am entirely to blame for this.

Weeks before the event we lived and breathed Wizard of Oz. Every day we’d brainstorm Wizard of Oz ideas for crafts, for food, for favors. We constructed a Pin the Heart on the Tinman, we made spongeballs to throw at a Wicked Witch of the West, we scavenged for costumes. It’s only natural that total immersion in Oz would lead to obsession.

But it had to be this way. In Los Angeles, hiring a party company or renting an alternate venue can cost upwards of $500. Our own backyard was the perfect setting, and our own hands were perfectly suited to do all the crafting, cutting and cooking. After all, everything’s better homemade.