The Wizard of Oz (1939 film) adaptation of what L. Frank Baum envisioned. In 1995, Gregory Maguire published the novel "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West", which was adapted into the wildly successful Broadway musical "Wicked". The story describes the life of the Wicked Witch of the West and other events prior to Dorothy's arrival. For the film's 56th anniversary, a 1995 stage show also titled "The Wizard of Oz" was based upon it and the book by L. Frank Baum. It toured from 1995 to 2012, except for 2004. In 2005, The Muppets Studio produced "The Muppets' Wizard of
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz noted, lessened during the prior 100 years. In a 2002 review, Bill Delaney of "Salem Press" praised Baum for giving children the opportunity to discover magic in the mundane things in their everyday lives. He further commended Baum for teaching "millions of children to love reading during their crucial formative years". The Library of Congress has declared "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" to be "America's greatest and best-loved homegrown fairytale", also naming it the first American fantasy for children and one of the most-read children's books. After George M. Hill's bankruptcy in 1902, copyright in the book passed to the