Known mostly for his children’s books, L. Frank Baum has never really been out of the cultural limelight for more than a minute, with new generations of fans discovering his work. Wicked, which hit the screens late last year starring Ariana Grande, and Cynthia Erivo, is loosely based on his The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the first novel in the American author’s Oz series, introduced in 1900. The Universal Pictures’ film invites Baum into contemporary conversation yet again with its timeless themes and rich fantasy. And if you’re looking for some wicked-good merch to commemorate the movie-going experience, you can find everything from clothing to cocktails, perfume to pens.
Wicked-Good Merch
Many of the products are—not surprisingly—pink and green, nodding to Wicked’s main characters, Glinda and Elphaba. But the Le Boeuf pen company’s just-introduced L. Frank Baum Limited Edition Pen collection steps out of the pack to focus on the prolific author and his imaginative motifs. Baum penned numerous novels and short stories, poems, and scripts. But his famed Oz series of 14 books is an indelible part of Americana, and the 1939 screen adaptation of the first book, produced by MGM, was nominated for five Academy Awards. Critics consider it one of the greatest films of all time.
“The original publication of the novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in 1900 celebrates its 125th Anniversary this year,” Rob Rosenberg, CEO of Harpen Brands, parent company of Le Beouf, told me via an online interview. “We felt that while the Wizard of Oz and its various spinoffs have become part of American culture, its author L. Frank Baum has been relatively under-appreciated.“
The acrylic material used for the pen’s body is crafted from a specially designed formulation aptly named “Yellow Brick Road,” memorializing the story’s richly symbolic road of the same name. As for the red swirls, you guessed it: they are in honor of central character Dorothy and her ruby-red magical slippers.
“The key to the success of these limited editions has been the material chosen for each pen,” explained Rosenberg. “We manufacture a special color acrylic barrel for each pen that has some relationship to the person or event. We felt this material [yellow and red] would automatically conjure up images of The Wizard of Oz.”
Each expertly polished pen barrel is engraved with the author’s flowing signature, and the pen cap is enhanced with images of yellow bricks on the cap band. A gold coin engraved with a likeness of L. Frank Baum decorates the cap crown and is an elegant addition to the pen’s overall appearance.
The collection includes both a cartridge- or convertor-filled fountain pen and a rollerball pen. The former is fitted with a gold-plated German-made nib decorated with the LeBoeuf logo, available in fine and medium sizes. The rollerball uses a standard international rollerball refill. The fountain pen is priced at $225, and the rollerball, $215. Each pen variation is limited to just 150 pens worldwide.
The Le Boeuf pen company, founded in 1919, has created a number of commemorative pens since it was re-established in 2019, including the Jules Verne, Winston Churchill and George Washington limited editions.
“The LeBoeuf brand is recognized for our monthly releases of themed limited-edition pens honoring iconic figures and historic events,” Rosenberg told me. “We have developed a large following of collectors for these models. We also find that consumers who have an interest in the person or event we are honoring are purchasing these pens.”
If a pen isn’t on your immediate wish list, check out some other Oz collaborations like the Wicked X Bombas socks or maybe the Wicked X Vera Bradley selection of totes. Gap got in on the fun with its Wicked kids’ clothing, as did numerous other notable brands, including Fossil: its Wizard of Oz collection celebrates the 85th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz film.