The deluxe cowboy costume was returned to the store. The little scarecrow is grown now, tall and slim. And the homemade costume is tucked away in a box in the closet, too precious to discard.

Ray Bolger's widow, Gwendolyn, donated the costume to the Smithsonian Institution after the comedian's death in 1987. NMAH The Scarecrow's hat will be part of a 2018 exhibition on American popular ...