In 2024, we announced that 2026 would be The Wizard of Oz, and this current display is probably our best yet. It features over 40 characters, some of which are our own original characters dressed in theme (like Moolissa). The animatronics are either significantly altered existing models or completely custom-built by us using recycled old motors and broken parts.

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This is our most complex theme to date, taking about three months to build. I handmade all of the costumes and repainted every mask and animatronic. For the Wicked Witch and the Scarecrow, I used SVI App skeletons as a base and sculpted brand-new faces and hands for them. We also have six flying monkeys made from modified skeletons wearing masks, including one with moving wings, plus four Winkie guards with glowing eyes.

Our house features a custom castle facade with a tower. I hand-painted and airbrushed every single rock on fiberglass foam board and created a Kansas mural to sit behind Moolissa. We have three water features in the display—two of which were previously children's pools. Both pools are equipped with filter pumps, lights, waterfalls, and glowing lily pads floating on the surface. Character-wise, we have two Dorothys, the Tin Man, the Lion, the Scarecrow, and an overweight, unsettling version of Glinda who farts fog bubbles because the kids think it is hilarious. As well as 2 moving animatronic apple trees that we built and designed.

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While this isn't our original story, we've made the characters entirely our own by giving them a unique, stylized look. The display is brought to life with laser lights, thousands of string lights, RGB floodlights, spotlights, battery-operated lights, and more. On the roof, we’ve also added three handmade and hand-painted cutout monkeys.

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To top it all off, the display features a 900-watt bubble machine, four cauldron misters, multiple fog machines, and airbrushed fiberglass foam board panels transforming our driveway entrance into the Gates of the Emerald City.

And, of course, the frog on the toilet is back this year—along with his pet cat! They live in a witch-themed duplex built into an old barrel on our stairs. Inside, it's packed with incredible detail: a light-up cauldron, tiny furniture, a desk, a bathtub, a china cabinet, and stairs. It’s small, unusual, and wonderfully detailed, but the kids love searching for them, and visitors are always amazed by the creativity.