May 1, 1995
International dognappers taking Toto to see the world

By Jan Greene
A band of international dognappers - said to be campaigning against animal boredom - is suspected in the April 1 disappearance of Toto, "The Wizard of Oz" dog.

Soon after the stuffed Toto was reported missing from his place in a diorama at the MGM Grand Hotel & Theme Park, the kidnappers contacted a Las Vegas television station to say they'd taken the dog to Canada to give him a taste of life on the road.

The dog is fine and had been bored with life at the MGM Grand Hotel, the Vancouver, British Columbia-based suspects told KVBC-TV, Channel 3 News Operations Manager Robert Martinez.

"They said they would return him safe and sound after he'd seen enough of the world," Martinez said. They didn't tell him when that would be, and the last phone call was a week ago.

Martinez said he confirmed Toto's identity in a video taken by a Vancouver television station by noting the unusual metal pegs on his feet.

Meanwhile, the MGM Grand pondered whether to wait for Toto to come back or to have a new one made, said Bob LeBlanc, technical director for the hotel's entertainment section.

"It's very expensive" to make a new Toto, LeBlanc said, though he wouldn't reveal the cost.

LeBlanc explained that Toto isn't just a stuffed animal. He's made by a company that makes animatronics, or characters that move, although Toto doesn't.

"He was just sitting there in The Yellow Brick Road," LeBlanc said of the missing canine.

He didn't want to speculate about what happened to Toto.

"All I know is Toto is taking an extended trip somewhere," LeBlanc said.

The hotel was about to order a replacement but then got word that Toto will be returned, eventually.

When he comes back he won't be roaming again, LeBlanc said. In fact, the MGM is planning to use space-age technology to keep him in place.

They'll secure him to the tile and concrete of The Yellow Brick Road using an anchoring system developed by NASA for the space shuttle.

"Once it's in, it's in," the technical director said.

From the beginning, the hotel had trouble with people climbing over a wrought- iron fence to have their picture taken right next to the "Oz" characters. Sometimes they would even pick up Toto and not put him back in the right place.

"We just had those dowels coming out of the bottom of his feet that were placed in holes drilled into The Yellow Brick Road," LeBlanc explained. "It was never intended for people to go in there and mess with the static characters."

After that, they stuck Toto on the ground with a silicone glue. "Whoever took Toto had to struggle to get him out."

Worse yet, someone has since stolen one of Dorothy's red shoes.

The Toto incident prompted dozens of calls to the MGM Grand from devoted fans of "The Wizard of Oz," offering their help in recovering the beloved animal, a hotel spokeswoman said.

Word of Toto's disappearance was distributed far and wide via the Cable News Network, she said.

To LeBlanc, the pooch prank has left a big hole in the Emerald City.

"We kind of miss Toto," he said. "The display isn't the same without him."