Juneau, Alaska

Wizard of Oz Metal Statues

On top of a sheet metal business in Juneau stand nearly a dozen charming Wizard of Oz statues.

Many of the most memorable residents of Oz, from Toto to the Tin Man, can be found on top of a sheet metal business in Juneau, Alaska—far from Kansas. All are posed in beautiful handmade construction, made, of course, of metal.

On the roof of Reliable Sheet Metal along Glacier Highway stand colorful sculptures of Toto, Dorothy, a flying monkey, the Wicked Witch of the West, Munchkins, Glenda the Good Witch, the Wizard of Oz himself (along with the giant green head), and even the windblown farmhouse and the yellow brick road.

The unusual tableau started with the Tin Man, just about the most famous all-metal fictional character there is. The local story goes that employees at the sheet metal company were bored one day and created the Tin Man—out of actual tin—just for fun, positioning the figure on top of the roof. The statue became so beloved, workers made the rest of the characters to join him.

Over the years, members of Oz crew have been placed side by side along the rooftop, like a skyline of the famous faces from L. Frank Baum’s iconic novel, backdropped by the pine tree-spotted snowy hillsides in the distance.