Alternative Versions
In 1950, the 79-minute Babes in Toyland was edited into a 73-minute version for Lippert Pictures' theatrical reissue and was retitled March of the Wooden Soldiers. The very beginning of the opening tune "Toyland" was trimmed and the "Go To Sleep (Slumber Deep)" number was cut completely. Also missing was Barnaby's attempted abduction of Little Bo-Peep and his ultimate fistfight with Tom-Tom. Because no copyright notice was included, some believe this version immediately went into the public domain (in the United States), even though the original Babes in Toyland is still under copyright. When the film was sold to television, the TV prints retained the opening credits' music but used specially made for TV opening credits showing puppets of Laurel and Hardy in traditional 1930s attire and hats.
The complete film was restored and colorized for TV showings and video release in 1991 by The Samuel Goldwyn Company. In 2006, the complete print was again restored and colorized by Legend Films, using the latest technology. Although the Legend Films release was advertised under its reissue title, both the color and black-and-white prints featured the original title and opening credits. Both colorized versions correctly depict Stan's hair as being red, not medium brown as it appears in other colorized Laurel and Hardy movies.
The film has been distributed by many home video companies over the decades. Thunderbird Films released 16 mm prints in the 1970s drawn from a heavily spliced (and incomplete) master. An "official" version has been released on DVD by MGM, the film's original distributor and now the ancillary rights holder (having inherited the film from the Samuel Goldwyn Company, the former owners of the picture). On September 14, 2010 Legend Films released the movie on Blu-ray titled March of the Wooden Soldiers With Laurel & Hardy. This Blu-ray also contains the animated 1948 short Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
Read more about this topic: Babes In Toyland (1934 film)
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