Ohio Hospital Dresses NICU Babies in Tiny Wicked: For Good Costumes — And the Internet Can’t Stop Crying Over the Cutest Tribute to Oz
The tiniest patients at Dayton Children’s Hospital in Ohio have unintentionally stolen the spotlight during the national excitement surrounding the release of Wicked: For Good. While the film’s promotions, premiere moments, and cast interviews have dominated pop culture conversations, a quiet, deeply emotional celebration inside the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit has touched people in a profoundly different way.
On Monday, Nov. 17, the hospital shared a Facebook post that quickly spread across social media. In it, NICU nurses revealed a charming project meant to bring joy to families who are spending long, difficult days in the unit: newborns dressed in miniature costumes inspired by the iconic world of Oz. For many parents in the NICU, where days blur into nights and hope can feel fragile, it became a moment of magic they never expected to experience. And for people across the country, it served as a powerful reminder of resilience, community, and creativity in places where fear often takes center stage.
The babies, some only weeks or even days old, are photographed wearing tiny versions of characters fans instantly recognized. One infant wears a soft silver crown reminiscent of Glinda’s sparkle and warmth, while another is bundled in a handmade black cloak with oversized buttons, mirroring the unmistakable silhouette of the famous Wicked Witch. Even in the delicate environment of the NICU, where tubes and medical monitors surround every child, the costumes never feel out of place. Instead, they transform the babies into symbols of courage and innocence, framed within a moment of lightness their families desperately need.
Inside the NICU, traditions like these aren’t just cute gestures. They are intentionally created by teams who understand that emotional well-being plays a crucial role in the healing process — not just for the babies, but for the parents who must navigate what is often the most overwhelming season of their lives. Hospitals around the country have developed similar themed photo days for holidays or community events, but Dayton Children’s has leaned into the imaginative world of Wicked to build a moment where families can take a breath, smile, and hold onto something hopeful.
Parents of NICU babies often describe the experience as one of total emotional disorientation. They arrive expecting joy and celebration, but many find themselves instead facing medical terminology they’ve never heard, machines they never expected to rely on, and countless hours of watching their newborns fight for strength. A costume day like this gives families a keepsake they’ll treasure long after their hospital stay ends — a reminder that even during medical uncertainty, their child was still part of the world, still surrounded by care, still loved, and still able to experience something magical.
The staff behind the project worked carefully to ensure both safety and comfort. NICU nurses often collaborate with child-life specialists and volunteer crafters to create costumes that are soft, breathable, and easy to place around the babies without disturbing their medical equipment. Everything must be light, adjustable, and free of any element that could irritate fragile skin. In this case, the crowns, gowns, and witch hats were designed to rest gently on the babies without interfering with feeding tubes, IV lines, or monitors. The result is a set of costumes that feel whimsical without ever compromising the responsibilities of the NICU team.
The hospital’s Facebook post, which included an array of photos showing the babies in their Wicked outfits, carried a message highlighting the meaning behind the project. The staff wrote about wanting to give families a joyful moment during a time when joy can sometimes feel scarce. Though the babies themselves won’t remember this day, their parents will, and that memory — captured in photos many will keep for a lifetime — becomes a priceless part of each family’s NICU journey.
For fans of Wicked, the timing of the project felt especially meaningful. The long-awaited film adaptation of the beloved Broadway musical has been one of the most anticipated releases of the year. Theaters are preparing for full audiences, fan communities are buzzing with excitement, and songs originally beloved onstage are finding new life in the promotional clips and trailers for the movie. But the NICU tribute offered something different: a tender, human-scale celebration of the story’s themes — courage, belonging, transformation, and the belief that extraordinary strength can come from unexpected places.
The tiny “Glinda” photographed in her shimmering silver crown seemed to embody the musical’s warm-hearted optimism. Her costume echoed the message of goodness and compassion at the heart of the character, a message NICU parents cling to daily as they watch their children grow stronger ounce by ounce. Meanwhile, the small “Wicked Witch,” wrapped in soft black fabric with gentle, expressive eyes, captured another piece of the story: the idea that appearances don’t define a person, and that even the characters often misunderstood by the world have stories filled with complexity and bravery. In the NICU, where every baby is fighting a private battle for stability and growth, these costumes served as symbols of resilience — not embellishments, but reflections of the strength these children already show.
Across social media, reactions poured in immediately. Thousands of users shared the photos with comments expressing admiration for the NICU staff, heartfelt prayers for the families, and gratitude for a glimpse of tenderness in the middle of a heavy news cycle. Some parents of former NICU babies wrote about their own experiences, saying they remembered how much every small act of kindness from hospital staff meant during those long weeks. Others, who had never stepped inside a NICU themselves, were simply moved by the humanity and creativity shown by the team at Dayton Children’s.
In a time when hospitals across the country face staffing shortages and burnout, stories like this also highlight the emotional labor nurses continually offer their communities. NICU nurses in particular often become anchors for families who are terrified and exhausted. They celebrate every milliliter gained, every tube removed, every new milestone reached. They hold parents’ hands during setbacks and cheer for them during victories. It’s a job that blends rigorous medical expertise with tenderness and patience, and moments like costume day are just one example of the ways these teams go above and beyond to nurture families through some of the hardest moments of their lives.
For Dayton Children’s Hospital, the Wicked-themed project wasn’t just about participating in a pop culture trend. It was about reminding families that even in the structured, high-pressure world of neonatal medicine, there is room for joy. The hospital often creates themed NICU moments throughout the year — from holiday photos to tiny graduation caps when babies are discharged. Each one becomes part of a family’s story, giving parents something positive to hold onto as they navigate the uncertainties of early medical challenges.
Parents at the hospital have shared privately with staff how much these gestures mean. Some say they were afraid to take photos of their baby with the tubes and wires, unsure of how to document such a complicated time. The costume day gives them a way to capture a memory that feels joyful rather than clinical. Others say it helped them feel, even just for a moment, like their family was experiencing something close to normal — dressing their baby up, celebrating a cultural moment, and feeling included in the world outside hospital walls.
For the babies, the project does more than create cute photos. It brings emotional grounding to their families, which in turn strengthens parent-child bonding — an essential part of neonatal care. Parents who feel encouraged and hopeful are better able to participate in skin-to-skin contact, reading, talking, and other bonding activities that support developmental growth. In its own small way, a costume celebration contributes to the larger mission of nurturing both physical and emotional health.
As the country continues to buzz about Wicked: For Good, the images from Dayton have offered a different kind of enchantment. They show that even the smallest lives can inspire compassion and that even in medical settings defined by caution and precision, there is room for imagination. In these photos, the NICU doesn’t look like a place where families are bracing for test results or watching vital signs. It looks like a place where magic is possible, where the tiniest children can be heroes in their own stories, and where love and hope are stitched into every moment.
For the parents who will remember this day forever, the costumes aren’t just outfits. They are symbols of a chapter in their child’s life where strength outweighed fear, where a community rallied around them, and where a hospital brought Oz into a room full of monitors and machines and turned it into something bright. Long after the film leaves theaters and the promotional campaigns fade, these photos will remain — a testament to resilience, creativity, and the power of kindness during life’s most delicate moments.
