Long-lost episode of Sesame Street resurfaces online after being deemed ‘too scary’ for children
A long-lost episode of Sesame Street has resurfaced on social media more than 40 years after it was reportedly unsyndicated for instilling fear in children’s hearts.
The episode, which aired only once on February 10, 1976, starred actress Margaret Hamilton, who reprized her role as the Wicked Witch of the West from the 1939 classic film The Wizard of Oz.
For decades, fans who wanted to see Hamilton terrorize the residents of Sesame Street were mostly out of luck — until now. The images have been leaked on reddit and YouTubeallowing the audience to relive the ‘scary’ episode.
A long-lost episode of Sesame Street starring Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West has resurfaced online more than 40 years after its broadcast on February 10, 1976.
The Wicked Witch was flying over Sesame Street when her broom flew out of her hands. David (Northern Calloway) faced her anger after he caught it and refused to give it back
The plot was inspired by The Wizard of Oz, but instead of ruby slippers, Hamilton’s character tried to get her broomstick back.
The Wicked Witch of the West was flying down Sesame Street when the broom blew from her hands and nearly landed on David (Northern Calloway) outside Hooper’s Store.
She was furious when she saw him swept the street and demanded that he give it back to her. She tried to take it from him, but she was startled when she remembered that she couldn’t touch the broom if someone else was holding it.
The villain promised to return for her property, but he told viewers he wouldn’t give her the broom until she showed him some respect.
David told what happened to Maria (Sonia Manzano), who didn’t believe him until the witch appeared and made it rain in the shop.
David told what happened to Maria (Sonia Manzano), who didn’t believe him until the witch appeared and made it rain in the store
Hamilton’s character also tried to snag Big Bird’s broom, but he came up against her
The Wicked Witch Threatened To Turn The Muppet Into A Feather Duster If He Didn’t Give Her The Broom Back
Later, when Big Bird tried to stand up for David, the witch threatened to turn him into a feather duster, but he refused to abandon his friend.
After some scheming, the witch returned to the shop pretending to be an old woman and fooling Big Bird, who was standing guard with a hockey stick and baseball bat.
David wasn’t so easy to convince, but he figured out a way to get the witch to treat him like a person and get her broom back. All she had to do was stammer “please” and he handed it.
The episode ended with the group seeing the Wicked Witch fly away, but she dropped the broom again when she tried to show her how to ride with “handsless.”
“I can’t go through this again,” David cried.
When the witch returned to the store disguised as an old woman, David tricked her into politely asking if she could hold the broom, and he happily gave it to her.
The episode aired only once on February 10, 1976, before it was reportedly pulled from syndication after complaints from parents that it was “too scary.”
The episode is reportedly archived in the Library of Congress for public viewing, but it’s unclear how it leaked online decades later
The goal of the controversial episode was to “demonstrate fear” and “the value of planning by devising and implementing methods to retrieve the broom,” according to the Muppet fan archive. Muppet Wiki†
The Wicked Witch of the West may have been too terrifying for young children to handle, as Sesame Workshop was reportedly inundated with complaints leading to it being ripped off the air.
The episode is archived in the Library of Congress for the public, according to the AV cluband until this week, the bootleg versions online were mostly of low quality.
The lost footage was shared first on Reddit and then on YouTube this weekend, though it’s unclear how it was found after all these years.
Fans are taking to Twitter to share their thoughts on the episode, which has since gone viral.
Fans are taking to Twitter to share their thoughts on the controversial images, which have since gone viral
‘Man, oh man! Just watched that lost @sesamestreet episode starring #MaragaretHamilton as The Wicked Witch on @YouTube! It was such a hoot!’ one person tweeted.
“When I watch this episode of Wicked Witch Sesame Street and I think the fact that she can just become a sweet old lady to infiltrate society is the scariest thing of all,” commented someone else.
Another added: “I can attest that if I had seen the Wicked Witch episode of Sesame Street when I was 6 years old, I would not have slept for weeks.”
Others were admittedly perplexed as to why the episode was banned, as they didn’t find it scary at all.
This episode of Wicked Witch Sesame Street is pretty neat tbh. Kids were easily scared back then,” one Twitter user wrote.
“A lot of people are confused now that they see the episode and don’t think it’s scary at all. But remember that kids can be afraid of things that aren’t even scary,” another commented.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Sesame Workshop for comment.