Episode 847
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox television episode
| rtitle = Episode 847
| series = Sesame Street
| image = Sesame Street Margaret Hamilton Oscar The Grouch 1976.jpg
| caption = The Wicked Witch next to Oscar the Grouch; until the online leak, it was among the few remaining images of the episode.
| season = 7
| episode = 52
| director = Robert Myhrum
| writer = Joseph A. Bailey
Judy Freudberg
Emily Kingsley
| airdate = {{Start date|1976|02|10}}{{cite magazine|last=Elyria|first=Sun|date=February 8, 1976|title=Wicked witch to drop broom on Sesame Street|magazine=Chronicles Telegram}}{{cite magazine|date=February 6, 1976|title=Old Witch casts a new spell|magazine=The Press Democrat}}
| length = 55 minutes
| guests = Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West
| prev = Episode 846
| next = Episode 848
}}
Episode 847 (commonly known as the "Wicked Witch episode") is the 52nd episode from the seventh season of the American educational children's television series Sesame Street. It was directed by Robert Myhrum and written by Joseph A. Bailey, Judy Freudberg and Emily Kingsley, it originally aired on PBS on February 10, 1976. The episode involves the Wicked Witch of the West, from the film The Wizard of Oz (1939), losing her broomstick over Sesame Street and causing havoc as she attempts to recover it. Margaret Hamilton, who portrayed the witch in the film, reprises her role in the episode. Produced as the 52nd episode of the series' seventh season, the episode was created to teach children how to overcome their fears.
Shortly after its premiere, the creators of the series and Children's Television Workshop received various letters from angry parents, who said that the Wicked Witch had frightened their children. Due to this, the episode was pulled from rebroadcast and was not seen by the public again until 2019, when clips of the episode were shown during a "Lost and Found" event celebrating Sesame Street's 50th anniversary and the full episode was archived in the Library of Congress. It was then only available for private viewing until June 2022, when it was leaked online by an unknown individual.
Plot
As David walks out of Hooper's Store and notes the windy weather rolling into Sesame Street, he catches a broom that falls from the sky, causing the wind to stop. Afterwards, the Wicked Witch of the West emerges from around the corner and finds she is not in Oz anymore. Upon spotting David with her broom, she demands to have it back, only for David to warn her to be more careful due to it nearly falling on his head. He refuses to return the broom until she gives him some respect. The Wicked Witch, who cannot touch the broom while another person is holding it, disappears angrily in a puff of smoke.
David re-enters his store and shows the broom to Maria before the Wicked Witch reappears and causes it to rain inside the store. Everyone exits the store and they run into Big Bird. The witch returns again and attempts to get the broom from Big Bird, who is brave and defends his friends. She then threatens to transform David into a basketball and Big Bird into a feather duster before disappearing in another puff of smoke.
Oscar the Grouch develops a crush on the Wicked Witch, who disguises herself as an elderly human woman and returns to Hooper's Store. She again attempts to retrieve the broom, but David sees through the disguise and says he will only set the broom down if she asks for it nicely. She does, with extreme difficulty, and as she picks up the broom she transforms back into a witch. She says that she is going to fly back to Oz and never see Sesame Street again. While on her way back to Oz she says "look, no hands", and lets go of the broom, which falls back down to Sesame Street. Down on the street, David catches the broom again and begins crying, "I can't go through this again". But instead of retrieving it, the Wicked Witch announces the sponsors, which ends with her cackling offscreen.
Cast
=Human Cast=
- Margaret Hamilton as Wicked Witch of the West
- Northern Calloway as David
- Sonia Manzano as Maria
=Muppet Performance=
- Caroll Spinney as Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch
- Jim Henson as Ernie and Guy Smiley
- Frank Oz as Bert, Grover, and Cookie Monster
- Jerry Nelson as Herry Monster and Mr. Johnson
History
=Background=
Margaret Hamilton reprised her role as the Wicked Witch in several television appearances in the 1970s. She made guest appearances as the witch and herself on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood three times in 1975 and 1976, prior to the airing of the Sesame Street episode. In those episodes, her character interacted with the residents of the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, though she was not wearing the complete green make-up that she would wear in the Sesame Street episode. Fred Rogers had wanted to dispel children's fears and explain that the witch was an imaginary character. Out of costume, Hamilton explained the psychology of her character and why children need not be afraid of a television witch.{{cite news |last1=Faraci |first1=Devin |title=The Time The Wicked Witch Of The West Was Too Scary For SESAME STREET |url=https://birthmoviesdeath.com/2013/02/25/the-time-the-wicked-witch-of-the-west-was-too-scary-for-sesame-street |work=Birth.Movies.Death. |date=February 25, 2013 |language=en |access-date=April 21, 2023 |archive-date=April 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230421150513/https://birthmoviesdeath.com/2013/02/25/the-time-the-wicked-witch-of-the-west-was-too-scary-for-sesame-street |url-status=live }} Later in 1976, Hamilton appeared as the Wicked Witch in The Paul Lynde Halloween Special.{{cite book |last1=Greene |first1=Heather |title=Bell, Book and Camera: A Critical History of Witches in American Film and Television |date=2018 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1-4766-3206-3 |page=139 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9pxWDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT147 |language=en |access-date=April 21, 2023 |archive-date=May 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230501180934/https://www.google.com.ar/books/edition/Bell_Book_and_Camera/9pxWDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PT147&printsec=frontcover |url-status=live }}
During the Sesame Street episode, David offers the Wicked Witch a cup of coffee. She refuses, saying that she "can't stand the stuff"; at the time, Hamilton had been appearing in commercials for Maxwell House coffee as a storeowner named Cora who only sold that brand of coffee in her shop.{{cite news |last1=Potempa |first1=Philip |title=Wicked Witch of the West not always a fright sight |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/ct-ptb-potempa-witch-st-1029-20171027-story.html |work=Chicago Tribune |date=October 27, 2017 |access-date=March 14, 2023 |archive-date=June 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210620042837/https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/ct-ptb-potempa-witch-st-1029-20171027-story.html |url-status=live }}
Planning and research for the Children's Television Workshop included the development of "affective" goals for Sesame Street's curriculum. Aside from the plot of the Wicked Witch episode, planners generally preferred to have actors display stereotyped emotions rather than using skits that might evoke children's emotional responses, with the concern that children might be frightened or saddened when caretakers are not immediately available.{{cite book |last1=Morrow |first1=Robert W. |title="Sesame Street" and the Reform of Children's Television |date=2008 |publisher=JHU Press |isbn=978-1-4214-0710-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-zkP3nC8zQEC&pg=PT120 |language=en |access-date=April 21, 2023 |archive-date=May 1, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230501180857/https://www.google.com.ar/books/edition/Sesame_Street_and_the_Reform_of_Children/-zkP3nC8zQEC?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PT120&printsec=frontcover |url-status=live }}
= Release and controversy =
Episode 847 aired in the United States on February 10, 1976, at 4:30 PM as the 52nd episode of Sesame Street
Due to the large number of letters being received, the CTW held test screenings for the episode in March 1976; during the test screenings, children were noted to be attentive to the scenes featuring the Wicked Witch; however, they were unable to determine if it was triggering actual fear. Out of fears of further controversy, it was decided that the episode would not be re-aired as part of syndication.{{Cite web |last=Rosenblatt |first=Kalhan |date=June 20, 2022 |title=Episode of 'Sesame Street' allegedly removed for being too frightening is posted to social media |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/episode-sesame-street-allegedly-removed-frightening-posted-social-medi-rcna34300 |access-date=March 14, 2023 |publisher=NBC News |archive-date=March 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314025535/https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/episode-sesame-street-allegedly-removed-frightening-posted-social-medi-rcna34300 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Haysom |first=Sam |date=June 20, 2022 |title=Watch the lost 'Sesame Street' episode reportedly banned for being too scary |url=https://mashable.com/article/lost-sesame-street-episode-scary |access-date=March 14, 2023 |website=Mashable |archive-date=March 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314025536/https://mashable.com/article/lost-sesame-street-episode-scary |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Debczak |first=Michele |date=June 23, 2022 |title=This 'Sesame Street' Episode That Was Banned for Being "Too Scary" Just Resurfaced Online |url=https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/banned-wicked-witch-sesame-street-episode-online |access-date=March 14, 2023 |website=Mental Floss |archive-date=February 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230210185554/https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/banned-wicked-witch-sesame-street-episode-online |url-status=live }}
In 2019, the episode resurfaced as part of a "Lost and Found" event at the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, New York, to celebrate the Sesame Street franchise's 50th anniversary.{{Cite web |last=Hughes |first=William |date=June 18, 2022 |title=A "lost," "too-scary" episode of Sesame Street has been uploaded to the internet |url=https://www.avclub.com/lost-wicked-witch-sesame-street-episode-online-1849081598 |access-date=March 14, 2023 |website=The A.V. Club |publisher=G/O Media |archive-date=March 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230325125838/https://www.avclub.com/lost-wicked-witch-sesame-street-episode-online-1849081598 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=November 24, 2019 |title=Sesame Street "Lost and Found" |url=http://aws.reverseshot.com/visit/calendar/2019/11/24/detail/sesame-street-lost-and-found |access-date=March 14, 2023 |publisher=Museum of the Moving Image |archive-date=March 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314062108/http://aws.reverseshot.com/visit/calendar/2019/11/24/detail/sesame-street-lost-and-found |url-status=live }} It was also reported that the episode had been archived in the Library of Congress, although it was unknown if the episode was available for private viewing at the time.{{Cite web |last=Cannady |first=Sheryl |date=February 14, 2019 |title=American Archive of Public Broadcasting to Preserve 50 Years of Sesame Street for Posterity |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-19-019/american-archive-of-public-broadcasting-to-preserve-fifty-years-of-sesame-street-for-posterity/2019-02-14/ |access-date=March 14, 2023 |publisher=Library of Congress |archive-date=March 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314025536/https://www.loc.gov/item/prn-19-019/american-archive-of-public-broadcasting-to-preserve-fifty-years-of-sesame-street-for-posterity/2019-02-14/ |url-status=live }} It was later confirmed by the American Archive of Public Broadcasting (AAPB) that the episode would be available for private viewing.
Legacy
Conceptual artist Alex Da Corte reimagined the episode's meeting between the Wicked Witch and Oscar the Grouch at the 58th Venice Biennale in 2019, dressing as the witch in his video Rubber Pencil Devil.{{cite news |last1=Thackara |first1=Tess |title=Up on the Met Roof, an Artist Is Taking Big Bird to New Heights |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/02/arts/design/Alex-Da-Corte-Met-Rooftop.html |work=The New York Times |date=April 2, 2021 |access-date=April 21, 2023 |archive-date=January 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127030046/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/02/arts/design/Alex-Da-Corte-Met-Rooftop.html |url-status=live }}
= Online leak =
On June 18, 2022, the episode was leaked onto the website Reddit by an anonymous user known as sarsaparilla170170; the uploader did not clarify how the episode was obtained, which lead to some suspecting it was obtained illegally as part of a data breach. Several news sites began reporting on it a couple days later. A few viewers of the original broadcast recalled their experience upon its leaking, with one writing "I was so scared of the Wizard of Oz when I was a kid! Then to see this on Sesame Street as a child it was crazy!"{{Cite web |last=Beck |first=Lia |date=June 22, 2022 |title=This "Sesame Street" Episode From the '70s Was Banned for Terrifying Kids |url=https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/sesame-street-episode-70s-banned-170226217.html |access-date=March 14, 2023 |website=Yahoo! Life |publisher=Yahoo! |archive-date=March 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314025539/https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/sesame-street-episode-70s-banned-170226217.html |url-status=live }}
The AAPB stated that they "regret that the actions of a few irresponsible Sesame Street fans mean that other fans are now deprived of legal access to this cultural treasure", temporarily banning private viewings and attempting to remove uploads of the episode.{{Cite web |title=Sesame Street; 847; Season 7 |url=https://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-3063f0820ab |access-date=September 20, 2023 |website=American Archive of Public Broadcasting}}
See also
- Lost television broadcast
- "Snuffy's Parents Get a Divorce" - another episode of Sesame Street that went unreleased due to similar unintended effects on children
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
- {{IMDb episode|id=6116878}}
{{Sesame Street}}
{{The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)}}
Category:Television controversies in the United States
Category:Television episodes pulled from general rotation
Category:Television episodes about witchcraft
Category:Television crossover episodes
Category:1976 American television episodes