Shop
 Explore 

Lost 'Sesame Street' episode once deemed too scary for kids resurfaces online and it's wild

This episode brought to you by the letters W-I-T-C-H.

sesame street found episode, sesame street wicked witch, wizard of oz

Hamilton was so good at her job.

Once upon a time, in the mid 1970s, "Sesame Street" traded its bright, sunny atmosphere for ominous gray skies. Most of us would have probably never known this had it not been for the power of the internet.

An entire episode of the beloved children’s show has resurfaced online after being initially pulled for allegedly being “too frightening” for kiddie viewers.

What on earth could be so scary in a place where the air is so sweet, you might wonder. As it turns out, even "Sesame Street" isn’t impervious to a wayward witch broom.

The video clip starts with upbeat, fast-talking David (played by Northern Calloway) exiting Hooper’s store, struggling to make his way through powerful gusts of wind.

“Look at that! Something’s falling right outta the sky!” he shouts gesturing up as the wind whirls. David drops to one knee and catches an incoming broom just in the nick of time. Suddenly the wind stops. Yay?

Unfortunately, our hero’s troubles are just beginning. Sinister music begins to play, and unbeknown to David, who should come lurking from around the corner but the original Wicked Witch of the West herself.

No, you’re not in Dorothy’s dream. That is Margaret Hamilton reprising her role as the one, the only, the Wicked Witch of the West. Guess that bucket of water didn’t quite do her in.

“I know I’m not in Oz anymore,” Hamilton says while looking around, concluding she “must be over the rainbow somewhere.” Determined to find her broom and fly away, she marches over to David, demanding he give it back.

Unfazed, David does not immediately give back the broom, insisting that she should be more careful and treat him with more respect (can’t have a “Sesame Street” episode without a life lesson, after all). The lecture only further agitates the witch, but David won’t budge. Finally she tries to snatch the broom away, only to be electrocuted.

“Oh I forgot!” the Wicked Witch exclaims. “I can’t so much as lay a finger on the broom as long as somebody else is holding onto it!" What an oddly specific and important detail to forget. Oh right, kid’s show.

The Wicked Witch disappears in smoke, promising that this is not the last we’ve seen of her. She proceeds to terrorize poor David throughout the entire episode, including creating an indoor thunderstorm and threatening to turn him into a basketball. Savage.

Finally the Wicked Witch concocts a plan to get her broom back by turning herself into a sweet, regular looking older woman, a scheme so fiendish she wins the heart of Oscar the Grouch in the process. The plan works, but the witch still has to ask for it nicely. So, you know … compromise.

Though Big Bird called the ordeal “interesting and exciting,” apparently audiences didn’t quite hold the same view. Mike Minnick, who posted the episode on YouTube, claimed that it only aired once in the mid ’70s before getting the pull for being “too scary for children.” According to an article published by AV Club, the show was on the receiving end of a deluge of complaints from the parents of freaked out kids.

Some reminiscing fans agreed that yes, as kids, the episode was terrifying. One wrote that it “scared me beyond belief when I was 5. I would anxiously watch the start of each episode after seeing this one, to make sure it wasn't the ‘witch one’ again.”

However, the main sentiment shared in the comments was gratitude that the footage found its way back into viewing.

“What a real joy to see ... I know she scared the bageezus out of me when I was a little one watching The Wizard of Oz every year on television. Now, it's just plain old nostalgic to see the original Wicked Witch,” wrote one person.

Another added, “People have no idea how huge this is. I honestly thought I'd never see the day. One of the holy grails of lost media has been found.”

Mostly, the whole thing became one giant Margaret Hamilton appreciation fest. Here are just a few of the heartfelt comments:

“From the bottom of my heart, Thank you SO SO much for making this available to watch and experience! This really was a great treat and seeing Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch again just brought out the kid in me!”

“Lmao when she turns into a cute little grandma and does the evil laugh, I loved it! She is so cute, what a legend.”

“Margaret Hamilton…. I love her so much and miss her desperately. I love how 40 years later she was still able to play the wicked witch as incredible as she always was.”

You could say that Hamilton was born to play a witch. During her interview with Mister Rogers—yes, Hamilton frequented children’s shows in her heyday—she shared that as a little girl, she always dressed up as a witch for Halloween. So it’s no wonder that getting the chance to play perhaps the most iconic witch of all time made her “very, very happy.”

Hamilton felt her cackling, green-skinned, shoe-obsessed character wasn’t all that wicked, just misunderstood. She told Mister Rogers, “Sometimes the children think she’s a very mean witch, and I expect she does seem that way. ... She also is what we refer to as frustrated … because she never gets what she wants.”

Under that definition, there’s a bit of witch in all of us.

This uncovered relic, traumatizing as it might have been, has brought some major joy with its epic return. Perhaps even wicked witches can be a source for good.

From Your Site Articles

blast from the past

Meet the 18-year-old advocating for teen mental health, one inspiring podcast at a time

All images provided by Prudential Emerging Visionaries

Collins after being selected by Prudential Emerging Visionaries

True

A changemaker is anyone who takes creative action to solve an ongoing problem—be it in one’s own community or throughout the world.

And when it comes to creating positive change, enthusiasm and a fresh perspective can hold just as much power as years of experience. That’s why, every year, Prudential Emerging Visionaries celebrates young people for their innovative solutions to financial and societal challenges in their communities.

This national program awards 25 young leaders (ages 14-18) up to $15,000 to devote to their passion projects. Additionally, winners receive a trip to Prudential’s headquarters in Newark, New Jersey, where they receive coaching, skills development, and networking opportunities with mentors to help take their innovative solutions to the next level.

For 18-year-old Sydnie Collins, one of the 2023 winners, this meant being able to take her podcast, “Perfect Timing,” to the next level.

Since 2020, the Maryland-based teen has provided a safe platform that promotes youth positivity by giving young people the space to celebrate their achievements and combat mental health stigmas. The idea came during the height of Covid-19, when Collins recalled social media “becoming a dark space flooded with news,” which greatly affected her own anxiety and depression.

Knowing that she couldn’t be the only one feeling this way, “Perfect Timing” seemed like a valuable way to give back to her community. Over the course of 109 episodes, Collins has interviewed a wide range of guests—from other young influencers to celebrities, from innovators to nonprofit leaders—all to remind Gen Z that “their dreams are tangible.”

That mission statement has since evolved beyond creating inspiring content and has expanded to hosting events and speaking publicly at summits and workshops. One of Collins’ favorite moments so far has been raising $7,000 to take 200 underserved girls to see “The Little Mermaid” on its opening weekend, to “let them know they are enough” and that there’s an “older sister” in their corner.

Of course, as with most new projects, funding for “Perfect Timing” has come entirely out of Collins’ pocket. Thankfully, the funding she earned from being selected as a Prudential Emerging Visionary is going toward upgraded recording equipment, the support of expert producers, and skill-building classes to help her become a better host and public speaker. She’ll even be able to lease an office space that allows for a live audience.

Plus, after meeting with the 24 other Prudential Emerging Visionaries and her Prudential employee coach, who is helping her develop specific action steps to connect with her target audience, Collins has more confidence in a “grander path” for her work.

“I learned that my network could extend to multiple spaces beyond my realm of podcasting and journalism when industry leaders are willing to share their expertise, time, and financial support,” she told Upworthy. “It only takes one person to change, and two people to expand that change.”

See on Instagram

Prudential Emerging Visionaries is currently seeking applicants for 2024. Winners may receive up to $15,000 in awards and an all-expenses-paid trip to Prudential’s headquarters with a parent or guardian, as well as ongoing coaching and skills development to grow their projects.

If you or someone you know between the ages of 14 -18 not only displays a bold vision for the future but is taking action to bring that vision to life, click here to learn more. Applications are due by Nov. 2, 2023.

From Your Site Articles

The Gen X 'stay at home mom' crisis is real, but what's the solution?

Some moms in their 40s feel like they were lied to about what their "resume gap" would mean.

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

40-something moms who stayed home to be with their kids are finding themselves in uncharted waters.

A few generations ago, parents had pretty clearly defined roles, with the dad generally being the breadwinner and the mom being the homemaker/stay-at-home mother. Then women's rights movement came along, empowering women in the workplace, ushering in the era of two working parents and producing an entire generation of "latchkey kids."

Now those Gen X latchkey kids are parenting Gen Z, with the pendulum of working motherhood having swung somewhat to the middle. We were raised to believe we could be anything we dreamed of being and that we didn't have to choose between being a mom and having a career. Gen X also became mothers during the heyday of parenting self-help books that impressed upon us the importance of attachment and hands-on childrearing, as well as the era of super-scheduled kids, whose activities alone require a full-time manager.

As a result, those of us in our 40s have raised our kids straddling two worlds—the one where women can have all of the career success we desire and the one where we can choose to be stay-at-home moms who do all the things. At first, we were told we could have it all, but when the impossibility of that became clear, we were told, "Well, you can have it all, just not at the same time."

But as many moms are finding as their kids start leaving the nest, even that isn't the full truth.

Keep ReadingShow less

popular

Single dad receives letter from late wife and immediately gets a DNA test

"She wrote a letter for me before she died, but I couldn’t bring myself to read it until now."

via Nathan Cowley/Pexels

A devastated man sitting by the ocean.

Ten months after a man’s wife passed away, he finally got the courage to read a letter she left him, which contained a devastating admission. The 4-year-old son they had together may not be his.

“My ‘darling’ wife passed away 10 months ago,” the man wrote on Reddit’s Off My Chest forum. “She wrote a letter for me before she died, but I couldn’t bring myself to read it until now. She told me how sorry she was that she didn’t have the guts to tell me this to my face when she was alive.”

In the letter, the wife revealed that there was a “good chance” that the son he thought was his wasn’t his biological child. A few weeks before their wedding day, the wife got drunk at her bachelorette party and had a one-night stand with another man. Soon after that night, she became pregnant but was unsure who the father was.

Keep ReadingShow less

Mother of 7 stunned to learn the ‘Alphabet Song’ has been changed to get with the times

There's a good reason for the update. But it's jarring, to say the least.

via Pixabay/Pexels and JessFamOfficial/TikTok

Jessica Skube can't believe that they changed the 'Alphabet Song.'

The oldest published version of the melody to the “Alphabet Song” was in 1761. However, because it’s the same melody as “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and “Baa Baa Black Sheep,” it's hard to trace it to its original composer.

The “Alphabet Song” is so deeply entrenched in American culture that it almost seems sacrilegious to change a piece of music that’s one of the first most of us ever learned. But after all these years, some educators are altering the classic melody so that there is a variation when the letters L-M-N-O-P are sung.

This change shocked popular TikTokker Jessica Skube, who documents life raising 7 children with her 2.6 million followers. Nearly 10 million people have watched her video revealing the significant change, and it’s received over 56,000 comments since first being published in late 2020.

Keep ReadingShow less