The Sesame Street/Wizard of Oz crossover is so scary it was pulled from syndication


The episode opens with a strong gust of wind blowing through Sesame Street; A broom falls from the sky in front of Mr. Hooper's store and David (Northern Calloway) picks it up. Then the Witch watches from around the corner. “I know I'm not in Oz anymore,” she says, a joke clearly intended for parents watching with their children.

Enter the witch who tries to get the broom back from David and runs into the many Sesame Street marionette residents. She threatens to turn Big Bird into feather duster and draws Oscar's attention when she hides behind his trash can at home. (Even a wicked witch can glow as giddily as a schoolgirl when young Grooch calls her beautiful.)

Eventually, the Witch disguises herself as a normal-looking sweet old lady (ie, the real Margaret Hamilton). David, sensing the deception, tells her to say “please” before he returns the broom.

Yeah, not exactly a horror story. Although the Witch remains confused at times, Hamilton plays the role as if she just stepped off the set of “The Wizard of Oz.” she even brings out her witchy giggle a few times. Apparently, this was enough to make the children scream and cry, causing the parents to write letters of complaint. If angry parents can revive Optimus Primethey can overcome the Wicked Witch of the West.

Hamilton, who was so famous for scaring young children, was a teacher before she became an actor, which might help explain why she was so good at scaring children. Given her background in education, it also makes sense that she would want to guest on “Sesame Street.” She had appeared before episode “Mister Rogers' Neighborhood” which aimed to teach kids that acting is a make-believe and that someone playing a mean character doesn't make them a bad person. In an interview with Mr. Rogers, Hamilton recalled the role of the Witch in “The Wizard of Oz” and its legacy:

“Sometimes, Mr. Rogers, I'm a little unhappy because a lot of kids are really scared of (the Wicked Witch) and it makes me feel a little sad because I don't think any of us thought it would be as scary as it sometimes seems. , but when you understand him and realize that it's just a pretense and that anyone can do it, you can.

To put the message in a way that kids can fully relate to, Hamilton mentioned that she used to dress up as a witch on Halloween. her was a child. The pretense of her performance is never dropped during The Witch's “Sesame Street” performance, so the kids who don't need understand, however, that the acting is “just a pretense” lest their terror be appeased. When the series was taken off the air, children had to wait to meet Miss Hamilton's Wicked Witch until they were old enough to see The Wizard of Oz.


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