![]() ![]() Banning an episode, however, means nothing thanks to the power of the internet, so you can actually watch the episode in its entirety, and make up your own mind.The decision by HBO Max to remove roughly 200 episodes of Sesame Street from its platform sparked outrage from many viewers on social media Friday as the series became the latest victim of the streaming platform's purge to make room for other content as it merges with Discovery+ by summer 2023. From today's viewpoint, it doesn't seem entirely fair that the episode was pulled outright, but when you recall that there were only limited options available for children's programming in 1976, they arguably made the right call. So why Sesame Street chose to have Hamilton go full-out witchy for the episode and not go with a far gentler storyline, especially when it was handled so well by a fellow PBS show just prior, is something we may never truly understand. That, really, was the best way to utilize Hamilton in what is more or less the same intention: overcoming fears. ![]() The pair worked together for the purpose of showing kids that beneath the makeup is a regular person, that movies are all make-believe, and that there is nothing to be afraid of. What's funny about the whole debacle is that in 1975, a year before she appeared on Sesame Street, Hamilton was invited to be on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood by Fred Rogers. The feedback was so intense that it reportedly prompted an internal memo within the Children's Television Workshop, "suggesting" that the episode not be re-run. ![]() Guess which category #847 lands in? The letters, some of which have been scanned and made available on Muppet Wiki, are a barrage of negativity, telling tales of nightmares, occult symbols, children's fears of being turned into a basketball, and riddled with Bible passages meant to admonish the creative team behind the show. But there's being wrong, and then there's being so wrong that you are inundated with letters and phone calls from angry parents. As per the AV Club article above, Hamilton was a former teacher who was only too happy to reprise her most famous role for educational programming, and Sesame Street seemed the perfect place to do so. The intent of the episode is clearly two-fold: teaching kids about overcoming their fears, and the best way to get something you want is by asking politely, not grabbing or demanding. Also questionable? Seeing Big Bird's violent side, holding a baseball bat and a hockey stick and saying, "Where's that witch? I'll fix her!" As an adult, it borders on nostalgic how easily Hamilton can slip back into that role, but as a child watching at the time, they're now scared that they'll see David roll down the street as a basketball. To David she threatens, "I'll turn you into a basketball, bounce, bounce, bounce, right into the basket!" Then threatens to turn Big Bird into a feather duster (presumably big enough, then, to dust your home in one fell swoop). The Wicked Witch from The Wizard of Oz boldly states that they haven't seen the last of her before disappearing, only to reappear and make it rain inside the store. RELATED: Anne Hathaway Stills Wants to Make the 'Sesame Street' Movieįor a show that prides itself on its child-friendly content, there's a lot going on in this episode that is questionable, apart from why showrunners, who were also likely traumatized as children by the Witch, decided it would be a good idea to bring her on. The Wicked Witch even disguises herself as a kind old lady, but nothing works until she politely and respectfully says "please." Once she has the broom back, she says, "I'm going to fly back to Oz as fast as lightning and never see Sesame Street again." She flies off, but ever the show-off she cries, "This is glorious! Look! No hands." The broom promptly falls again, and back into David's grasp, prompting David to start crying, not wanting to go through the whole thing again. After being electrocuted when she first tries to grab her broom, she spends the rest of the episode demanding the broom back. She first appears lurking at the side of the store, accompanied by a heavy metal riff. This broom belongs to the Wicked Witch of the West, and she wants it back. The episode begins with David ( Northern Calloway) stepping out of his store into a heavy, spooky wind, one that blows a broom out of the sky and into David's hands. What young Sesame Street viewers saw in that episode is a character that has haunted many a dream since she first appeared in 1939's The Wizard of Oz: The Wicked Witch of the West, played by Margaret Hamilton. ![]()
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