Sesame Streethas explored somesensitive topicsover the year , but few episode were as controversial as the one PBS transmit — and quickly pulled — in 1976 . installment 847 sport Margaret Hamilton reprising her part as the Wicked Witch of the West nearly four decades afterThe Wizard of Oz(1939 ) premiered . The installment was banned for being " too scary " for kids , and for decade it was difficult to retrieve . Now , as theAV Clubreports , this piece of lost media has been made available to catch online .
Margaret Hamilton’sSesame Streetappearance was uploaded to YouTube on June 18 , and it ’s already received close to 275,000 views ( and counting ) . Inthe segment , the ill-famed hag loses her broom handle , threatens to change by reversal Big Bird into a feathering duster , and charms Oscar the Grouch . Compared to theflying monkeys sceneinThe Wizard of Oz , the installment finger reasonably tamed .
But many parents thought differently when it premiere in 1976 . PBS was bombarded with complaints of the type traumatizing preschool - age viewers . Though the episode was reportedly mean to learn kids about overcoming their awe , the mesh gave in to the backlash . After airing only once , it was pull from syndication permanently .
Though it’scategorized as fall back medium , Episode 847 ofSesame Streethasn’t been unimaginable to view . It ’s archive at the Library of Congress , and grainy transcription have surfaced online in late long time . This newest upload is illustrious for its high quality . If ' 70s kids have been searching for the lost footage since their puerility , this video is as near to the original as they ’re likely to get . The clip also proves that the banned instalment is n’t quite as horrify as its reputation suggest .
[ h / tAV Club ]
