Sesame Street

Episode of ‘Sesame Street' Allegedly Removed for Being Too Frightening Is Posted to Social Media

“I wish you wouldn’t put that witch on ‘Sesame Street’ anymore because ... I have been dreaming [of] that witch,” a viewer named Rebecca wrote to “Sesame Street” in 1976

(L) Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked With of the West in "The Wizard of Oz." (R) Sesame Street's Big Bird and friends.
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An episode of “Sesame Street,” allegedly removed from syndication for being too frightening for children, has been posted to social media sites like YouTube and Reddit.

The episode stars Margaret Hamilton, who revives her role as the Wicked Witch of the West from “The Wizard of Oz.”

The plot also takes from “The Wizard of Oz,” but rather than seek the return of a pair of ruby slippers, Hamilton seeks a “stolen broom stick.”

The "lost" episode aired Feb. 10, 1976, during the seventh season of "Sesame Street," according to the Muppet fan archive Muppet Wiki. The intent of the episode appears to be to teach children how to overcome their fears, as well as “the value of planning by creating and implementing methods of retrieving the broom,” Muppet Wiki writes.

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