Scary 'Sesame Street' Episode, Which Got Complaints From Parents, Emerges Online After 40 Years

A long-lost episode of "Sesame Street," which received many complaints from parents in 1976, has resurfaced on the internet after more than 40 years.

The 15-minute segment featured actress Margaret Hamilton, who reprised her role as the Wicked Witch of the West. Hamilton made this role popular in the 1939 iconic movie, "The Wizard of Oz."

According to USA Today, the resurfaced clip has gone viral on YouTube and Reddit because it brought back many childhood memories. However, it caused quite a stir when it was first aired, with parents writing to the studio, The Children's Television Workshop, to complain about the scary clip.

Because of the complaints, PBS never re-aired the episode during the show's reruns; thus, it was considered one of the "lost" episodes of "Sesame Street."

However, the American Archive of Public Broadcasting recently released all episodes of the beloved children's show at the Library of Congress, where the "lost" episode was kept safe all these years. Someone downloaded a copy and reshared this on Reddit, which has since gone viral.

What was the Scary "Sesame Street" Episode About?

Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West, is shown terrorizing a man named David, played by Northern Calloway, who found the witch's broomstick after it fell from the sky. The witch attempted to take this back by arguing with David, and when he didn't budge because she refused to show respect, the witch caused havoc on "Sesame Street."

The witch realized she couldn't have the broomstick back unless David lets go of it. She then disappeared and returned as an old woman, asking David for the broom with "respect and dignity," just as he said.

According to the AV Club, Hamilton used to be a teacher before she became an actress. She was willing to keep playing the Wicked Witch of the West if it were for an educational show. She also wanted to teach children about overcoming fears, which was the gist of her "Sesame Street" episode.

"The target audience is preschoolers, 3 to 4-year-olds," one Redditor said to explain what made the episode scary. "I'd think [it was] because of the ominous music that played when the Witch came in and the flashing effects when she put her hand on the broom and was powerless to get it back."

Another commenter said he recalled watching the episode as a child in the '70s, and it gave him nightmares. Someone also wrote that The Children's Television Workshop and PBS researched Hamilton's character before putting her on the show. They learned that kids were fascinated by the Wicked Witch of the West, so the studio executives presumed that the complaints came from religious parents.

"Sesame Street" Debuts First Original Off-Broadway Show

Meanwhile, families who love "Sesame Street" can look forward to watching its first original off-Broadway production. Running from September to November 2022 in New York, "Sesame Street: The Musical" will include Grover, Bert, Ernie, Oscar the Grouch, Cookie Monster, The Count, Elmo, Abby Cadabby, and Rosita.

Deadline reported that the family entertainment presentation will have special guest performers, which will still be announced in the coming weeks. Jennifer Ahearn of the Sesame Workshop said this will be a high-quality production catering to kids and kids at heart.

The "Sesame Street" brand has been around since 1969. The television show, which is aired globally, is on its 53rd season.