The Wicked Witch Episode of Sesame Street Has Been Found

Ladies and gentlemen, it is finished, the end has come, the fifth and last Golden Ticket has just been found right here in Paraguay.  the lost and banned episode of Sesame Street featuring the Wicked Witch of the West has turned up online.

I was planning on making a joke about how this post syncs up with "Dark Side of the Moon" but the video already did that joke.

And here is the episode:

For a compilation of just the Wicked Witch parts, click here.

And a few thoughts...

For someone who was trying to rehabilitate her image, this was an INSANE move for Margaret Hamilton. The stark contrast of with makeup/without makeup is one of your main tools to get kids to not be afraid of you. So why not have a plot where the wicked witch is proven to be able to disguise herself to look like an ordinary old woman? Yes, even though the old woman may look normal, she's still a witch underneath and, don't forget, she wants to steal your dog.

"I won't give her back this broom until she gives me a little respect" is terrible principle.

The guy's acting is also terrible. I've always accepted Sesame Street's "big" acting because it was for children and that's the norm for children's programming, but this is just bad.

A lot of the reaction to this episode involves adults being shocked that anyone found this to be scary - the whole reaction was a huge overreaction. I don't think so. In the 50 years or so of Sesame Street's existence, how many villains have their been? How many villains with magical powers? The bar is set by Oscar the Grouch whose main weapon is being impolite. This episode would be a violation of viewer expectations.

When I was a kid, my one friend opined that the scariest villains in the world were Darth Vader and the Wicked Witch of the West. I quickly realized the verisimilitude of the statement and assented. He then added that when he was younger he opined that they must be married and that was too large a logical leap for me.

Ernie - I Don't Want to Live on the Moon

This is the song that was going through my head as I woke up this morning. What does it all mean?

Peanut Butter: Utopia or Dystopia???

Recently Elmo was a guest on Jimmy Fallon. You can watch most of the "interview" (read: insanity) here.

At the end of the segment the Roots, together with the audience, played the "Pinball" song (or the "Counting Song" or "1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12"). Fun fact: apparently, the song was originally performed by the Pointer Sisters.

The Pinball animation was one of my favorite segments and it got me thinking back to some others that I really enjoyed. Here are a few.

Making Peanut Butter

Looking at it now, the peanut butter doesn't look good at all. But conflang it, that song was catchy and I liked pretty much anything that showed how an everyday item was made.

Rolling Ball (1-2-3)

Looking at this now, it's exactly the same as the Pinball concept - you got a rolling ball, within a complex contraption and counting. It's no wonder I loved them both. I love the completely dark background as if this setup exists in another dimension (see also: Bob Ross). Looking at it now makes me wonder if it could be real at all as opposed to an editing together of isolated shots. I really want it to be real.

Cab Calloway - Hidey Ho Man

I had no idea what this was or who this guy was at the time but I knew I liked it. Loved the song, loved the crazy "scat" style, loved the fact that he's wearing white tails on Sesame Street... I even loved the "lightning bolt" set. So many years later this song still gets stuck in my head and I still don't really know the lyrics.

This one was really hard to find because what are your search terms??? Maybe I should have known the artists name but then, if you want kids to learn someone's name, don't have them introduced by the unintelligible two-headed monster. Note: I never actually utilized this method when I was in new surroundings and looking to make new friends. Wonder if it works.