| Episode 847 | |
|---|---|
| Sesame Street episode | |
 The Wicked Witch next to Oscar the Grouch; until the online leak, it was among the few remaining images of the episode. | |
| Episode no. | Season 7 Episode 52 |
| Directed by | Robert Myhrum |
| Written by | Joseph A. Bailey Judy Freudberg Emily Kingsley |
| Original air date | February 10, 1976[1][2] |
| Running time | 55 minutes |
| Guest appearance | |
| Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West | |
Episode 847 (commonly known as the "Wicked Witch episode") is the 52nd episode from the seventh season of the American educational children's television series Sesame Street. It was directed by Robert Myhrum and written by Joseph A. Bailey, Judy Freudberg and Emily Kingsley, it originally aired on PBS on February 10, 1976. The episode involves the Wicked Witch of the West, from the film The Wizard of Oz (1939), losing her broomstick over Sesame Street and causing havoc as she attempts to recover it. Margaret Hamilton, who portrayed the witch in the film, reprises her role in the episode. Produced as the 52nd episode of the series' seventh season, the episode was created to teach children how to overcome their fears.
Shortly after its premiere, the creators of the series and Children's Television Workshop received numerous letters from angry parents, who said that the Wicked Witch had frightened their children. Due to this, the episode was pulled from rebroadcast and was not seen by the public again until 2019, when clips of the episode were shown during a "Lost and Found" event celebrating Sesame Street's 50th anniversary and the full episode was archived in the Library of Congress. It was then only available for private viewing until June 2022, when it was leaked online by an unknown individual.
- ^ Elyria, Sun (February 8, 1976). "Wicked witch to drop broom on Sesame Street". Chronicles Telegram.
- ^ "Old Witch casts a new spell". The Press Democrat. February 6, 1976.