SESAME Street has seen a surprising number of shocking moments with the latest involving a “lost” episode that resurfaced online.
The episode about the Wicked Witch originally aired in the 1970s but was reportedly deemed “too scary” for children in one of many astonishing events in the show’s 50-year history.
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The controversial witch episode that was recently posted on YouTube follows Margaret Hamilton, who reprises her role as the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz.
In the episode, she follows a character named David, who caught her broom after it fell from the sky.
She appears throughout the program and continually tries to get her broom back in a haunted and stormy environment.
While the point of the episode was to teach children to overcome their fears, many families wrote to the station complaining that they went too far, the Muppet fan archive said.
Due to the concerns, the showrunners reportedly decided to remove the episode from the air, including reruns.
While this controversial episode aired nearly 40 years ago, another Sesame Street clip was cut after a current pop star’s outfit didn’t sit right with viewers.
Katy Perry appeared in a music video alongside Elmo in 2010, when parents complained that her outfit was far too revealing.
In a statement, executives said, “In light of the feedback we’ve received on the Katy Perry music video, which was released on YouTube only, we have decided we will not air the segment on the television broadcast of Sesame Street, which is aimed at preschoolers.”
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The American Idol judge clapped back on Twitter saying, “looks like my play date with Elmo has been cut short!”
Sesame Street also faced some heat after people criticized Roosevelt Franklin, the first Black Muppet to appear on the show.
Franklin was a main character in the early 70s but took a backseat after parents pointed out the new character promoted harmful stereotypes.
While he taught children lessons on African culture, Franklin was also known for his bad behavior and constant presence in after-school detention, leading some to say he represented Black children in an unfair light.
Kami is another controversial Muppet who joined the South African cast.
In Takalani Sesame, which is the country’s version of the program, execs introduced an HIV-positive character named Kami.
The program created the new five-year-old cast member in 2002 in an effort to address the HIV/AIDS crisis in South Africa, Insider reported.
During her appearances, Kami educated children on living with the virus and was even joined by president Bill Clinton in a PSA at one point.
While Cookie Monster will always be known for his love of sweets, Sesame Street decided to give him a healthier diet in 2005 during growing concerns over childhood obesity in the US.
Writers began introducing fruits and vegetables into Cookie Monster’s diet while trying to teach children that cookies were a “sometimes” food.
Sesame Street even tweeted Cookie’s dietary opinions when longtime fans began to fear that the beloved character was no longer himself.
“Time to put end to rumors,” Cookie said on Twitter in 2010.
“YES, me eat vegetables. NO, not going to be called Vegetable Monster! Dis whole thing silly.”
The Muppet Mr Snuffleupagus also went through some major changes due to current events in 1985.
The character was introduced in 1971 as Big Bird’s imaginary friend.
While Big Bird talked to others about Snuffleupagus, no one really believed him as they couldn’t see the big wooly guy.
However, viewers found the dynamic to be problematic after there were increasing reports of childhood sexual assault, PBS reported.
“All this was really stemming from a specific set of incidences in the news, claims of sexual abuse going on in some daycare centers, and kids being questioned about what was going on,” executive producer for Sesame Street Carol-Lynn Parente said.
“The fear was that if we represented adults not believing what kids said, they might not be motivated to tell the truth.”
And finally, viewers continue to question the nature of Bert and Ernie’s relationship despite Sesame Street’s squelching the rumors.
In 1993, the show clearly stated that the pair were roommates and friends but nothing more.
However, fans continued to tease at Bert and Ernie being in a gay relationship, including one person who even made a mockumentary about their “tragic love story.”
It was later reported, however, that the filmmaker received a cease and desist letter soon after the tragicomedy was screened at the Sundance Film Festival.
