Margaret Hamilton's Broomstick | |
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The Wicked Witch of the West holding her broomstick. | |
Origin |
Margaret Hamilton |
Type |
Broomstick |
Effects |
The broom can fly and make smoke appear |
Downsides |
Gradually turns the users skin green |
Activation |
Getting on it and riding |
Collected by |
James McPherson |
Section |
|
Aisle |
40568-2259 |
Shelf |
73489-4951-934 |
Date of Collection |
March 24, 1976 |
[Source] |
Origins[]
Nearly every child is familiar with this broomstick - the one actress Margaret Hamilton used in the filming of the beloved classic, The Wizard of Oz, in her portrayal of the Wicked Witch of the West. With the Ruby Slippers from the film locked away in the Dark Vault, the broomstick enjoys a certain level of freedom in the Samhain Sector, and is only too glad to be activated.
The 1939 movie is unique in the fact that it gave The Wicked Witch a more...witchier look. In the original fairy tale by L. F. Baum, one will notice that the Witch is a stout, puffily dressed woman with an eyepatch and three braids sticking out from her head. However, whether it was for cinematic reasons or for classic appeal, the witch in the film was given a wiry, black-clothed, pointy-hatted, and most importantly, GREEN-SKINNED look which would terrify both Dorothy and her friends and many children watching the movie for years to come.
Effects[]
This broomstick can actually fly, lifting its rider off of the ground with no qualms about weight (until the most extreme of cases) and able to navigate the air at the whim of the user - apparently it's like learning to ride a bicycle...with a basket on the back...Furthermore, the user can make black smoke or red smoke appear from the end of the broomstick while riding.
As a result of making the Witch green, riding on this broomstick will first tint, until finally completely changing, the color of the user's skin until they turn completely green upon every use. Unless use of the broomstick is continued, the color should fade within a matter of days.
See Also[]
Witchcraft Artifacts | |
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Wiccan / Occult Practices | Circe's Wand • Doreen Valiente's Athame • Cipher Manuscripts • Tamsin Blight's Cauldron • Gerard Gardner's Book of Shadows |
Witch Hunts and Trials | Belvoir Witches' Corsned • Danish Witch Doll • Matthew Hopkins' Witch-Pricking Pin • Malleus Maleficarum • Abigail William's Pendent • Friedrich Spee’s Cassock • William Stoughton's Gavel • Rebecca Towne Nurse's Noose • Grace Sherwood's Sickle • Ergot Bread from Salem • Giles Cory's Shoe Buckle • Anton Praetorius' Hynm Book • Moll Dyer's Rock |
Popular Media | Dominus Trinus by Book of Shadows • The Sanderson Sisters' Black Flame Candle • Margaret Hamilton's Broomstick • Salem Saberhagen Animatron • Elizabeth Montgomery's Hair Curlers • Idina Menzel's Broomstick |
Miscellaneous | Three Witches' Cauldrons from Macbeth • La Voisin's Ceremonial Basin |