2008 Woodie Awards
Forget Harry Potter: watch out for Sabrina's power
Jen Ryan
Issue date: 12/4/04 Section: Feature of the Week-Superpowers
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The Witch Way
I have a secret: I have always wanted to be like Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
Don't laugh.
Is that silly? Yes. Pathetic? Probably.
But, think about it for a minute.
I don't want to be Sabrina because I desire a "teenage heartthrob" boyfriend named Harvey or the talking black cat. I want the powers-you know the "point your finger, poof that meanie is a toad" type of powers. I love the idea that with a whirl of a wand or a point of a finger, a witch could create whatever she wanted or needed (or likewise a warlock, the male witch). Her powers helped her be self-sufficient and self-indulging at the same time. If I had Sabrina's powers, I could have a clone of myself type up a paper while I went out to a movie, took a nap, or ate a hot fudge sundae.
See? Wanting to be like Sabrina doesn't make me that crazy.
By wanting witch powers, I also keep myself open to all the other superpowers out there. When you wish for invisibility or super flexibility, you must leave other powers and possibilities behind. The witch can use her powers to create the ability to be invisible or fly. On an evening when it's warm and there's a full moon, I could point my finger, conjure a broomstick, and whisk myself away for a close-up look at the moon. The day when my car has a flat tire, I can simply say something like, "Inflatius tire-us" and my problem will be fixed. All in a day's work for the girl with witch superpowers.
I think my desire to be like a witch stems from my childhood. When I was seven years old, I watched Disney's Bedknobs and Broomsticks wide-eyed. Angela Lansbury made that four-post bed go under the sea. She and that family got to sing along with the fish about how it was lovely "bobbing along to the music of the beautiful blimey sea." My fingers tinted themselves green with envy (or at least I imagined they did). I wanted to be able to do that.
I have a sneaking suspicion that I'm not the only one who wishes for witch powers either. Do you remember who read the Harry Potter books and watched the movies? I can assure you that it was not just elementary school kids. I saw lots of college-aged kids wandering into the Harry Potter movie who were not dragging six or seven year old children along with them.
I have a secret: I have always wanted to be like Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
Don't laugh.
Is that silly? Yes. Pathetic? Probably.
But, think about it for a minute.
I don't want to be Sabrina because I desire a "teenage heartthrob" boyfriend named Harvey or the talking black cat. I want the powers-you know the "point your finger, poof that meanie is a toad" type of powers. I love the idea that with a whirl of a wand or a point of a finger, a witch could create whatever she wanted or needed (or likewise a warlock, the male witch). Her powers helped her be self-sufficient and self-indulging at the same time. If I had Sabrina's powers, I could have a clone of myself type up a paper while I went out to a movie, took a nap, or ate a hot fudge sundae.
See? Wanting to be like Sabrina doesn't make me that crazy.
By wanting witch powers, I also keep myself open to all the other superpowers out there. When you wish for invisibility or super flexibility, you must leave other powers and possibilities behind. The witch can use her powers to create the ability to be invisible or fly. On an evening when it's warm and there's a full moon, I could point my finger, conjure a broomstick, and whisk myself away for a close-up look at the moon. The day when my car has a flat tire, I can simply say something like, "Inflatius tire-us" and my problem will be fixed. All in a day's work for the girl with witch superpowers.
I think my desire to be like a witch stems from my childhood. When I was seven years old, I watched Disney's Bedknobs and Broomsticks wide-eyed. Angela Lansbury made that four-post bed go under the sea. She and that family got to sing along with the fish about how it was lovely "bobbing along to the music of the beautiful blimey sea." My fingers tinted themselves green with envy (or at least I imagined they did). I wanted to be able to do that.
I have a sneaking suspicion that I'm not the only one who wishes for witch powers either. Do you remember who read the Harry Potter books and watched the movies? I can assure you that it was not just elementary school kids. I saw lots of college-aged kids wandering into the Harry Potter movie who were not dragging six or seven year old children along with them.