I received the book Wicked as a birthday gift from my university friends more than 20 years ago, long before it became cool, with a musical and all that.

Although I could have made the staff out of foam (like the wooden-branch rifle), the broomstick in this case is an actual stick. I came across it at a LARP, loved its shape, and thought it would make an excellent staff for a respectable sorcerer. It was extremely uncomfortable to carry around in costume together with all the other gear I brought, but I’m stubborn.

Before the premiere of Wicked, the first movie, Neta S., who knows I have everything, asked me for a staff. I sent her photos of several options in different styles, and we decided that the stick I had adopted (a rescue) was the most suitable.

The stick was upgraded and converted into a witch’s broom, which suited its character perfectly. I needed to add straw, and with no scarecrow nearby, I went to the closest hardware store. I started explaining what I needed and was surprised when they themselves called it a “witch’s broom” (as seen in the photos below). I bought two to dismantle for materials. When attaching the straw, I was careful to ensure no metal wires were sticking out, so they wouldn’t injure Neta or, worse, tear what she’d be wearing.

Yes, it’s long, very long (banana for scale). It was already long as a staff and now even longer with the added straw. It barely fit diagonally into the car. You could absolutely mount people on and fly.

Before the premiere of Wicked, the second movie, around Halloween, Neta missed the broom and asked for it again. Before handing it over, I made repairs to all the little things that bothered only me. I decided it was too dark and sanded off a lot of the black paint; I also added tones to the straw and gave it a haircut to enhance the volume of the bundle, basically a salon treatment, including a blow-dry using a heat gun to dry the new paint.