City officials in Salem, Massachusetts want to erect a bronze statue of Samantha from the TV show Bewitched. The idea (and money) comes from TV Land, the network behind the statue of Honeymooner Ralph Kramden at NYC’s Port Authority and Sheriff Andy Taylor and son Opie in Raleigh, North Carolina. Witches in Salem are not pleased. From the Los Angeles Times article:

“It is kind of disrespectful, because we are striving to get away from that TV image,” said Melissa Coombs, 23, who said she has been a witch since she was 14.
Coombs, who works in a witch store, said: “This is a religion, not something to make fun of. As it is, people come into the store and think we can make stuff move for them…”
“Our network is all about celebrating classic television. We put them on the air, and in these cases, we literally put them on pedestals,” said Robert Pellizzi, TV Land senior vice president, in New York. “It’s a fun way to get people to smile and think about their favorite TV shows.”
Pellizzi said a trip to Salem last Halloween convinced TV Land executives that the “Bewitched” statue belonged there. He said the statue was aimed at “fun, pop culture” and was not a statement about history.
“This is not about 1692,” he said, referring to the year when 19 citizens accused of witchcraft were hanged in Salem.