History Main / FlyingBroomstick

* ''LightNovel/ReignOfTheSevenSpellblades'': Rather than being {{Animate Inanimate Object}}s, broomsticks in this series are stated to be a species of magical creature in their own right that feeds symbiotically on its rider's mana, and getting to ride one is akin to breaking in a horse; actual cleaning brooms are dead individuals. "Broomsports" in the series consist variously of obstacle course races, one-on-one jousting, and team battles--the latter of which Nanao quickly ends up excelling at after a notoriously MoodyMount takes a liking to her.

* ''Anime/LittleWitchAcademia'':

** In the TV version, Professor of "Modern Magic" Croix flies on a Roomba.
** In the climax of the TV series, the main characters combine a large number of these [[spoiler:to create the magical equivalent of a multi-stage rocket.]]

* A weapon type in ''VideoGame/DungeonFighterOnline'' covering practical-looking brooms and sleeker "paintbrush" designs, intended for the female mage subclass Witch. While airtime is [[GameplayAndStorySegregation quite limited in play]], it allows practical air-to-air melee and air-to-ground bombardment as well as extending some nasty launcher chains. Oddy, advanced broomstick skills tend to involve buzzsaw-type [[EverythingsBetterWithSpinning spinning]]. The Creator class shares the Broomstick Control skill and preferred weapon type despite being unable to execute the keyboard commands which would allow riding it, relegating it to a StatStick, and despite lore-wise having more effective transportation methods (space/time/planar gate control). Giving Creators the skill (which still implies broomsticks are flyable when you're not playing) isn't really arbitrary, as the weapon type provides a movement speed increase which helps the Creator stay out of enemy lines of attack.

* Lampshaded in ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' when a Wiccan group at Willow's college complain about this being a "[[PoliticalCorrectnessGoneMad non-empowering stereotype]]". Sure enough, Tara is seen faking a smile when Dawn gives her a broom for her birthday in "Family".

%%* ''Film/BedknobsAndBroomsticks'', [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin surprisingly enough...]]

* The Wicked Witch of the west rides one in ''Film/TheWizardOfOz''. (In [[Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz the original novel]] she carries an umbrella instead of the traditional broomstick because her secret weakness is... well... water.)

* In the Dusk subseries of the ''VideoGame/{{Atelier}}'' games, Wilbell Voll-Ersleid is a CuteWitch who flies around on a broom. In ''VideoGame/AtelierShallieAlchemistsOfTheDuskSea'', Shallote hears the CallOfTheWildBlueYonder after being rescued by Wilbell, becoming her protege in an attempt at learning how to fly on a broom. Sadly, broomstick flight is a form of magic, and Shallotte does not possess the gift of magic.

* ''Animation/PleasantGoatAndBigBigWolf'': In ''Pleasant Goat Fun Class: Sports are Fun'' episode 6, Weslie and Paddi compete in a tennis match with Wolffy on a floating piece of land in the sky. A number of animals can be seen flying on broomsticks and wearing wizard clothing, including Wolffy when he first appears to challenge the goats.

Another (considerably more NSFW) explanation involves sex and drugs, in a certain sense. Accounts from the 16[[superscript:th]] century revealed that witches' potions contained hallucinogens that, when consumed, gave the sensation of flying. As oral ingestion put them at risk of overdosing, suspected witches applied these hallucinogenic potions topically. It turns out the most effective places for absorption through the skin were on the armpits and in their lady parts, where the broom turned out to be quite handy. In other words, ''riding'' a broom is really a 500-year-old DoubleEntendre.

As brooms [[DifficultButAwesome aren't exactly designed]] to be ridden upon, riding one would require really good balance so as not to fall off, especially when really high up. Prospective witches and warlocks should also try not to land wrong while sitting on their brooms either or you'll end up "[[GroinAttack Riding the Rail]]" if you know what I mean. At some point, witches were portrayed as riding the brooms side-saddle, similar to how women traditionally rode horseback. If two witches are shown together, the difference in how they sit on their brooms usually relates to a TomboyAndGirlyGirl dynamic.

* In ''Film/Haxan,'' witches are seen flying over town on classic broomsticks. In a variation, some are seen flying on pitchforks instead.

* At least one episode of ''Series/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'' has her on a flying vacuum cleaner.

* There's a book about an apprentice witch titled ''Wise Child''. In a scene where the main character must go on some kind of spirit quest or something and she actually used the broomstick in, uh, the way described by Meiriona; the whole "flying" effect was due to the hallucinogenics being absorbed through a, shall we say, tender area.

* [[WitchClassic Eda]] of ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' flies around on her MagicStaff. Luz once found a storeroom full of brooms in Eda's house, and was disappointed that they were nothing but cleaning equipment.

* ''Franchise/{{Jewelpet}}'':
** In ''Anime/{{Jewelpet|2009}}'', almost all the titular pets, who're wizards, ride flying brooms everywhere.

* ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMag'':

* CuteWitch Marisa Kirisame from ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}''. WordOfGod says she doesn't really need a broom to fly (since everyone in the games can fly anyway), but uses it because she consciously goes for a Western witch look, and that obviously includes the broom. She also has a TomboyAndGirlyGirl dynamic with Alice Margatroid, so on the occasion that Alice rides on the broom as well, naturally Marisa sits forward while Alice sits sideways. Marisa eventually also started SkySurfing on the broom as an attack or simply RuleOfCool, which due to her mini-reactor added to the end makes it closer to a RocketRide.

[[folder:Web Comics]]