History Main / FlyingBroomstick

* ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'': [[spoiler:Aleister]] uses a flying broomstick to rescue Touma from falling, in New Testament 18's Epilogue.
* [[CuteWitch Natsumi's]] angel in ''LightNovel/DateALive'' is a flying broomstick that she can ride on, use to appear before people, and transform things with. It is quite the powerful multipurpose tool, perfect for a witch-themed spirit.

* ''Series/MahouSentaiMagiranger'' had a spin on this, hoverbikes that transformed from brooms. There was also a MagicCarpet for the SixthRanger.

* ''VideoGame/MikaAndTheWitchsMountain
'': As the gameplay footage shows off, central to the gameplay will be Mika’s ability to fly around the environment on her broomstick.

* In Season 8 of ''Animation/HappyHeroes'', several dark wizards are seen flying through the air on broomsticks. Huo Haha is also shown using his toilet plunger MagicWand in the same one would use a flying broomstick on several occasions.

* In Franchise/TheDCU, ComicBook/{{Starman}} foe the Prairie Witch rode on a flying broomstick. Starman was convinced that it was some kind of technological trick until he yanked it away from her (causing her to plummet to the ground) and discovered it was a perfectly ordinary broom.

* The French comic ''{{ComicBook/Raghnarok}}'' is about the titular flightless young dragon. He steals the local witch's broom, jumps off a cliff with it... and goes splat, as usual. When the witch is patching him up, he asks why she keeps a broomstick if it doesn't fly, she answers that she keeps it for sweeping.

* The [[https://derpibooru.org/search?q=flying+broomstick "flying broomstick"]] tag on Derpibooru has close to 700 entries. Not reserved to fan-arts of the Great and Powerful Trixie, though she certainly features heavily.
* The ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' of Creator/AAPessimal sees two witches coming out of [[UsefulNotes/{{Russia}} Far Überwald]] who seek training in Lancre. Olga and Irena have a passion for flight. They develop into [[WrenchWench broomstick technomancers]] who seek to push the [[{{Magitek}} technomancy]] as far as it will (im)possibly go. Snapped up by Sam Vimes as prospects for the expanding Air Police and backed by his budget for R&D, they go to town. Vetinari, who needs an Air Force as a counter to the uneasy realization that Klatchians would have used magic carpets as a means of launching an airborne invasion, supports the two auburn-headed witches as they build an, er, ''Red Hair Force''. Elves -- on fast, maneuverable yarrow stalks -- are also an airborne enemy to be shot down without pity where encountered. Innovations include a pretty much supersonic broom that they are banned from riding over the city because of its effect on windows. They have Dwarf technicians, the ''Messers Schmidt'', whose designs are code-named with prefixes like the ME-262 (the aforementioned broom that flies faster than Discworld sound) and the ME-110 (a two-seater mounting automatic crossbows fore and aft). A Dwarf from a Far Überwaldean clan called ''Mig Oyeff'' is adding his designs to the mix. The naming of souped-up high-performance broomsticks, necessarily festooned with armaments, is indeed an, er, ''HurricaneOfPuns'' involving a couple of Spitfire pilots... [[note]]The Red Air Force in W2 had an all-female night bomber wing called the ''Night Witches''. Russian women piloting aircraft to deadly effect. Hmm. How can this pun be used here...[[/note]] The cycle of tales ''Fanfic/ThePriceOfFlight'' focuses on the Air Watch and its pilots through two main story arcs and related shorts.

* Averted in ''Film/HanselAndGretelWitchHunters'' where the witches fly long crooked sticks, but not brooms.

** In [[Film/HocusPocus2 the sequel]], all of the Sandersons get upgraded versions of their original flying instruments, with Winifred getting a proper Halloween witch broom, Sarah a Swiffer, and Mary a set of Roombas.

* In ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'', the Wicked Witch of the West rides one, which she most notably uses for skywriting "Surrender Dorothy" over Emerald City. (In [[Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz the original novel]] she carries an umbrella instead of the traditional broomstick because her secret weakness is... well... water.)

* Keith Roberts' ''Anita'' stories had the title character, among other things, learning to fly a broomstick, and IIRC discussing its technicalities with other trainee witches in the same way other kids would discuss motorbikes. There are some bits with "the Controller," who gives out landing clearance instructions like an air traffic controller[[note]] Although he evidently also has authority over several other aspects of being a witch[[/note]], and a scene where Anita's grandmother, attempting a tricky rescue on broom, tells a friend "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernier_thruster Verniers]]," and a moment later corrects it to "Main jets ... Aggie, ''fire main jets''..."

* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': The Lancre withes:

* Literature/HaroldShea enchants brooms in each episode of ''The Incompleat Enchanter''. In ''The Castle of Iron'', he uses a Moorish carpet instead, while flying brooms don't belong in the Kalevala or Old Ireland and, presumably, for this reason, aren't resorted to in ''The Wall of Serpents'' or ''The Green Magician''.
* [[Creator/RobertAHeinlein Robert A. Heinlein]]:

* In ''Literature/HisDarkMaterials'', witches fly on branches of "cloud pine".
* Meg, from the ''Literature/MegAndMog'' children's book series, rides a broomstick.
* The witches in ''Literature/TheMidnightFolk'', as part of their general WitchClassic presentation (some of which is eventually revealed to be just for show). At one point, the narration gives a list of the varieties and materials used, including a "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broom_(plant) broom]] broom".

* Averted in ''Literature/SeptimusHeap'', where it is mentioned that no witch uses broomsticks anymore for flying.

* ''Literature/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.

* ''LetsPlay/EmpiresSMP'' Season 2: Witches use these for transportation. Shelby, the resident CuteWitch, makes a passing nod to people vacuuming instead of using brooms (at least for cleaning), and jokes about using a Swiffer as a modern-day equivalent to the classic flying broom.

* ''Anime/DoraemonNobitasGreatAdventureIntoTheUnderworld'' has Nobita creating an alternate universe where magic exists, and everyone flies on broomsticks by default.

Appearance-wise, these broomsticks are almost always the old-fashioned kind made by tying bristles in a rough cone around the end of a long stick; modern brooms are very rarely put to such uses. When they are, it'll often be as a joke on witches getting on with changing times. In these cases, however, it's likelier for the joke to be pushed further and to show the witch riding around on a vacuum cleaner; at least one show moves on to a witch flying on ''roombas'', as an ultra-modern broom.

* Most if not all witches in ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs'' used flying broomsticks. Most notably was Brenda, the good little witch.

** In [[Film/HocusPocus2 the sequel], all of the Sandersons get upgraded versions of their original flying instruments, with Winifred getting a proper Halloween witch broom, Sarah a Swiffer, and Mary a set of Roombas.

** And before her, Kamek from ''VideoGame/YoshisIsland'' and ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiPartnersInTime Partners in Time]]'' fame.

Brooms are the traditional flying mount of the WitchClassic (and many a contemporary). According to [[Wiki/{{Wikipedia}} The Other Wiki]] the idea of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broom#Brooms_and_witchcraft witches riding on brooms]] goes back to [[OlderThanSteam at least 1453]]. In the original woodcuts, they've got the head or brush part in front, logical enough since the original witch's broom was a staff with a carved phallic end and the brush was tied on as a disguise. Today's depictions most often put the head in the back, for sake of an aerodynamic appearance (and for similarity with an exhaust pipe or jet engine).