Tobias Jelinek probably didn't think he’d still be answering questions about a bully with a "cool" 90s haircut thirty years later. But here we are. If you grew up in the 90s, Jay from Hocus Pocus was the quintessential cinematic jerk. He wasn't a supernatural threat like the Sanderson Sisters, and he wasn't a tragic figure like Thackery Binx. He was just a guy in a leather vest who stole shoes.
Honestly, he’s one of the most realistic parts of the movie.
While Winifred is busy sucking the souls out of children, Jay and his sidekick Ice are just wandering around Salem looking for cigarettes and lunch money. It’s that grounded, "hometown bully" energy that makes the character stick in our brains. People still wonder what happened to him—both the character hanging in a cage and the actor who played him.
The Guy Behind the Bully: Tobias Jelinek
Most fans don't realize that playing Jay from Hocus Pocus was actually Tobias Jelinek’s film debut. He was just a kid from Santa Barbara when he landed the role of the lead bully. He brought this weird, twitchy energy to Jay that felt very authentic to the early 90s grunge-adjacent burnout culture.
He wasn't some polished Hollywood child star. He felt like a kid you actually knew.
Jelinek has been surprisingly open over the years about how the role followed him. He’s mentioned in interviews that fans still recognize him, even though he’s swapped the long hair and grunge attire for a much more professional look. It’s wild how one role in a Disney movie that actually flopped at the box office in 1993 can define a career decades later.
Remember, Hocus Pocus wasn't a hit initially. It was released in July—yes, July—to compete with Free Willy. It died. It wasn't until the Disney Channel and ABC Family started marathoning it every October that Jay became a household name for Millennials.
Why we actually kind of like Jay and Ice
There’s a weird nostalgia for Jay and Ice. Maybe it’s because they’re so harmless compared to what else is happening in the film. They’re basically comic relief. When they call Max "Hollywood," it’s meant to be an insult, but it’s mostly just funny.
They represent a specific era of Disney villainy.
In the early 90s, bullies in movies were always wearing oversized flannel or leather jackets. They always had weirdly specific nicknames for people. Jay was the leader, and Ice (played by Larry Bagby) was the follower who just repeated everything Jay said. They were a duo. You can't have one without the other.
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The chemistry between Jelinek and Bagby was real. They’ve even reunited for fan conventions and parody videos recently, proving that the bond of being trapped in a cage together by witches lasts a lifetime.
Where did Jay go after the cage?
The biggest question everyone asks is: what happened to Jay and Ice at the end of the movie?
The last time we see them, they’re still hanging in those cages in the Sanderson cottage. The witches are defeated, the sun has come up, and the town is getting back to normal. But the movie just... leaves them there.
There’s a popular fan theory that they were eventually found by the police, but imagine the conversation. "Yeah, officer, these three hags in 17th-century dresses locked us in birdcages because we called them ugly." They probably sounded like they were on something.
Actually, the 2018 sequel novel (which follows Max and Allison’s daughter) touches on the legacy of the town, but it doesn't give a detailed forensic report on Jay's later life. However, the 2022 Disney+ sequel, Hocus Pocus 2, gave us a very subtle nod. While Jay doesn't appear in the flesh, the town of Salem has clearly embraced its spooky history, and the "bully" archetype is reinvented through new characters.
But for the purists, Jay from Hocus Pocus will always be stuck in 1993, mocking Max’s tie-dye shirt.
Tobias Jelinek's Career Beyond the Birdcage
If you think Tobias Jelinek disappeared after the 90s, you haven't been paying attention to your TV screen. He’s been a prolific character actor.
You’ve probably seen him in:
- Stranger Things (He played one of the lead agents working for Dr. Brenner in Season 1).
- Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
- The Mindy Project
- Baskets
It’s actually hilarious to see him in Stranger Things because he’s playing a government heavy—a far cry from the teenage delinquent who stole the "greatest" pair of sneakers in Salem. He’s matured into this sharp, intense actor who can play menacing really well.
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He’s also leaned into the nostalgia. Jelinek is active on social media and frequently engages with the Hocus Pocus fandom. He knows what the fans want. He’s done "Where are they now?" segments and seems genuinely grateful for the cult following.
It’s rare to see an actor embrace a "minor" role with that much grace. Most people want to move on. He leaned in.
The Cultural Impact of the Salem Bully
Why do we care about a guy who had maybe ten minutes of screen time?
Character depth isn't always about dialogue. It’s about vibe. Jay from Hocus Pocus had a vibe that perfectly captured the friction between "cool" locals and "lame" outsiders. Max Dennison was the quintessential Californian transplant, and Jay was the gatekeeper of Salem’s streets.
His presence adds a layer of "real world" tension to a movie about flying vacuum cleaners.
Without Jay and Ice, Max doesn't have that initial struggle to fit in. Their harassment is what pushes him to try and impress Allison. In a way, Jay is the catalyst for the entire plot. If Jay doesn't steal Max's shoes and make him feel like a loser, Max might not have been so desperate to prove his "bravery" by lighting the Black Flame Candle.
Think about that. Jay is technically responsible for the resurrection of the Sanderson Sisters.
Modern Reception and Memes
In the age of TikTok and Instagram, Jay has found a second life. People recreate his "tough guy" poses. They cosplay as him—which is basically just wearing a wig and a lot of denim.
There's a specific charm to the low-stakes villainy he provided. In modern movies, everything is "end of the world." Jay just wanted a smoke. He’s relatable in a weird, gritty way.
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He’s also a reminder of how much movie ratings have changed. Hocus Pocus is a PG movie, but Jay and Ice are constantly talking about "hell" and "sh*t" (well, almost) and smoking. You wouldn't see that in a Disney PG movie today. He’s a relic of a time when kids' movies were allowed to be a little bit "trashy."
The Actionable Legacy of Salem’s Most Famous Delinquent
If you’re a fan looking to dive deeper into the lore of the movie or the career of the actor, there are a few things you can actually do.
First, check out the 25th-anniversary Blu-ray specials. There are behind-the-scenes clips where you can see the cast interacting, and it gives a lot of context to how those cage scenes were filmed. It wasn't CGI. They were actually up there.
Second, follow Tobias Jelinek on social platforms. He often posts throwback photos from the set that you won't find in official Disney archives.
Finally, if you’re ever in Salem, Massachusetts, you can visit the filming locations. The "Sanderson Cottage" was a set, but the high school (Phillips Elementary School) and the coastal areas where Jay and Ice roamed are very real. Standing on the same streets where "Hollywood" got his shoes stolen is a rite of passage for any hardcore fan.
Jay from Hocus Pocus might have been a jerk, but he’s our jerk. He’s a permanent fixture of Halloween culture, a reminder of 90s fashion crimes, and a testament to how a small role can leave a massive footprint on pop culture.
To really appreciate the character today, watch the film again but pay attention to Jelinek's physical acting. The way he moves, the sneers, the restless energy—it’s a masterclass in being a memorable side-character. He didn't just show up for a paycheck; he created a person we still love to hate thirty years later.
Whether he’s still hanging in that cage in some alternate cinematic universe or he’s just a "reformed" Salem local telling stories at a bar, Jay remains the ultimate 90s antagonist.