Almost everyone remembers watching obscure television shows when they were young. Some stand the test of time more than others, especially when it comes to kids’ entertainment. Today, we say goodbye to one of the most influential figures ever to bring magic to the small screen, Sid Krofft, the co-creator of shows like The Banana Splits Adventure Hour, H.R. Pufnstuf, and Land of the Lost. Krofft died on Friday in his sleep at the Los Angeles home of his friend and business partner, Kelly Killain. He was 96.
In life, Krofft was an incredibly talented puppeteer and visionary who partnered with his younger brother, Marty, on mind-bending TV shows like The Banana Splits Adventure Hour, H.R. Pufnstuf, and Land of the Lost. Sadly, Marty died in November 2023 at age 86.
Sid and Marty were a creative force to be reckoned with
Sid and Marty were theatrical puppeteers when they were recruited in 1968 to design the costumes for the live-action portion of NBC’s The Banana Splits Adventure Hour. Their furry animal characters (Fleegle, Bingo, Drooper, and Snorky) form a rock band: a beagle, an orange ape-like character, a lion, and an elephant, respectively. Their hit television program ran from 1968 to 1970, with the characters inspiring horror movies such as The Banana Splits Movie, Willy’s Wonderland, and more.
After The Banana Splits Adventure Hour ended, the duo created the Saturday morning kids’ show H.R. Pufnstuf, about a shipwrecked boy (Jimmy, played by Jack Wild) who lands on a magical island. The show lasted only 17 episodes before a rights dispute led to its cancellation. Both The Banana Splits Adventure Hour and H.R. Pufnstuf lived on through reruns. Pufnstuf quickly gathered a cult following, with college students and even the Beatles enjoying the show’s trippy costumes, wild color scheme, and cast of bizarre characters.
Marty on their creations having an “edge”
“You can’t do a show stoned,” Marty told The Hollywood Reporter in January 2016 when asked to address rumors that the brothers indulged in pot and LSD while making H.R. Pufnstuf.
Other creations from Sid and Marty include The Bugaloos (1970-72), the Claymation series Lidsville (1971-73), Sigmund and the Sea Monsters (1973-75), and Land of the Lost (1974-76). “We screwed with every kid’s mind,” Marty told THR. “There’s a Krofft look — the colors. There’s an edge. Disney doesn’t have an edge.”
Outside of kids’ entertainment, Sid and Marty developed live-action series like The Brady Bunch Hour, The Donny & Marie Show, The Bay City Rollers Show, and Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters.
Long live Sid Krofft
Few creators have had as much impact on kids’ entertainment as Sid Krofft. From inspiring Mayor McCheese and McDonaldland to building a six-level indoor theme park called The World of Sid & Marty Krofft in downtown Atlanta’s new Omni Complex in the 1970s, aspects of the Krofft brothers’ creations are everywhere across pop culture.
We wish Sid Krofft peaceful travels to the Great Hereafter, and thank him for sharing his creativity, vision, and boundless sense of wonder.
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