Marty Krofft remembered as innovative producer of kids’ programs

Fans and collaborators are remembering Marty Krofft, one half of the producing team behind ground-breaking, whimsical children’s programs including “H.R. Pufnstuf,” “The Banana Splits Adventure Hour” and “Land of the Lost,” who has died at age 86.

Relatives said Krofft died Saturday of kidney failure at his Los Angeles-area home.

“I’m heartbroken over the loss of my baby brother,” Sid Krofft, the other half of San Fernando Valley-based Sid & Marty Krofft Productions said on social media. The post included a six-minute memorial video recalling their lives and work with the tagline “Love you Marty. What a trip we had.

“I really know that all of you meant the world to him,” the post continued. “It’s YOU that made this all happen. Thank you for being there with us all these years. Love, Sid.”

Of their 50-plus-year collaboration, characterized by psychedelic sets and playful costumes, Sid Krofft told ABC7 “I had my dreams and Marty got them done. I am so grateful for the time I got to work with him on the shows that took you on a trip.”

Other shows produced by the duo included “The Bugaloos,” “Lidsville,” “Sigmund & the Sea Monsters” and “Pryor’s Place” starring actor-comedian Richard Pryor with the last coming in 2015, “Mutt & Stuff” for Nickelodeon.

The two also produced primetime hits for adults including the “Donny & Marie Show,” “The Brady Bunch Variety Hour,” “Barbara Mandrell & the Mandrell Sisters” and the “D.C. Follies.”

These shows and more brought an outpouring of memories onto social media platforms throughout the day Saturday.

“RIP Marty Krofft, whom with brother Sid served as one of the two kings of kiddie psychedelia,” fan Ryan W. Mead wrote. “From the Banana Splits to H.R. Pufnstuf, their work is a charming throwback to the days when silly costumes and funny voices were all that were needed to entertain young and old alike.”

Beth Pratt, regional executive director of the National Wildlife Federation, was one of many remembering weekend mornings filled with Krofft productions.

“I spent most of my childhood Saturday mornings immersed in the imaginative world of Marty Krofft productions,” she wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Saddened to learn of his death today.”

And from syndicated writer Jay Bobbin: “Saturday-morning TV is what it is now, but in the era of such shows as ‘H.R. Pufnstuf,’ it truly was a wonderful world of escapism for kids. Here’s to the late #MartyKrofft and his brother Sid for being two of its foremost and most original contributors.”

The fansite Muppet History also paid tribute to a popular forerunner to their shows.

“Rest in Peace to Marty Krofft,” Muppet History’s creators wrote. “While they never had any significant direct connections to the Muppets, the impact that Marty and his (survived by) brother Sid had on the world of puppetry and their influence on pop culture is undeniable.”

Marty Krofft was born in Montréal and worked as a used car salesman before joining his puppeteer brother Sid in show business in 1958.

Perhaps their best remembered show, “H.R. Pufnstuf,” followed the adventures of a boy who was trapped in a fantastic land with a friendly dragon named Pufnstuf and a witch enemy known as Witchiepoo.

The show only produced one 17-episode season, which aired on NBC between 1969 and 1970, but the show lived on in reruns.

“We screwed with every kid’s mind,” Marty once told the Hollywood Reporter. “There’s a Krofft look — the colors. There’s an edge. Disney doesn’t have an edge.”

In 2007, TV Guide named “H.R. Pufnstuf” No. 27 on its list of the top cult shows ever.

Other Kroffts ventures included the World of Sid & Marty Krofft amusement park in downtown Atlanta in 1976, which was spread over six levels and billed as the world’s first vertical amusement park and drew about 600,000 visitors but closed after six months due to financial difficulties.

They were also creative directors for Six Flags, producing live shows in parks across America, and created puppets that were used on tours by the likes of Judy Garland, Liberace, The Mills Brothers, Tony Martin & Cyd Charisse and Frank Sinatra.

Sid and Marty Krofft received lifetime achievement honors during the 45th Annual Daytime Emmy Creative Arts Awards in 2018 and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in February 2020.

In addition to his brother Sid, Marty Krofft is survived by another brother, Harry; daughters Kristina, Kendra and Deanna; five grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

In lieu of floweres, the family asked that donations be made in Marty Krofft’s memory to Marley’s Mutts Dog Rescue, https://www.marleysmutts.org/donate.