''H.R. Pufnstuf'' is a children's
television series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...
produced by
Sid and Marty Krofft
Sid Krofft (born July 30, 1929) and Marty Krofft (born April 9, 1937) are a Canadian sibling team of television creators and puppeteers. Through their production company, Sid & Marty Krofft Pictures, they have made numerous children's television a ...
in the United States. It was the first Krofft live-action, life-sized-puppet program (not including their previous work with the
Hanna-Barbera program
''The Banana Splits Adventure Hour'').
[CD liner notes: Saturday Morning: Cartoons' Greatest Hits, 1995 MCA Records] The seventeen episodes were originally broadcast Saturday mornings from September 6, 1969, to December 27, 1969. The broadcasts were successful enough that
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
kept it on the schedule until August 1972. The show was shot at
Paramount Studios
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production and distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldest film studio in the world, the second-oldest ...
and its opening was shot at
Big Bear Lake, California
Big Bear Lake is a small city in San Bernardino County, California, located in the San Bernardino Mountains along the south shore of Big Bear Lake, and surrounded by the San Bernardino National Forest. The city is located about 25 miles (40& ...
. Reruns of the show aired on
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
Saturday morning from September 2, 1972, to September 8, 1973, and on Sunday mornings in some markets from September 16, 1973, to September 8, 1974. It was syndicated by itself from September 1974 to June 1978 and in a package with six other Krofft series under the banner ''Krofft Superstars'' from 1978 to 1985. Reruns of the show were featured on
TV Land
TV Land is an American pay television channel owned by Paramount Global through its networks division. Originally a spinoff of Nick at Nite consisting exclusively of classic television shows, the channel now airs a combination of recent and cl ...
in 1999 as part of its Super Retrovision Saturdaze Saturday morning-related overnight prime programming block and in the summer of 2004 as part of its TV Land Kitschen weekend late-night prime programming block, and it was later shown on
MeTV
MeTV, an acronym for Memorable Entertainment Television, is an American broadcast television network owned by Weigel Broadcasting. Marketed as "The Definitive Destination for Classic TV", the network airs a variety of classic television program ...
from 2014 until 2016.
In 2004 and 2007, ''H.R. Pufnstuf'' was ranked #22 and #27 respectively on ''
TV Guide
TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news.
The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008.
Corpora ...
''s Top Cult Shows Ever.
[TV Guide Names the Top Cult Shows Ever - Today's News: Our Take](_blank)
TV Guide
TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news.
The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008.
Corpora ...
: June 29, 2007
Fast food chain
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hambur ...
later plagiarized the series' concept for its long-running advertising campaign
McDonaldland
McDonaldland is a McDonald's media franchise and the fictional fantasy world inhabited by Ronald McDonald and his friends. Starting with the creation of Ronald McDonald in 1963 it is primarily developed and published by McDonald's, initial att ...
, and the company was successfully sued by the Krofft brothers for the
copyright infringement
Copyright infringement (at times referred to as piracy) is the use of works protected by copyright without permission for a usage where such permission is required, thereby infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the copyright holder, s ...
.
Overview
The Kroffts created the H.R. Pufnstuf character for the
HemisFair '68
HemisFair '68 was the official 1968 World's Fair (or International Exposition) held in San Antonio, Texas, from April 6 through October 6, 1968. Local businessman and civic leader, Jerome K. Harris Sr., coined the name HemisFair and conceived the ...
World's Fair, where they produced a show called ''Kaleidoscope'' for the
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlant ...
pavilion. The character's name was Luther, and he became a mascot for the fair.
''H.R. Pufnstuf'' introduced the Kroffts' most-used plot scenario of a fairy tale of good versus evil, as well as their second plot scenario of the stranger in a strange land.
The show centered on a shipwrecked boy named Jimmy, played by teenage actor
Jack Wild
Jack Wild (30 September 1952 – 1 March 2006) was an English actor and singer. He is best known for his role as the Artful Dodger in the film ''Oliver!'' (1968), for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor at ...
. He is 11 years old when he arrives on the island and turns 12 in the episode called "The Birthday Party". Jimmy and a talking flute named Freddy take a ride on a mysterious boat, but the boat was actually owned by a wicked witch named Wilhelmina W. Witchiepoo (played by
Billie Hayes
Billie Armstrong Brosch (August 5, 1924 – April 29, 2021), known professionally as Billie Hayes, was an American television, film, and stage actress, best known for her comic portrayals of Witchiepoo and Li'l Abner's Mammy Yokum.
Early ye ...
) who rode on a broomstick-vehicle called the Vroom Broom. She used the boat to lure Jimmy and Freddy to her castle on Living Island, where she was going to take Jimmy prisoner and steal Freddy for her own purposes.
The Mayor of Living Island was a friendly and helpful anthropomorphic dragon named H.R. Pufnstuf, performed by Roberto Gamonet and voiced by the show's writer
Lennie Weinrib
Leonard Weinrib (April 29, 1935 – June 28, 2006) was an American actor, comedian and writer. He is best known for playing the title role in the children's television show '' H.R. Pufnstuf'', Grimace in McDonaldland commercials, the title role in ...
, who also voiced many of the other characters. The dragon rescued Jimmy and protected him from Witchiepoo, as his cave was the only place where her magic had no effect.
All of the characters on Living Island were realized by large cumbersome costumes or puppetry of anthropomorphic animals and objects. Everything was alive on the island, including houses, boats, clocks, candles, and so forth; virtually any part of the Living Island sets could become a character, usually voiced in a parody of a famous film star such as
Mae West
Mae West (born Mary Jane West; August 17, 1893 – November 22, 1980) was an American stage and film actress, playwright, screenwriter, singer, and sex symbol whose entertainment career spanned over seven decades. She was known for her breezy ...
,
Edward G. Robinson, or
John Wayne.
Characters
Main
* Jimmy (portrayed by
Jack Wild
Jack Wild (30 September 1952 – 1 March 2006) was an English actor and singer. He is best known for his role as the Artful Dodger in the film ''Oliver!'' (1968), for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor at ...
) – A young English human who was lured to Living Island by an enchanted boat. Witchiepoo controlled the boat with the aim of stealing Jimmy's magic talking flute named Freddy.
* H.R. Pufnstuf (performed by Roberto Gamonet, voiced by
Lennie Weinrib
Leonard Weinrib (April 29, 1935 – June 28, 2006) was an American actor, comedian and writer. He is best known for playing the title role in the children's television show '' H.R. Pufnstuf'', Grimace in McDonaldland commercials, the title role in ...
in a West Ohio accent) – A friendly
dragon who is the
Mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
of Living Island.
* Freddy the
Flute (voiced by
Joan Gerber
Joan Gerber (July 29, 1935 – August 22, 2011) was an American voice actress who provided voices for a variety of cartoons.
Her most challenging voice role was "all the children in a Japanese train wreck" for a ''Godzilla'' television episode ...
) – A magic talking flute that is owned by Jimmy. He is often targeted by Witchiepoo.
* Cling and Clang (performed by Joy Campbell and
Angelo Rossitto) – Two short mute keystone cops who work for H.R. Pufnstuf as his Rescue Racer Crew. Cling wears red and Clang wears green. Although they appear vaguely animal-like with their beaked faces, and furry three-toed feet, the Kroffts have said they are actually bells, hence their names.
* Wilhelmina W. Witchiepoo (portrayed by
Billie Hayes
Billie Armstrong Brosch (August 5, 1924 – April 29, 2021), known professionally as Billie Hayes, was an American television, film, and stage actress, best known for her comic portrayals of Witchiepoo and Li'l Abner's Mammy Yokum.
Early ye ...
) – The primary
antagonist of the series; a wicked but ineffective
witch
Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...
who has been targeting Freddy the Flute to use him in her own agendas. She rides a large rocket-powered broom with a steering wheel called the Vroom Broom. She is cruel to everyone around her, even her henchmen, whom she constantly whacks with her wand. Yet when faced with failure, she usually starts to pity herself, by asking "Why me?"
* Orson
Vulture
A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...
(performed by Joy Campbell, voiced by
Lennie Weinrib
Leonard Weinrib (April 29, 1935 – June 28, 2006) was an American actor, comedian and writer. He is best known for playing the title role in the children's television show '' H.R. Pufnstuf'', Grimace in McDonaldland commercials, the title role in ...
) – A stuffy, somewhat inept vulture who is one of Witchiepoo's henchmen. As her favorite flunky, he
multitasks as her sounding board,
butler, and co-pilot on her Vroom Broom. Orson once made the mistake of asking what the W. in his boss's name stood for. The answer: WHACK!
* Seymour
Spider
Spiders ( order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species ...
(performed by
Angelo Rossitto, voiced by
Walker Edmiston
Walker Edmiston (February 6, 1926 – February 15, 2007) was an American radio, television and voice actor.
Early years
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Edmiston participated in local theater productions during his high school years. He later stu ...
) – A dim-witted "spider" (appearance as a furry orange ogre with eight limbs) who is another of Witchiepoo's henchmen. As her second favorite flunky, he primarily serves her as an alternative sounding board and hairdresser.
* Stupid
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most ...
(performed by
Sharon Baird
Sharon Baird is an American actress, voice actress, singer, dancer and puppeteer who is best known for having been a Mouseketeer.
Early life
Baird was born August 16, 1943 Seattle, Washington to Eldon Baird, an aerospace worker, and Nikki Mar ...
, voiced by
Lennie Weinrib
Leonard Weinrib (April 29, 1935 – June 28, 2006) was an American actor, comedian and writer. He is best known for playing the title role in the children's television show '' H.R. Pufnstuf'', Grimace in McDonaldland commercials, the title role in ...
) – A bat who is the least favorite and least seen of Witchiepoo's henchmen. He mainly serves as her messenger. As his name implies, he is not very bright and his messages are usually delivered one second too late.
*
Skeleton Guards – Two skeletons who guard Witchiepoo's castle. They are easily spooked, and will often run from danger in a flash, but not before their armor and capes fly off in a cartoonish fashion.
Others
* Dr. Blinky (performed by
Johnny Silver, voiced by Walker Edmiston impersonating
Ed Wynn
Isaiah Edwin Leopold (November 9, 1886 – June 19, 1966), better known as Ed Wynn, was an American actor and comedian. He was noted for his ''Perfect Fool'' comedy character, his pioneering radio show of the 1930s, and his later career as a d ...
) – An
owl
Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers a ...
who is Living Island's local
physician
A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...
and
scientist
A scientist is a person who conducts scientific research to advance knowledge in an area of the natural sciences.
In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engaged in the philosoph ...
. Dr. Blinky is also the head of H.R. Pufnstuf's "Anti-Smog, Pollution, and Witch Committee". Other characters (including Polka-Dotted Horse) fear his medical incompetence and are terrified at the prospect of being treated by him.
* Judy
Frog
A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-frog" ''Triadobatrachus'' is ...
(performed by
Sharon Baird
Sharon Baird is an American actress, voice actress, singer, dancer and puppeteer who is best known for having been a Mouseketeer.
Early life
Baird was born August 16, 1943 Seattle, Washington to Eldon Baird, an aerospace worker, and Nikki Mar ...
, voiced by
Joan Gerber
Joan Gerber (July 29, 1935 – August 22, 2011) was an American voice actress who provided voices for a variety of cartoons.
Her most challenging voice role was "all the children in a Japanese train wreck" for a ''Godzilla'' television episode ...
) – A singing, dancing frog who is one of H.R. Pufnstuf's friends and the resident entertainer. Judy is based on
Judy Garland
Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...
, whom Sid Krofft had previous toured with and opened for.
* Pop Lolly (voiced by Lennie Weinrib) – A living lollipop who makes and sells candy and other sweet goods.
**Cheese Guards – Two guards that are living pieces of cheese who work for Pop Lolly. They would often help Pop Lolly fend off a group of Hippie Ants who want to have free candy.
* Ludicrous
Lion (performed by
Johnny Silver, voiced by Walker Edmiston impersonating
W. C. Fields
William Claude Dukenfield (January 29, 1880 – December 25, 1946), better known as W. C. Fields, was an American comedian, actor, juggler, and writer. Fields's comic persona was a misanthropic and hard-drinking egotist who remained a sympathe ...
) – A lion who works as a
peddler
A peddler, in British English pedlar, also known as a chapman, packman, cheapjack, hawker, higler, huckster, (coster)monger, colporteur or solicitor, is a door-to-door and/or travelling vendor of goods.
In England, the term was mostly used f ...
and owns a horse-drawn wagon. He is quite cunning and not always so honest when it comes to money. Although slightly shady and greedy, he is officially one of the Good Guys where he would often help to thwart Witchiepoo's plots.
** Polka-Dotted
Horse
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...
(performed by
Felix Silla
Felix Anthony Silla (January 11, 1937 – April 16, 2021), also credited as Felix Cilla, was an Italian actor and stuntman, known for his career in Hollywood in TV and film.
Silla starting his career in the circus, but is best known especial ...
, voiced by Lennie Weinrib) – A good-natured but dim-witted horse who works for Ludicrous Lion.
* Tick Tock (performed by Andy Ratoucheff, voiced by Lennie Weinrib) – A mobile alarm clock that warns the good characters when Witchiepoo is coming and informs them of various other dangers.
*
Grandfather Clock
A grandfather clock (also a longcase clock, tall-case clock, grandfather's clock, or floor clock) is a tall, freestanding, weight-driven pendulum clock with the pendulum held inside the tower or waist of the case. Clocks of this style are common ...
(voiced by Walker Edmiston) – A mobile grandfather clock who is married to Grandmother Clock.
* Grandmother Clock (voiced by Joan Gerber) – A mobile grandmother clock who is married to Grandfather Clock.
* Miss Wristwatch (voiced by Joan Gerber impersonating
Zsa Zsa Gabor
Zsa Zsa Gabor (, ; born Sári Gábor ; February 6, 1917 – December 18, 2016) was a Hungarian-American socialite and actress. Her sisters were actresses Eva and Magda Gabor.
Gabor competed in the 1933 Miss Hungary pageant, where she ...
) – A glamorous rich mobile human-sized
wristwatch
A watch is a portable timepiece intended to be carried or worn by a person. It is designed to keep a consistent movement despite the motions caused by the person's activities. A wristwatch is designed to be worn around the wrist, attached by ...
.
* Hippie Ants - A group of
ant
Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of ...
s that would try to have free candy from Pop Lolly.
* The Boyds - A bunch of birds that serve as Living Island's residential band. The Boyds are based on
The Byrds
The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole cons ...
.
**Lady Boyd (performed by Sharon Baird, voiced by Joan Gerber) – A blue
bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...
who is the lead singer of The Boyds. She was often seen singing the end theme to this show.
* Shirlee Pufnstuf (performed by Sharon Baird, voiced by Joan Gerber impersonating a younger
Shirley Temple) – A
dragon who is H.R. Pufnstuf's sister and a famous actress.
* Max von Toadenoff the Great (voiced by Lennie Weinrib) – A monocled
toad
Toad is a common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae, that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands.
A distinction between frogs and toads is not made in scient ...
who works as a
film director. Max von Toadenoff the Great is based on
Erich von Stroheim, but named for
Akim Tamiroff.
* The Good
Tree
In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...
s – Several walking, talking trees who always help out H.R. Pufnstuf and the good guys. In the film ''Pufnstuf'', the song "Living Island" described them as the "Hippie Trees of Peace and Love". They consist of:
**Hippie Tree – (voiced by Lennie Weinrib) A tree with sunglasses and dreadlocks who often speaks in hippie slang.
** Madame Willow (voiced by Joan Gerber) – Also known as the Dowager Tree, Madame Willow is an older,
elitist
Elitism is the belief or notion that individuals who form an elite—a select group of people perceived as having an intrinsic quality, high intellect, wealth, power, notability, special skills, or experience—are more likely to be construc ...
female tree with a
lorgnette
A lorgnette () is a pair of spectacles with a handle, used to hold them in place, rather than fitting over the ears or nose. The word ''lorgnette'' is derived from the French ''lorgner'', to take a sidelong look at, and Middle French, from ''lo ...
.
** Chief Redwood (voiced by Walker Edmiston) – Also known as the Indian Tree, Chief Redwood dons a feathered headdress and speaks in the fashion of a stereotypical melodramatic
Native American.
** There is an older, male tree who may or may not be the husband of Madame Willow.
** There is another female tree whose lips are always in the shape of an "O".
** There is a baby tree.
* The Evil
Tree
In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...
s – Three trees on Witchiepoo's side that speak in a
Transylvania
Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...
n accent.
**Evil Tree #1 – (voiced by Lennie Weinrib impersonating
Béla Lugosi
Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó (; October 20, 1882 – August 16, 1956), known professionally as Bela Lugosi (; ), was a Hungarian and American actor best remembered for portraying Count Dracula in the 1931 horror classic ''Dracula'', Ygor in ''S ...
) – The leader of the Evil Trees.
** Evil Tree #2 – (voiced by Walker Edminston impersonating
Peter Lorre
Peter Lorre (; born László Löwenstein, ; June 26, 1904 – March 23, 1964) was a Hungarian and American actor, first in Europe and later in the United States. He began his stage career in Vienna, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, before movin ...
).
** Evil Tree #3 – (voiced by Lennie Weinrib) A tree that always speaks in rhyme.
* The
Mushroom
A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground, on soil, or on its food source. ''Toadstool'' generally denotes one poisonous to humans.
The standard for the name "mushroom" is ...
s – A group of talking mushrooms on Witchiepoo's side that turn whoever touches them into mushrooms. The mushroom leader smokes a
cigar and speaks like
Jimmy Cagney
James Francis Cagney Jr. (; July 17, 1899March 30, 1986) was an American actor, dancer and film director. On stage and in film, Cagney was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He ...
.
* The Crustaceans – They are shown in several episodes as well as the closing theme song, some
crab-like characters who are never named or introduced. There is a family of them, much like the living clocks and the living trees. They almost never say anything, but one of them has a couple of brief lines in "The Almost Election of Witchiepoo."
* Witchiepoo's
Castle – A talking, living entity that is home to Witchiepoo and her minions. There is also a door inside the castle that is a separate living entity as well as living pillars.
* Dr. Blinky's
House – A broken down house, propped up with crutches with a bandage on one side and an ice pack atop its chimney. It suffers from explosive sneezing that it has no control over. This usually sends Pufnstuf and friends running for cover, although it has been occasionally used to thwart Witchiepoo's plans enough for her to tell the house to cover its door when it sneezes. It houses several other inanimate talking characters such as
fireplace
A fireplace or hearth is a structure made of brick, stone or metal designed to contain a fire. Fireplaces are used for the relaxing ambiance they create and for heating a room. Modern fireplaces vary in heat efficiency, depending on the design ...
(who speaks like
Edward G. Robinson), a
test tube
A test tube, also known as a culture tube or sample tube, is a common piece of laboratory glassware consisting of a finger-like length of glass or clear plastic tubing, open at the top and closed at the bottom.
Test tubes are usually placed in ...
(voiced by Walker Edmiston) and a candle (voiced by Walker Edmiston). There is a talking
human skull
The skull is a bone protective cavity for the brain. The skull is composed of four types of bone i.e., cranial bones, facial bones, ear ossicles and hyoid bone. However two parts are more prominent: the cranium and the mandible. In humans, th ...
(who speaks like
Boris Karloff
William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), better known by his stage name Boris Karloff (), was an English actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film '' Frankenstein'' (1931) (his 82nd film) established ...
) and a few talking
book
A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physi ...
s, one of which is named Charlie (voiced by Lennie Weinrib). Charlie's brother, an evil black book of spells, is kept on Witchiepoo's nightstand.
* The
Wind
Wind is the natural movement of air or other gases relative to a planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heating of land surfaces and lasting a few ho ...
s – The Winds of Living Island are often called upon by H.R. Pufnstuf to blow Witchiepoo out of the sky. They consist of the
North Wind (voiced by Walker Edmiston in a shivering voice), the
South Wind
A south wind is a wind that originates in the south and blows in a northward direction.
Words used in English to describe the south wind are auster, buster (a violent south gale), föhn/foehn (alps), ghibli (Libya with various spellings), friage ...
(voiced by
Joan Gerber
Joan Gerber (July 29, 1935 – August 22, 2011) was an American voice actress who provided voices for a variety of cartoons.
Her most challenging voice role was "all the children in a Japanese train wreck" for a ''Godzilla'' television episode ...
in a southern belle voice), the
East Wind
An east wind is a wind that originates in the east and blows in a westward direction. This wind is referenced as symbolism in mythology, poetry and literature.
In mythology
In Greek mythology, Eurus, the east wind, was the only wind not associate ...
(voiced by Walker Edmiston in a Chinese accent), and the
West Wind
A west wind is a wind that originates in the west and blows in an eastward direction.
Mythology and Literature
In European tradition, it has usually been considered the mildest and most favorable of the directional winds.
In Greek mythology, ...
(voiced by Lennie Weinrib impersonating John Wayne).
Production
After creating costumes for characters in the live-action portion of ''
The Banana Splits Adventure Hour
''The Banana Splits'' is an American television variety show produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and featuring the Banana Splits, a fictional rock band composed of four costumed animal characters in red marching band hats with yellow plumes. ...
'', Sid and Marty Krofft were asked to develop their own Saturday morning children's series for
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
. The plot was recycled from ''Kaleidoscope'', a live puppet show the Kroffts had staged in the
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlant ...
pavilion of the
HemisFair '68
HemisFair '68 was the official 1968 World's Fair (or International Exposition) held in San Antonio, Texas, from April 6 through October 6, 1968. Local businessman and civic leader, Jerome K. Harris Sr., coined the name HemisFair and conceived the ...
World's Fair. It included several key characters from this show, such as Luther the dragon and a silly witch.
[Sid Krofft and Marty Interview Part 1 of 5](_blank)
at YouTube. Retrieved January 16, 2009. Other ideas were cultivated from Sid's life. As a child, he had charged friends buttons, not pennies, to view puppet shows in his back yard;
[Sid Krofft Interview Part One of One](_blank)
at YouTube. Retrieved January 16, 2009. buttons were standard currency on Living Island. Sid and Marty had toured with their puppets as the opening act for Judy Garland, and they based Judy the Frog on her.
[Sid and Marty Krofft Interview Part Two](_blank)
at YouTube. Retrieved January 16, 2009. Ludicrous Lion bears more than a passing resemblance to Irving, the eponymous lion in a
pilot
An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...
they had made in 1957 called ''Here's Irving''.
Sid's friend
Lionel Bart
Lionel Bart (1 August 1930 – 3 April 1999) was a British writer and composer of pop music and musicals. He wrote Tommy Steele's " Rock with the Caveman" and was the sole creator of the musical ''Oliver!'' (1960). With ''Oliver!'' and his wor ...
asked him to view a rough cut of the movie adaptation of ''
Oliver!'' Sid took notice of young actor Jack Wild and immediately decided that he was the kid whom he wanted to play the lead in his television series.
[''E! True Hollywood Story: The Weird World of Sid and Marty Krofft''] Only two actresses auditioned to play Witchiepoo. The first was then-unknown
Penny Marshall
Carole Penny MarshallBorn Carole Penny Marshall in 1943, as per ''My Mother Was Nuts, a Memoir'', p. 10; . Copyright 2012 (October 15, 1943 – December 17, 2018) was an American actress, director and producer. She is known for her role as ...
,
but it was believed that she was not right for the part. Stage veteran
Billie Hayes
Billie Armstrong Brosch (August 5, 1924 – April 29, 2021), known professionally as Billie Hayes, was an American television, film, and stage actress, best known for her comic portrayals of Witchiepoo and Li'l Abner's Mammy Yokum.
Early ye ...
came in next, set into a maniacal cackle and hopped up on a desk. She was given the part on the spot.
For Marty Krofft, the production was a particular headache. Marty accepted guardianship of
Jack Wild
Jack Wild (30 September 1952 – 1 March 2006) was an English actor and singer. He is best known for his role as the Artful Dodger in the film ''Oliver!'' (1968), for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor at ...
while the teenage boy was in the United States filming the show.
He later described bringing Wild into his home as a mistake, considering that he already had his hands full with two young daughters.
Like most children's television shows of the era, ''H.R. Pufnstuf'' contained a
laugh track
A laugh track (or laughter track) is a separate soundtrack for a recorded comedy show containing the sound of audience laughter. In some productions, the laughter is a live audience response instead; in the United States, where it is most common ...
, the inclusion of which the Kroffts were initially against. Sid Krofft commented "We were sort of against that, but Si Rose — being in sitcoms — he felt that when the show was put together that the children would not know when to laugh." Marty Krofft added "the bottom line — it's sad — you gotta tell them when it's funny. And the laugh track, (Si) was right. It was necessary, as much as we were always looking to have a ''real'' laugh track, ''a real'' audience. In comedies, if you don't have them (laugh track), you're in big trouble, because if you don't hear a laugh track, it's not funny. And that's the way the audience (at home) was programmed to view these shows."
H.R. Pufnstuf appeared in a segment of ''
Sigmund and the Sea Monsters
''Sigmund and the Sea Monsters'' is an American children's television series that ran from September 8, 1973 to October 18, 1975, produced by Sid and Marty Krofft and aired on Saturday mornings. It was syndicated by itself from December 1975 to ...
'', and along with Witchiepoo in the ''
Lidsville
''Lidsville'' is Sid and Marty Krofft's third television show following '' H.R. Pufnstuf'' (1969) and ''The Bugaloos'' (1970). As did its predecessors, the series combined two types of characters: conventional actors in makeup taped alongside pe ...
'' episode "Have I Got a Girl For Hoo Doo", where Hoo Doo conjures Pufnstuf as Witchiepoo's date for a witches' dance. ''
The Krofft Superstar Hour
''The Krofft Superstar Hour'' is a Saturday morning children's variety show, produced by Sid and Marty Krofft. After eight episodes, the show was renamed ''The Bay City Rollers Show.'' It aired for one season from September 9, 1978 to January 27, ...
'' also involved characters in two segments ''The Lost Island'' (which H.R. Pufnstuf was in) and ''Horror Hotel'' (in which Witchiepoo, Orson Vulture, Seymour Spider, and Stupid Bat are featured with Hoodoo). The Kroffts also loaned out the character, with Hayes reprising her role, for ''
The Paul Lynde Halloween Special
''The Paul Lynde Halloween Special'' is a Halloween-themed television special starring Paul Lynde broadcast October 29, 1976 on ABC. It featured guest stars Margaret Hamilton in a reprisal of her role as the Wicked Witch of the West from '' Th ...
'', in which she appears as the sister of the
Wicked Witch of the West
The Wicked Witch of the West is a fictional character who appears in the classic children's novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900), created by American author L. Frank Baum. In Baum's subsequent ''Oz'' novels, it is the Nome King who is ...
(portrayed by
Margaret Hamilton).
Theme song
The show's theme song, titled "H.R. Pufnstuf", was written by
Les Szarvas but is also credited to
Paul Simon. Simon's credit was added when he successfully sued The Kroffts, claiming that the theme too closely mimicked his song "
The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)
"The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)" is a song by folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel, written by Paul Simon and included on their 1966 album '' Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme''. Its name is based on the 59th Street Bridge (formally know ...
". He is credited as the song's co-writer in TeeVee Tunes's ''Television's Greatest Hits Volume 5: In Living Color''.
A cover of the show's theme song, performed by
The Murmurs
The Murmurs were an American alternative pop music duo composed of singer-songwriters Leisha Hailey and Heather Grody. Some time after the duo went their separate ways, Hailey became one half of Uh Huh Her and Grody became a founding member of ...
, is included on the 1995
tribute album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...
''
Saturday Morning: Cartoons' Greatest Hits'', produced by
Ralph Sall
Ralph Sall is an American record producer, music supervisor, composer, songwriter and screenwriter. He is the president of Bulletproof Entertainment, a company involved in several facets of the entertainment industry, including film, television ...
for
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group.
Pre-history
MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 w ...
.
Episodes
''All episodes were directed by Hollingsworth Morse and written by Lennie Weinrib and Paul Harrison. (Robert Ridolphi also co-wrote Episode 1 "The Magic Path".) ''
Cast
*
Jack Wild
Jack Wild (30 September 1952 – 1 March 2006) was an English actor and singer. He is best known for his role as the Artful Dodger in the film ''Oliver!'' (1968), for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor at ...
– Jimmy
*
Billie Hayes
Billie Armstrong Brosch (August 5, 1924 – April 29, 2021), known professionally as Billie Hayes, was an American television, film, and stage actress, best known for her comic portrayals of Witchiepoo and Li'l Abner's Mammy Yokum.
Early ye ...
– Wilhelmina W. Witchiepoo
Krofft puppets
Voice characterizations
* Lennie Weinrib – Bela Lugosi Tree, H.R. Pufnstuf, Dr. Blinky's Talking Book, Stupid Bat, Pop Lolly, West Wind, Akim Toadenoff the Great, Orson Vulture, Polka Dotted Horse, Jimmy as Movie Villain
* Walker Edmiston – Boris Karloff Tree, Dr. Blinky's Candle, East Wind, Grandfather Clock, North Wind, Chief Redwood, Alarm Clock, Dr. Blinky, Dr. Blinky's Test Tube, Ludicrous Lion, Seymour Spider
* Joan Gerber – Freddy the Flute, Grandmother Clock, Judy the Frog, Madame Willow, South Wind, Lady Boyd, Shirley Pufnstuf
Film
While the television series was still in production, the Kroffts were approached to do a film adaptation.
[Sid & Marty Krofft Interview](_blank)
on YouTube. Retrieved January 18, 2009. A joint venture between
Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...
and the show's sponsor
Kellogg's Cereal,
[Passing Show, The Bridgeport Post, January 22, 1970 p. 21] the 1970 film retained most of the cast and crew from the series and featured guest appearances by
Cass Elliot as Witch Hazel and
Martha Raye
Martha Raye (born Margy Reed; August 27, 1916 – October 19, 1994), nicknamed The Big Mouth, was an American comic actress and singer who performed in movies, and later on television. She also acted in plays, including Broadway.
She was honored ...
as Boss Witch. The movie was finally released on
VHS in 2001 by
Universal Home Video as part of its Universal Treasures Collection and on
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
on May 19, 2009. The film also included Googy Gopher, Orville Pelican, and Boss Witch's chauffeur Heinrich Rat, who were exclusive to the movie. A difference in the film is that the characters that had been voiced by Lennie Weinrib were each voiced by
Allan Melvin
Allan John Melvin (February 18, 1923 – January 17, 2008) was an American actor and impressionist, who was cast in hundreds of television episodes from the 1950s to the early 1990s, often appearing in recurring roles on various series. Some of th ...
and
Don Messick.
The Kroffts have long had plans for a new ''H.R. Pufnstuf'' film. Sony first attempted a remake in 2000, but dropped the project. Eight years later, Sony again announced development on the project, but there has been no news since.
Tours
A number of USA stage show tours were run starring the same characters from the show. The most prominent of these was "H.R. Pufnstuf & The Brady Kids Live at the Hollywood Bowl", which was performed and recorded in 1973. This performance was released on VHS in 1997.
An elaborate H.R. Pufnstuf puppet show was featured at The Sid and Marty Krofft Puppet Theater at Six Flags Over Mid-Missouri in 1971. H.R. Pufnstuf and his pals Cling and Clang also made life-size appearances at the park. A section of the 1971 Six Flags Over Mid-Missouri map shows the location of the theater near entrance to the park's Sky-Way Ride.
Home media releases
In 2004,
Rhino Entertainment
Rhino Entertainment Company is an American specialty record label and production company founded in 1978. It is currently the catalog division for Warner Music Group. Its current CEO is Mark Pinkus.
History
Founded in 1978, Rhino was originall ...
/Rhino Retrovision released ''H.R. Pufnstuf: The Complete Series'', featuring all 17 episodes on three discs, remastered and uncut, accompanied by interviews with Sid & Marty Krofft, Billie Hayes, and Jack Wild. ''Pufnstuf'', a major motion picture released in 1970, was also released on May 19, 2009, by
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...
. SMK and
Vivendi Entertainment
Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment (formerly known as Vivendi Entertainment, Vivendi Visual Entertainment and Visual Entertainment) is an independent film, television, DVD and digital distribution company operating in the United States and Canada. It is ...
has obtained the home video rights to the series and released the complete series on January 11, 2011. Two versions of the release exist; one is a traditional complete series set, while the other is a collector's set, featuring a bobble-head of H.R. Pufnstuf. The series is also available in Digital media format at
iTunes Store
The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...
.
In the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, during 1986,
Channel 5 Video released the opening three episodes of the television series on VHS.
McDonaldland lawsuit
![H](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/H._R._PufnstufKBF1970s.jpg)
The show was the subject of a successful
lawsuit brought by the Kroffts against the
fast food restaurant
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hambur ...
, whose
McDonaldland
McDonaldland is a McDonald's media franchise and the fictional fantasy world inhabited by Ronald McDonald and his friends. Starting with the creation of Ronald McDonald in 1963 it is primarily developed and published by McDonald's, initial att ...
characters were found to have infringed the show's
copyright
A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, educatio ...
. The case, ''
Sid & Marty Krofft Television Productions Inc. v. McDonald's Corp.'', 562 F.2d 1157, was decided by the
Ninth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (in case citations, 9th Cir.) is the U.S. federal court of appeals that has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts in the following federal judicial districts:
* District ...
Court of Appeals in 1977.
Claims of drug references
The Krofft brothers have responded in several interviews to popular beliefs that subtle recreational drug references exist in the show.
[Owen, Rob. "'H.R. Pufnstuf' leads TV Land's foray into 'retrovision, ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', April 1, 1999, p.D1.][Boas, Liz. "When giant puppets walked the Earth, Sid and Marty Krofft creations like `H.R. Pufnstuf ' once roamed wild on kids' TV – now they're invading again: A Sid and Marty Krofft Primer", ''Austin American-Statesman'', December 12, 1996, XL Entertainment section, p. 38.][Clodfelter, Tim. "Revival: the fantastic worlds of Sid and Marty Krofft are back in vogue again", ''Winston-Salem Journal'' (Winston-Salem, North Carolina), August 17, 2000, p.E1.] For example, the title character's name ''Pufnstuf'' has been interpreted as a reference to smoking hand-rolled (H.R.) cannabis (drug), marijuana (puffin' stuff);
[Triplett, Ward. "Who's your friend?" (Etc. column), ''The Kansas City Star'', February 2, 2004, p.D3.][Finney, Daniel P. "Creators are clear: 'Pufnstuf' was definitely an acid trip", ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'', February 17, 2004, p.D3.][Walker, Kevin. "Masters of puppets", ''The Tampa Tribune'', June 18, 1999, Friday Extra! section, p.20.] Marty Krofft has said the initials ''H.R.'' actually stand for "Royal Highness" backwards.
The show's theme song lyric "he can't do a little, 'cause he can't do enough" has been read as referring to the addictive nature of drugs. Pufnstuf has quotes like "Whoa, dude!" and other "hippie" slang words.
Lennie Weinrib
Leonard Weinrib (April 29, 1935 – June 28, 2006) was an American actor, comedian and writer. He is best known for playing the title role in the children's television show '' H.R. Pufnstuf'', Grimace in McDonaldland commercials, the title role in ...
, the show's head writer and the voice of Pufnstuf, has said, "I think fans gave it a kind of mysterious code-like meaning, like ‘Ah, was Pufnstuf puffing stuff? Like grass?’ Was it psychedelic? Was it drug oriented? Not to us, it wasn't." In a 2000 interview, Marty Krofft answered the question by saying, "The Krofft look has a lot of color, but there were no drug connotations in the show." He addressed the topic at length in an interview with the ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' in 2004, in response to the question, "OK, let's get this right out in the open. Is ''H.R. Pufnstuf'' just one giant drug reference?":
Authors of books on the show and its contemporaries, however, have not always accepted the Kroffts' alternative explanations for apparent references to drugs. David Martindale, author of ''Pufnstuf & Other Stuff'', maintains that the Kroffts' desire to attract an audience who are now parents of impressionable children pushes them to downplay the double entendres: "But to deny it, the shows lose some of their mystique. The Kroffts prefer to remain playfully vague."
Martindale said in another interview that he fully believes Marty Krofft's insistence that he did not use drugs, especially given that Marty's focus was that of a businessman, but Martindale describes Sid Krofft as "a big kid" and "a hippy", saying, "His comment when I told him we were going to do this book was—and I quote—'Oh, far out.' He says these shows didn't come from smoking just a little pot, and you could say, 'Oh, yeah. It comes from smoking a lot of pot.' But I think he was very deliberately doing double meanings so the show could amuse people on different levels."
[Silva, Elda. "Head back in time with David Martindale's 'Reruns' column", ''San Antonio Express-News'', April 20, 1998, p.1C.]
Kevin Burke, co-author of ''Saturday Morning Fever: Growing Up with Cartoon Culture'', argues that the "consistency of thought" in the rumors of drug references has a basis, although his co-author and brother Timothy Burke, a history professor at Swarthmore College, insists "human beings are capable of achieving hallucinatory heights without chemical assistance."
Contradicting his own position, Marty Krofft has neither admitted nor hinted in occasional interviews that the references were made knowingly; in one case, a writer reported that when pressed as to the connotation of "Cannabis (drug), lids" in the title ''
Lidsville
''Lidsville'' is Sid and Marty Krofft's third television show following '' H.R. Pufnstuf'' (1969) and ''The Bugaloos'' (1970). As did its predecessors, the series combined two types of characters: conventional actors in makeup taped alongside pe ...
'', "Well, maybe we just had a good sense of humor", Krofft said, laughing.
His comments to another interviewer were more direct; in a ''Times Union'' profile whose author observed, "Watching the shows today, it's hard to imagine a show with more wink-and-nod allusions to pot culture, short of something featuring characters named Joint (cannabis), Spliffy and bong, Bong-O", Krofft conceded that the show's title had been an intentional marijuana reference, as had ''Lidsville'', but "that was just a prank to see if they could get them past clueless NBC executives".
[McGuire, Mark. "Hey kids, it's Wink and Nod: Sid and Marty Krofft (mostly) made the '60s counterculture safe for Saturday morning television", ''Times Union (Albany), The Times Union'' (Albany, New York), February 13, 2004, p.D1.]
Parodies and tributes
* H.R. Pufnstuf appears in the eighth episode of the first-season of ''CHiPs'', titled "Green Thumb Burglars" with his voice reprised by Lennie Weinrib. He is pulled over by Ponch (Erik Estrada) and Jon (Larry Wilcox) on one of Los Angeles' numerous freeways. Though he was referred to by name, while Jon maintained a sense of decorum about the actor inside the Pufnstuf suit, he let the good Mayor Pufnstuf off with a warning. Ponch later declared himself a "big overgrown kid", in reference to the kids' show.
* One of the most notable parodies of ''H.R. Pufnstuf'' was "The Altered State of Druggachusetts", a segment on the Home Box Office, HBO comedy series ''Mr. Show with Bob and David''. The sketch consists of a failed television pilot for a kids' show introduced by "Sam and Criminy Craffft" (portrayed by Bob Odenkirk and David Cross). The show itself is similar to ''H.R. Pufnstuf'', with drug references made humorously overt. Instead of a talking flute, the boy carries a talking bong, and all of the residents in Druggachusetts take or are living incarnations of various drugs.
[Richard Leiby. "Wham! Right on the funny bone: the high low comedy of 'Mr. Show, ''Washington Post'', October 23, 1997, p.B1.]
* Nike, Inc., Nike made a skateboarding shoe for their SB Dunk line named after the show, with the colors of the shoe resembling those of Pufnstuf.
* Excerpts from the show can often be seen playing on the TV in the hotel room Earl and his brother share in ''My Name Is Earl'', and the October 18, 2007, episode features an extended scene with H.R. Pufnstuf as a super-crimefighter working alongside the title character's brother in a fantasy creative-writing exercise.
* In an episode of the TV sitcom ''George Lopez (TV series), George Lopez'', H.R. Pufnstuf makes a guest appearance at a birthday party. Lopez dances with him and the theme song (without the parts referring to Jimmy, Freddy, the talking boat and Witchiepoo) is used as the music.
* An episode of the animated television series ''The Simpsons'' features a "Hufnstuf on Ice" show which has characters that resemble the cast of H.R. Pufnstuf. Bart Gets a 'Z', Another episode features a muffin shop in Shelbyville called "H.R. Muffinstuff".
* In the film ''Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls'', the title character asks another character who is pushing him "Hey, what are ya, H.R. Shove n Stuff?"
* The series has been cited as a major influence to the Cartoon Network program ''Adventure Time''.
* Todd Kauffman, animator and director of the ''Total Drama'' series, initially made a pitch for an animated adaption of H.R. Pufnstuf in 2005 complete with an animated opening sequence with the theme song covered and performed by Finger Eleven, but option rights costs led the project to be disbanded. Kauffman however, was later inquired to do the cover for the DVD release, "Sid & Marty Kroffts Saturday Morning Hits".
* In 2016, H.R. Pufnstuf, Cling, Clang, and Freddy the Flute appear in a crossover episode of ''Mutt & Stuff'' titled "H.R. Pufnstuf Comes to Mutt & Stuff!" with H.R. Pufnstuf voiced by Randy Credico with Mary Karcz providing the in-suit performance and Donna Kimball providing the face performance, Freddy the Flute performed by Kimball, and Cling and Clang performed by Arturo Gil and Joseph S. Griffo. H.R. Pufnstuf is depicted as the uncle of Stuff.
* In 2017, professor of religion Jeffrey Kripal wrote in his book ''Secret Body'' of the show's impact on his young life. "Disturbing," he recalled. "Who wrote this stuff? And puff'n on what stuff?"
[Jeffrey Kripal, ''Secret Body: Erotic and Esoteric Currents in the History of Religions'', University of Chicago Press, p. 25.]
* In 2018, reference to ''H.R. Pufnstuf'' is made in Season 2 of the Amazon Original show ''Goliath (TV series), Goliath''. In the show, criminal billionaire Tom Wyatt (Mark Duplass) recreates his own erotic memories/fantasies from his childhood while the intro to ''H.R. Pufnstuf'' is playing on the TV. Duplass' character on the show is fixated on individuals, male and female, who have lost their limbs. While having ties to the "La Mano Cartel" on the show, the head of the cartel, removes limbs, heads, etc., and sends these people to Wyatt to use in his fantasies. Each time before Duplass' character reverts to his fantasies, he says "H.R. Pufnstuf, who's your friend when things get rough?"
* During an interview, Magnús Scheving stated he was inspired by various show the Sid and Marty Krofft, Krofft Brothers produced (especially ''H.R. Pufnstuf'') when creating ''Lazytown''.
References
External links
70s Live Action Kid Vid- "Was McDonaldland plagiarized from the old "H.R. Pufnstuf" kids' TV show?"
DVD Verdict – Region 1 DVD reviewDVD Times – Region 0 DVD review"In Search Of..H R Pufnstuf" - The Nice Rooms Webzine*
{{Sid and Marty Krofft
1960s American children's television series
1969 American television series debuts
1969 American television series endings
Fictional mayors, Pufnstuf, H.R.
NBC original programming
American Broadcasting Company original programming
American television shows featuring puppetry
Television series by Sid and Marty Krofft Television Productions
Television series by CBS Studios
Television series by Universal Television
Television series about children
Television series about dragons
Television series set on fictional islands