Sid Krofft, the Canadian-born leisure wizard who teamed along with his brother and fellow puppeteer Marty Krofft to create such cult favorites as kids’s Sixties TV present “H.R. Pufnstuf,” has died at age 96.
Krofft’s demise, which got here three years after the demise of Marty Krofft, was introduced on Instagram by his good friend and enterprise associate Kelly Killian. Additional particulars weren’t instantly accessible.
“The last six years of my life were devoted to him, and his to me,” Killian wrote. “In that time, he taught me more than I could ever put into words — about the art of Hollywood, the magic of the stage, and the depth and complexity of human nature. I wish so very much that I had more time with him.”
The Kroffts popularized cultural figures starting from the inept Weenie the Genie to siblings Donny and Marie Osmond.
TV followers of a sure age would lengthy keep in mind “H.R. Pufnstuf,” the live-action puppet collection with its cheerful theme tune, the dragon who gave the present its identify — and served as Mayor of Living Island — and such memorable, supporting characters because the larcenous witch Wilhelmina W. Witchiepoo, and her patented Vroom Broom. “H.R. Pufnstuf” solely aired for 17 episodes, in 1969, however lived on for many years in reruns and syndication. It ranked twenty seventh in a 2007 TV Guide ballot of all-time cult favorites.
Other Krofft productions included “Land of the Lost,” “Electra Woman and Dyna Girl” and “Pryor’s Place,” that includes comic Richard Pryor. Their kids’s reveals had been so far-flung at occasions that critics suspected the Kroffts had been underneath the affect of medication — allegations the brothers rejected — however in addition they oversaw such healthful programming because the “Donny & Marie,” the Osmonds’ Nineteen Seventies selection present.
The Kroffts acquired a Daytime Emmy for lifetime achievement in 2018, and a Hollywood Walk of Fame star two years later.
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