Marty Krofft, Legendary 'HR Pufnstuf' and 'Land of the Lost' Producer, Dead at 86
The legendary producer died of kidney failure.
Marty Krofft of Sid and Marty Krofft Television Productions has died at 86. Deadline reports that the legendary producer, known for shows such as Land of the Lost and H.R. Pufnstuf, died of kidney failure on Saturday. Krofft and his older brother Sid produced a number of children's television and variety show programs. The duo really took off in 1968 with the comedy adventure series The Banana Splits Adventure Hour, followed by the children's television series H.R. Pufnstuf in 1969.
After Pufnstuf, they leaned more into the superhero genre and other children's television programs. They produced The Bugaloos, Lidsville, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, Land of the Lost, The Lost Saucer, Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, and Wonderbug, among many others. In 1976, the Kroffts developed a new indoor amusement park in Atlanta called The World of Sid and Marty Krofft. The park was based on various TV shows produced by the brothers. Although it opened with great fanfare, attendance was barely exceeding 300,000 visitors. It closed after only six months.
Despite their failed amusement park, Marty and Sid Krofft went on to produce many more TV shows. Mutt & Stuff, D.C. Follies, Pryor's Place, Pink Lady and Jeff, The Brady Bunch Hour, Donny & Marie, and Far Out Space Nuts are just the few that they were part of over the years. They've also done a few movies, such as 2009's Land of the Lost, Middle Age Crazy, and Pufnstuf in 1970. On top of that, they also did several live shows and two web series. It's clear that they did everything and anything and still remained on top.
On the achievements side, the Krofft brothers were awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Saturn Awards in 2003 and the Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in 2018. As if that wasn't enough, the duo received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2020 for their achievement in television and producing and for their "Golden Anniversary."
Marty Krofft made quite an impact on children's television with his brother, and that legacy will surely remain as more people discover their work. Children's television is definitely not the same because of them, and hopefully, it will remain that way forever. Although their last project together was the 2017 web series Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, their legacy will really last a lifetime.