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I can barely contain my excitement. The ABC is set to screen the 1972 feature film version of H.R. Pufnstuf!

This classic kids TV show made from 1969 – 1972 was an absolute treat brimming in colour, camp characters, and psychedelic concepts. Were Sid and Marty Krofft on dope when they devised the inhabitants of Living Island? Many pop culture observers note various drug references in this community that has a dragon as a mayor, two silent midget cops, mushroom-smoking cigars, talking trees and grandfather clocks, a clumsy vulture and his 6 armed inept sidekick and THE. BEST. TV. WITCH. EVER: Witchiepoo (Billie Hayes).

Not to mention of course Freddy the Talking Golden Flute as perennially stolen from Jimmy (Jack Wild). The set up in one of the grooviest theme tunes ever is equally classic.

The film version of the show featured cameos by Martha Raye and one Mama Cass as witches, including Cass in bathtub full of fruit! Lucky there were no ham sandwiches.

Sid & Marty Krofft were also responsible for The Land of the Lost, The Bugaloos, Sigmund and the Sea Monster and, gasp, The Brady Bunch Variety Hour. Remember those outrageous sketches with flamboyant costumes those Bradys wore? Yep, that’s Sid & Marty’s work. And the only reason they had those fantabulous synchronised swimmers was because Donny & Marie, also devised by the Kroffts, had ice skaters.

The Krofft brothers also successfully won a lawsuit against McDonalds for claiming that its McDonaldland characters infringed their copyright. They also opened a short-lived theme park in Atlanta

If you are a fan of Pufnstuf be sure to check out this amazing blog by Todd Kauffman with his stunning illustrations of the show.

Relive your childhood, or discover the magic of the 70s when the ABC airs the movie next month. If ever there was a show screaming out for a feature remake -or to be screened in HD- this is it!

HR Pufnstuf airs 2pm Saturday January 5 on ABC.

8 Responses

  1. How I enjoyed this show as a child – remember seeing re-runs on Foxtel few years back and couldnt believe how much I used to like it, yet its quite tame now that im an adult.
    I do remember this being a favorite as well as The Double Deckers – 2 very good childrens shows from Britain!

    If I can remember, ill take a look but I don’t know if I can actually sit and watch it!

  2. I loved this show when I was a kid. I remember when I first got Foxtel years ago, they had a HR Puffnstuff marathon and I was freakin’ out. Defintely be watching the movie and buying the DVDs. This show has to have the best theme song for any TV EVER.

  4. I grew up LOVING this and Adventure Island (with John Michael Howson as Clown), and Bill & Ben, and The Magic Roundabout and all those simple, innocent but brilliant kids shows … so much better than the violent crap that they make for kids these days …

    Such a pity that almost nothing still exists of Adventure Island … a few years ago I got to watch one old episode of it at the Australian Film and Television Archive in Canberra but that was it.
    I think that the HR Puffnstuff series DVD set will be one of the biggest sellers this Christmas!
    Jack!

  6. My mum just told me that i loved the show when i was a kid, but it was made 10+ years before i was born, so maybe i’ll have to watch it see if i remember anything, i don’t really recall anything about it.

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