Marty Krofft, the producer duo behind “H.R. Pufnstuf” and the Osmonds’ television debuts, passes away at age 86

Marty Krofft, the producer duo behind "H.R. Pufnstuf" and the Osmonds' television debuts, passes away at age 86
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According to his publicist, Marty Krofft, a TV producer best known for his inventive children’s programs like “H.R. Pufnstuf” and popular primetime series like “Donny & Marie” in the 1970s, passed away in Los Angeles. Krofft was eighty-six.

Nephrotic failure claimed his life on Saturday, publicist Harlan Boll said.

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Puppeteers Krofft and his brother Sid made their television debuts and were rewarded with stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Along the way, they introduced Donny and Marie Osmond, the singling siblings, and Barbara Mandrell and her sisters to primetime television, as well as a hallucinogenic sensibility to children’s television.

A timeless piece of cultural nostalgia from the 1970s, The Osmonds’ polished variety show featured the youngest hosts on television at the time. It was revived as a daytime talk show in the 1990s and as a Broadway Christmas show in 2010. In “Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters,” which followed, the Kroffts focused on the country music star and it ran from 1980 to 1982.

“H.R. Pufnstuf” demonstrated the ability to endure in popular culture, much like the Osmonds. In a 2007 TV Guide poll ranking of all-time cult favorites, the bizarre show, which had just 17 episodes and featured an island, a witch, a talking flute, a shipwrecked boy, and a redheaded dragon wearing cowboy boots, ranked 27th.

The title character appeared in an episode of another Krofft brothers hit show, “Mutt & Stuff,” which aired on Nickelodeon for several seasons, more than 45 years after the show’s 1969 premiere.

Prior to the episode’s 2015 filming, Marty Krofft said to The Associated Press, “I’ve got to give ourselves a pat on the back to make another hit at this time in our lives.”

He was still battling one of the enduring aspects of “H.R. Pufnstuf” at the time, which was the rumor that it hinted at a particular 1960s dedication to consciousness alteration. Krofft refuted that idea, saying, “You cannot work stoned. If we had taken the drugs everyone thought we did, we would be dead today.”

Krofft, who was born in Montreal on April 9, 1937, began his career in puppetry. In 1960, he and his brother Sid created “Les Poupées de Paris,” a risque puppet show with cabaret influences. The show’s popularity on the road led to jobs making puppet shows for theme parks. Eventually, in the 1970s, the Kroffts opened their own, the brief World of Sid & Marty Krofft, in Atlanta…

Their breakthrough television series, “H.R. Pufnstuf,” gave rise to the 1970 feature film “Pufnstuf.” Following were numerous other productions for a range of audiences, such as “Land of the Lost,” “Electra Woman and Dyna Girl,” “Pryor’s Place,” starring comedian Richard Pryor, and “D.C. Follies,” a satirical puppet show that parodied politics and the news.

In 2018, the two received a Daytime Emmy for their lifetime accomplishments. Two years later, they received their Walk of Fame star.

On Instagram, Sid Krofft expressed his sadness over his younger brother’s passing and wrote, “All of you meant the world to him.”

Although other producers might have been satisfied with their accomplishments much sooner, Marty Krofft told The AP in 2015 that he was not interested in leaving the entertainment industry.

He said, “What am I going to do, retire, watch daytime television, and die in a month?”

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