2. Pufnstuf And Other stuff

In 1969, the brothers scored a contract with US TV network NBC to work on a children’s show.

The result was H.R. Pufnstuf, a brightly coloured tale of Jimmy (played by a young Jack Wild, who got the job off the back of his role in musical movie Oliver!), a lad who ends up shipwrecked on a magical island ruled by the titular mayor, and threatened by a nasty witch named Witchiepoo.

Given the psychedelic colours and wacky, OTT characters, many people figured the Kroffts were on drugs when they dreamt up the concept and look of the show.

“No drugs involved. You can't do drugs when you're making shows. Maybe after, but not during. We're bizarre, that's all,” Marty Krofft has said about their working methods.

“That was our look, those were the colours, everything we did had vivid colours, but there was no acid involved. That shit scared me. I'm no goody two-shoes, but you can't create this stuff stoned.”

The show became a hit and the pair would go on to work on more series, including Lidsville (a land of talking, living hats), the Bugaloos and Sigmund And The Sea Monsters.

Then, in 1974, they decided to get a little more serious. Well, as serious as they could get…

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