Let's not forget THE BANANA SPLITS ! 😊

I am 59 years old and as a child my sisters and I would watch this every Saturday morning 🌄. Seems like yesterday 😢

"H R Pufnstuf, gets you through when times are ruf." " H R Pufnstuf. you can't do a little and you can't do enuf" I blame this for my decades of weed consumption. Many brownies have been harmed because of that show.

Considering there were only 17 episodes of this show, its influence and cult status far surpasses its output. Kind of amazing. Once you've seen it, you can never unsee it.

Billie Hayes was a very dear friend of my husband and I. She was a bright light in this often very dark world. I am always thrilled when she is praised for her work. Thank you for that. We miss you so much, Billie.

For only 17 episodes it's amazing how much an impression it made on a generation

This show was a treasure for me and all children of that era as were all of the EARLY Sid & Marty Kroft shows (Land of the Lost was the last great one). Unfortunately, it had left Saturday mornings by the time I was watching TV, and I could only see it occasionally in syndication. It was always a treat to do so! The opening sequence with Jimmy running always takes my mind back to those days! Much like a smell can transport you back in time, that opening sequence puts my mind in the same mental state I was in as a boy then. There's a song by The Sandpipers called, "Come Saturday Morning", which when I hear it, always reminds me of Jimmy running and of those days when I LIVED for Saturdays when I could watch cartoons in the morning and ride my bike in the afternoon! I loved it!

The golden age of children's television. I watched Gumby, Banana Splits, H. R. Pufnstuf and from Hamilton Ontario, The Hilarious House of Frightenstein.

I was one of the kids that made this show a huge hit. I watched every Saturday morning. Sugary cereal and Saturday morning cartoons. Nothing will ever surpass that.

I was in Logan's Run as an extra

I watched it as a kid, Saturday morning cartoons were the best!

I loved this show as a kid, I am shocked it was only 1 season

"Oh no Jimmy! We can't let Witchy Poo get her hands on your magic flute!"

Me and my brother watched this show. Weird that it was only one season. It seemed like a long time to me. Haha. I was born in 1965, my brother in 1968. Maybe we watched reruns.

As a kid I loved all of this stuff. I just wished the Kroft brothers had fought more to get their shows more seasons. They seemed to put all of this energy and effort into something that would last a short time then move on to the next thing. Thanks for bringing this to modern audience's attention. Looking forward to more from you in the future.

Gawd , every kid in our generation knew this show , and would talk about the latest episodes at recess. I remember home made costumes of the characters at halloween. Creative things like this gave us the gift of imagination. Today everything is a remake of something else , or 9 or 10 sequels. What a wonderful time to be a kid.

Bugaloos, H.R. Pufnstuf, Sigmund the Sea Monster, Prince Planet, Marine Boy, Speed Racer, Johnny Sokko and his Flying Robot, Gigantor ... all featured in my childhood TV watching background in South Australia in the early 70s. I now live in the English village where Jack Wild spent his last days - he's buried in the town's cemetary about 300m from where I'm sitting now.

Really? I remember this so well...but I don't remember it being only 17 episodes. Seemed much longer when I was a kid.

HR Pufnstuf has always had a dear place in my heart! All of their shows were so wonderful!! It's a shame television isn't that good now days

HR Pufnstuff was my FAVORITE show as a kid along with, of course, Banana Splits. Wow it was only on one season? Seemed longer.

I had 2 metal lunchboxes, HR Puffinstuff and Honkong Phooey, both filled to the brim with baseball cards as well as full sets of Charley's Angels, Kiss, Star Wars cards. Even card sets like the Revolutionary war!! When I was 14, I sold them both at a garage sale for 20 bucks a piece. A 14 yr old in the 80's with 40 bucks... I thought I was rich! If Elon Musk ever builds a time machine, I know exactly where I'm going in it!!!

My whole kitchen is decorated in Sid and Marty Kroft memorabilia ❤❤!!!!!

Boy did this bring back memories of my childhood years!! My sister and I LOVED this show!

Loved Banana Splits and H R Pufinstuf and jack wilde

I was born in November 1966 and have memories watching this show in the early 70s. As a little kid I loved it. Watching it now, it’s some bizarre shit. Also loved Land of the Lost which did a great job of introducing kids to some advanced physics topics like wormholes and time travel. Loved your video and look forward to more.

A little trivia for you. Billie Hayes also played Weenie the Genie in Lidsville. I remember when i was a kid, Witchiepoo and Puffinstuff made an appearance on Lidsville. It was the first time i knew of a cameo between shows. Lidsville was 1971, and Puffinstuff was 1969.

Wow... I remember this show as a kid. We really did grow up with the best cartoons.

0:52 This surprises me too. So many shows that I would swear were on for 5 seasons only had one season, sometimes two.

Great topic. Born in 66 and I remember those great kids and sci-fi shows. Keep it up.

I loved waking up Saturday mornings to see Pufnstuf. Noticed it because of Jack Wilde from the movie Oliver!

There's actually Wonderbug, Lost Saucer, Magic Mongo, Land of the Lost, Wild Boy and Big Foot, Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, Far Out Space Nuts, the Bugaloos, HR Pufnstuf, Lidsville. I was actually a little kid in the early 1970s, I remember watching them on TV on a tray with wheels.

Oh my goodness! I really loved this show and would have never guessed it was only 17 episodes in total. It felt like much longer than that as a little child. Thank you for this deep dive…

I am so glad you did this little piece on HR. When I was a kid while my sister was oogling over Jack Wilde, at least until David Cassidy came along . I was mesmerized by Billy Hayes portrayal of Witchy poo. Though I couldn't put it in words as a kid, I knew this lady was a true master of her art. Her character WitchyPoo was brilliant. Had she been in the Biz 30 years earlier, I have no doubt that with a little tweaking of the character, she would have easily given Margaret Hamilton a run for her money as the Wicked Witch of the West in OZ. But it is obvious that Billy took a great deal of her inspiration from Hamilton's Character. Well anyway , this was fun. Thanks for sharing this one with us Dan.

I had one of those flutes when I was a kid but I lost that more than twenty years ago.

My sister had a crush on Jack Wild , but I loved H R Puffin stuff, because of Billy Hayes , and that remarkable performance as Witchy Poo. Even as a child then I saw how remarkable a character actor she was.

These were my favorite shows at the time. Talk about a couple of very creative, creative producers!

Witchy poo was so good at her role !

Born in 1960 ..... my older brother teased me to no end, for watching & liking this show ..... looking back, I always saw this show philosophical

I am 61 and do remember being 5 years old and running home to watch this show on our black and white Zenith TV!

Billie Hayes who played in one episode of Bewitched as a fairytale witch who want to eat little Tabitha who was actually rescued by her mom Samantha Stephens Elizabeth Montgomery. RIP Witchipoo who died in 2022 or maybe early 2023.

Watched this on tv ,as a young boy thoroughly enjoyed it and all the characters,Jack Wild was absolutely right for his role and Billie Hayes was incredible as Witchiepoo totally making the part her own RIP Jack and Billie Auckland New Zealand 2024

I remember it well! My brothers and I would watch on Saturday mornings…my other fav was Sigmund & The Sea-monsters! When my children were young, a channel played those old ones on Saturday mornings. They really didn’t have a choice, because I insisted they watch them😅, they became fans as well! A whole new generation of children singing, “H.R. Pufnstuf, whose your friend when things gets rough…” ❤

I was born in 1967 and I clearly remember all those shows. I LOVED THEM! They were so clever and stupid and goofy and funny and creative. I wish they'd just play them instead of all this Saturday morning e/I crap. How many animal shows can you watch!😒

Oh jeez, I thought HR Pufnstuf was just a "recovered memory"... Gotta start rethinking "things"... :)) Thanks, Mr. Monroe!

This was one of my favorite shows. Had a crush on Jack Wild. Second to Davy Jones, of course!

It was an amazing time to be a kid back then - it looks so hooky now, but these shows will always be treasured and remembered as a slice in time! - I always thought that they were on something when they did these lol I mean, it was the early 70's after all!

Being 57, I had a hard time explaining this show to my coworkers who are much younger than me. Once they googled it, they could not believe the cool shows that we had growing up. Granted, I was two when this aired, but i did see it in repeats as a kid in the 70's. Always got a kick out of it along with the Banana Splits, and Lidsville. Crazy stuff!

H.R.Pufnstuf was an awesome show & I watched it as a kid & was sad when it was over !

I loved Puffnstuff as a kid. Hell even in high school remembering Witchipoo was a go to. Billy Hayes was just great in the role. My theory about its cancelation? I think the writing staff objected that they simply couldn't keep up with the hallucinogens required to keep the plot lines fresh. But...thats just me....

Shout out to Sigmund and the Sea Monsters!

H.R. Pufnstuff, Who's your friend when things get rough? H.R. Pufnstuff Can't do a little cause he can't do enough.

“Oranges poranges, who says, there ain’t no rhyme for oranges”

Years ago I worked on the series My Name is Earl. We had an episode that Featured HR Puffinstuff. And I as well as many of the crew were kinda excited to get to work with this iconic character. Well that excitement was squashed immediately when he arrived. The man who was in total control of the suit/character turned out to be a total jerk!… highly demanding and angry. He didn’t want to do any photos with anyone and got angry with the crew for even beginning to ask. He isolated himself away from everyone. And we ended up shooting out his footage and released him for the day as quickly as possible. He was so immediately unpleasant that no one wanted him around. It was sad. And a sad way to stain a throng of adults childhood memories. :(

I loved H.R. Puff and Stuff

I was getting very concerned about the stolen Freddy the Flute like it just happened yesterday when it dawned on me that I’m a hopeless nerd. I have a signed 8x10 from Billie Hayes exactly like the one you showed, and another one of her on her “vroom broom”. The fact that she wrote more than just her name shows how kind-hearted she was. I also had the joy of meeting Marty at a donut shop in Burbank a few years ago. He was very gracious. I told him I had introduced my daughters to HR Pufnstuf. One of them was with me, so he leaned down and asked her if she liked the show. What a moment. I cried when he died. Thanks for this great trip back in time. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

I grew up watching h.r. puff n stuff and all those Saturday morning shows and what happened to the show called Electra woman and Dyna girl with deadra Hall

The Krofft Brothers had a heyday in 1968-1979. Most of the series they created ran for only one season of 17 episodes, and they usually made one show per year. They left us a decade of TV gems.

My mom loved hr puff n stuff. She made me watch it all the time growing up and i loved it too haha

🎶HR PUFNSTUF🎶who’s your friend when things get rough ?🎶

The Kroft brothers -- helping kids experience drugs without actually taking them.

Born in 65 and I absolutely loved this show, possibly the most imaginative kids show ever. ❤ I really think it deserved more seasons. I think I really liked that his name was the same as mine. Lol I always wanted that flute.

I went to the HR Pufnstuf and Brady Kids performance! I totally forgot about it. You brought some needed joy into my life. Thank you!!

Love Billie Hayes! Loved this show. Brings so many great feelings and memories. ❤

I was ten years old at the time, had both the lunchbox and ordered the flute ( as I remember it took about a month and half until delivery ). An amusement park called Six Flags had a person in a Pufnstuf costume mingling among the crowd. That must have been a sweaty job!

I hope that younger people like me (im 19) can really appreciate such good classics like this one. Such a good show. Thank you for this video. Wish I could’ve met jack he was so talented.

Still doing counseling for PTSD induced by a decade of watching Kroft programs

I had a Freddy the flute from the cereal box. It was my most prized possession for several years. Somewhere along the way my mom got rid of him and I think of him every so often and wish I still had him.

I had a lunchbox, but like my childhood, it is gone.

i'm astounded there were only 17 episodes.. feels like i saw a hundred

I have fond memories of this in the early 70's

As an adult I absolutely believed the creators were on acid. This and Lidsville are still insane. I still hum or sing the themes sometimes. Trippiest shows ever. Banana Splits are still my favorite though. I grew up in the 70s so all these greats were on or in syndication.

Pufnstuf's voice was NOT based on Paul Lynde, it was Gomer Pyle.

It's worth mentioning the World of Sid & Marty Croft theme park. That was located in downtown Atlanta, in the Omni hotel and coliseum/arena complex. The park opened May 26, 1976, but closed 6 months later due to poor attendance. I still have the ticket stub from the one time I visited. Entrance was via the world's longest freestanding escalator, rising from the ground level up to the top of the 6-floor park. One of the rides was a crystal carousel whose platform was supposed to float on a layer of air (like an air hockey table). They didn't have that working when the park opened, and promised readmission when it did. I don't think they ever did, though. I also remember a ride where you were inside a pinball bouncing through the machine. The lowest level had another 'adventure' type ride. A few more details are on Wikipedia. I remember that lowest level was untouched for a long time, even after CNN took over the rest of the park's space in 1987 for their studios. The escalator became the entryway for the CNN studio tour.

I remember as a kid watching this and saying to myself, that lake at the beginning looks familiar. Turns out it was Big Beat Lake which we would visit regularly.

Jack Wild -- are you kidding? I'd never have seen it if it hadn't starred that adorable, talented young thing Jack.

H. R. Puff n stuff was really cool, my dad lived in du Illinois and knew Billie Hayes. He said she was such a sweet person. I watched this show and all the other Sid and Marty Croft shows. Something about the low budget and exaggerated acting, just good fun

Banana Splits would be great to hear about!

Saturday mornings were the best when we were kids. A day off from school with nothing but cartoons and kid shows till noon. I loved this show and I couldn't believe it when it didn't come back the next fall. It lived on in syndication for a while. I honestly haven't thought about this show for years. That got me also thinking about the Bugaloos. I had such a crush on Joy. Thanks again for bringing up great memories when life was so easy and fun.

I had seen Jack Wild as the Artful Dodger in Oliver! and I wanted to be Jack Wild, the talented actor/singer/dancer. I remember vividly a song he sang on HR Pufnstuf: "I'm a mechanical boy, like a mechanical toy" moving stiffly like a robot.

Land of the Lost (the first seasons of the 1970s TV show) was high art.

Regardless of what other people may think of this show, it's one of my favorites from childhood. Thank you, Dan, for making a video about it. I appreciate it!

Hello! Great presentation! H.R. Puffnstuff's southern voice reminded me of Andy Griffith's voice because he played a country sheriff. Witchiepoo was also my favorite! Her laugh was classic!

Loved Sid and Mary Kroft Saturday mornings, I even had a Sigmund and the Sea Monsters lunch box (it was metal) good memories, but HR Puffinstuff was my favorite 😊

there can never be another Artful Dodger as brilliant as Jack Wild. The whole cast was fantastic but Jack made Oliver the classic it became I believe

I really thought it ran much longer. 17 episodes? That’s insane.

I loved H R Pufnstuff. The thought of Living Island. Talking books, sneezing houses..etc.I loved Witchipoo's mushroom and tree gang. Of course the castle. I heard that the Pufnstuff costume originally had large matching feet. On break the actor randomly found the pair of white boots, used for comfort till needed on set. Apparently those boots were kept on because it was easier for the actor to do the dance steps. Is this true?

The Kroft vs. Mc Donald's lawsuit happened because the Ad agency that Mc Donald's hired originally contacted the Kroft brothers about collaborating with them on a "Mc Donaldland" themed world based off of the H.R. Puffnstuff world and characters. They did several calls to plan it out, but then the advertising firm falsely told the Kroft bros. that the campaign had been cancelled. The Ad agency then proceeded to hire former Kroft employees who worked on Puffnstuff to create the McDonaldland world and even hired one of the voice actors from the show to voice several of the Mc Donaldland characters (voice actor not known). When the Kroft Bros. saw the ads on TV, they sued. Pretty messed up of the Ad agency and most likely an attempt to spend less on the campaign by excluding the Kroft Bros.

I loved watching pufinstuff. I'm 60 years old and I still sing the song to myself and I call female friends witchypoo

In 1968, I was 13 years old and lived 120 miles South of San Antonio. I was blessed with 14 excursions to Hemisfair. It was just what you did if you could afford it. For me, each visit was just as magical as the last. Despite obnoxiously long lines, I saw H. R. Pufnstuf every time. I am 70 now, but if I remember right, you were given a 6oz cup of cold Coke free as you filed out into the pervasive San Antonio heat, which of course everyone was very familiar with. In fact, in those days “a Coke” was the euphemism for any soda. I think H.R. Pufnstuf was my most favorite of all the attractions… and there were many that were quite brilliant. Besides Pufnstuf, I remember the Czechoslovakian presentation, an amazing combination of film and live action where the characters in the film just stepped through the screen and the show continued on the stage right in front of you! Hemisfair evokes some of my best memories, even if we were all dressed up in Sundays clothes with our little white gloves. (And I have the home movies to prove it!)

I don't recall much about this as I'm British but I'm sure I caught some of it once. Kids television had so much originality back then.

The days of HR Puffin Stuff... All I can remember is bright orange GTO Judges, bright blue Boss Mustangs and purple Hemi Cudas... Those where the days. I also remember The Banana Splits because those puppets drove little 6 wheel drive golf carts.

I loved this show so much and was heart broke when it ended.

Jimmy blew the flute and they lived happily ever after.

Got fired by HR for puffin' stuff. 😢

How is it that you didn't mention Cass Elliot played Witch Hazel??

Alot of 70's Acid trips, created that show.

As a kid, I became a member of The Shows' Witchiepoo Club! Ha, ha; what fun! Blessings

having been born in early `60, i caught all the great sid and marty krofft shows, and all the great cartoons as well! couldnt wait for saturday mornings!

"Land of the Lost" had me MEZMERIZED the entire episode from start to finish. I LOVED🥰 that show!

Dan, it's like you and i lived the same life! I loved Pufnstuf and totally loved Land of the Lost!! But i suppose that all American adults our age probably felt the same in their childhood 😊