Sid Krofft, Co-Creator of Kids' Shows 'Land of the Lost' & 'H.R. Pufnstuf,' Dies at 96

Sid Krofft, who with his late brother Marty Krofft co-created a slew of zany '70s TV shows for kids, has died at 96.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Krofft died Friday at a friend's home.

Variety confirmed Marty's passing in 2023 at 86, which a family rep confirmed was due to kidney failure.

The Kroffts were born in Montréal, Marty in 1937 following his older brother Sid.

Sid began his career with a one-man puppet show in the 1940s, opening for Judy Garland in Las Vegas in 1957. Marty had joined him in the '50s, and by the early '60s they co-created a puppet show for grown-ups called "Les Poupées de Paris."

The raunchy show was wildly successful, attracting everyone from Shirley MacLaine to presidential candidate Richard M. Nixon during its run.

The brothers designed sets and characters for Hanna-Barbera's "The Banana Splits" (1968-1970), which showcased their zany sensibilities.

They launched their production company in 1968 with the classic series "H.R. Pufnstuf" (1968), which starred Jack Wild as Jimmy, a boy lured to Living Island on a magical boat so malevolent Witchiepoo (Billie Hayes) could steal his talking flute.

That show — only 17 episodes were shot — proved so popular it would remain on the schedule in reruns long after it had ceased production. It spawned a 1970 feature film, "Pufnstuf."

Their bonkers, psychedelic brand dominated kiddie TV fare of the 1970s, including the series "The Bugaloos" (1970), "Lidsville" (1971), "Sigmund and the Sea Monsters" (1973-1975), "Land of the Lost" (1974-1976), "Far Out Space Nuts" (1975), "The Lost Saucer" (1975), and "The Krofft Supershow" (1976), the latter of which included episodes of the female-driven "Electra Woman and Dyna Girl."

The brothers also worked on variety specials and series for the stars of "The Brady Bunch" after that show ended ("The Brady Bunch Hour," 1977), Donny & Marie ("The Osmond Family Show," 1976), the Mandrell Sisters ("Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters," 1980), and even Richard Pryor ("Pryor's Place," 1984).

They produced the film "Middle Age Crazy" (1980) starring Bruce Dern and Ann-Margret and were producers of the 2009 big-screen adaptation of "Land of the Lost," starring Will Ferrell.

The brothers were recipients of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Daytime Emmys.

Sid never sat still, even in his later years. He participated in the podcast "Sundays with Sid" right up until recently, and was hard at work on books about his life and career.

Krofft was preceded in death by all three of his brothers. He is survived by his nieces.