Sid Krofft, who filled childhoods with glorious weirdness, dies at 96
The worlds that Sid Krofft created never went away. They’re still rattling around in my head, colorful and weird as ever, exactly where he left them.
Sid Krofft didn’t just make fantastic television: he built entire worlds out of foam, fabric, and fearless imagination, turning Saturday mornings into something delightfully strange, a little chaotic, and completely unforgettable.
Sid Krofft, whose award-winning career as a television producer and puppeteer stretched across more than half a century — even inspiring a theme park — has died, PEOPLE can exclusively confirm. He was 96.
He “passed away peacefully in his sleep on Friday, April 10 at the home of his friend and business partner Kelly Killian,” according to a spokesman. The cause was natural.
He was best known alongside brother Marty Krofft as the creators or developers and co-producers of H.R. Pufnstuf, Land of the Lost and Donny & Marie, among other programs from the 1960s through the mid 2010s.
Land of the Lost, which the brothers initially worked on with writer David Gerrold, was also adapted into a 2009 film starring Will Ferrell; before that, there was Pufnstuf in 1970.
In a statement, Killian said she “loved Sid with my whole heart,” adding that he “taught me more than I could ever put into words.”
The worlds that Sid Krofft created never went away. They’re still rattling around in my head, colorful and weird as ever, exactly where he left them. I know the words to every themesong and outro. My dog Electra is named after one of his lead characters. The man and his brother were true Superstars.
Land of the Lost had FAR better writing than most Saturday morning fare.
"H.R. Pufnstuf, can’t do a little, ’cause you can’t do enough!" ...ah them were the daze.