From what I've seen on the net, this show not only gave rise to several toys and merchandise, it was popular enough for them to do a live show at the Hollywood Bowl. That would seen to indicate it must have been a popular show, so it seems strange it was cancelled after just 17 episodes, does anybody know why that happened?
I was just curious.
Cause it was the lamest show I ever saw. I really hated the song and I can still remember the lyrics. I refused to watch it because I thought it was so borrrrrring, and I was only 4 when it came out. But then, the only thing that gave me nightmares was The Time Machine and my older sisters antics.
shareLots of incorrect answers here. NBC wanted a second season, but didn't want to pay the same amount of money, so it was cancelled. The Krofts later did a very similar show - "Lidsville" - on a much lower budget (fewer sets, videotape instead of film, etc).
shareAlso keep in mind, that with shows like this and Scooby Doo, the networks knew that every year or so would bring an entirely new audience -- one batch of kids would outgrow it, and the next year's batch would tune in -- so no need to have new episodes (after all, they were "new" to the kids who hadn't seen them).
shareYep, lots of misinfo here, so lemme clarify. H.R. Pufnstuf was enormously popular right off the bat -- and enormously expensive to produce. Sid Krofft had been a puppeteer since childhood and was accustomed to working live venues, so when presented with the opportunity to make little movies for TV, his imagination soared. On Living Island, everything was supposed to be alive, so they sank exorbitant fees into creating costumes, sets and props... and when they ran out of the funds from the network, the Krofft brothers began funneling their own money into the show. NBC offered to renew the show for a second season, but they wouldn't give the Kroffts more money, so they were forced to decline. Meanwhile, sponsor Kellogg's cereal had boosted sales by offering various Pufnstuf premiums, so they offered to foot the bill for a theatrical film, and got Universal to distribute it. Thinking they might be able to recoup some of their losses, the Krofft brothers quickly made the movie, which was kind of a prequel to the show (showing Jimmy's arrival, as detailed in the opening credits prologue) using the existing sets and costumes. The movie made the rounds at drive-ins and such but, like most kiddie movies of the time, with little fanfare. In a way, it was sort of ahead of it's time in being spun-off into a film (why pay to see the movie when you could watch it for free on TV?), so it's no surprise that it became better known through television airings.
Pufnstuf the show was such a hit (those 17 episodes reran endlessly for several years) that ALL of the networks wanted more from the Kroffts, who decided it would be more economical to shoot on video rather than film. The props, sets and costumes from Pufnstuf continued to be redressed and reused on their shows for the rest of the decade (and probably longer). "The Bugaloos" and "Lidsville" also could've continued beyond 17 episodes had production costs not been so outrageous. Similarly (but less popularly), "Lost Saucer" and "Far Out Space Nuts" went over budget with their outer space motifs. "Sigmund and the Sea Monsters" scaled down costs by being set mostly in the real world, so it got a second year. "Land of the Lost" got prime-time ratings on Saturday mornings (which was unheard of), so it lasted three years despite the fact that it was losing money (might've lasted longer had the dad not gotten pissed that he wasn't getting a cut of the merchandising and left the show). It wasn't until "The Krofft Supershow" in '76 ("Electra Woman & Dyna Girl," "Dr. Shrinker," "Wonderbug," "Magic Mongo," "Bigfoot and Wildboy", etc.) that the Kroffts figured out how to stay on budget... but they just barely broke even and by that point, their popularity was on the decline and they'd vanish almost altogether from Saturday mornings by the '80s. The only time that they actually made a PROFIT was with the early '90s remake of "Land of the Lost."
Pufnstuf remains the nearest and dearest to the hearts of the Krofft brothers, who both consider it a financial disaster but the very best of all of their TV shows.
I recall seeing this as a kid - wondering who would WANT to watch this crap.
John: ...yeah, yeah, yeah. Russell: ...no, no, no
John: Ill drive Russel Ramis: OK.
Not to mention, McDonalds' ad agency approached the Kroffts to do commercials for them based on Pufnstuf, then ripped them off by hiring Krofft ex-staff to create McDonaldland (Mayor McCheese was Pufnstuf; Capt Crook, then Gtimace, followed by Hamburglar, in place of Witchipoo; Apple Pie Trees, Filet-O-Fish Lake, etc). As a result, the McDonaldland characters became quite popular, replacing Pufnstuf and Living Island in the youth lexicon, further damaging the Krofft's ability to generate income from their property. They swiftly won a lawsuit in 1973, but appealed the meager monetary award of $20,000, which was artificially low because the judge improperly instructed the jury mnot to consider how McDonalds had profited from the theft. The result of their 1977 appeal was an award of in excess of $1,000,000.
McDonalds sucks.
H.R. Pufnstuf was almost certainly the first Saturday morning program I regularly saw. I thought it was terrific and watched it for its entire run on NBC, in first-run form and also reruns. Even owned the board game.
It's funny watching it now picking up on all of the things that flew over my head then. i.e. Judy the Frog and the West Wind parodying Judy Garland and John Wayne.
IIRC, Ludicrous Lion did a PSA during the early '70s (don't remember for what) that appeared on NBC weekend mornings. Does that ring a bell with anyone here? I remember there was a play on the word lying (lion).
No blah, blah, blah!
It wen off the air the very week we got our first color television. Never got to see it in color:(
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