Emmy Award winner Marty Krofft dies of kidney failure at 86

Los Angeles [US]: Marty Krofft, co-producer of classic children’s series such as ‘HR Pufnstuf’ and ‘Land of the Lost,’ died Saturday afternoon in California, CNN reported. He was 86.

Krofft died of kidney failure in Los Angeles, surrounded by family and friends, according to his publicist, B Harlan Boll.

The producer is most known for co-creating hit children’s television shows that spanned multiple generations in the 1970s with his brother, Sid Krofft.

When NBC approached them to make a Saturday morning children’s programme, they had been performing puppet performances. That became ‘HR Pufnstuf,’ who had become a fan favourite from their live performances.

“Its success spawned a feature film, produced with Universal Pictures as a partner and distributor,” his representative wrote.

Sid and Marty Krofft Pictures became a household name in the 1970s, launching them on a 50-year career designing and producing family and children’s entertainment.

Krofft and his brother created series such as ‘The Bugaloos,’ ‘Lidsville’ ‘Sigmund and the Sea Monsters,’ ‘Pryor’s Place,’ ‘Far Out Space Nuts,’ ‘The Lost Saucer,’ ‘The Krofft Supershow,’ ‘Wonderbug,’ ‘Electra Woman and Dyna Girl,’ ‘Dr Shrinker,’ and ‘Bigfoot & Wildboy.’

The Krofft brothers, driven by imagination and a huge idea, wanted their television characters to exist outside of the television box.

They opened an amusement park in Atlanta in 1976 known as The Omni.

The park closed down for a variety of reasons just a few months later.
In the late 1980s, Krofft and his brother conceived and produced the satirical series ‘DC Follies,’ which featured a cast of life-size puppets portraying famous people such as Richard Nixon and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The show, which aired during prime time for two seasons from 1987 to 1989, was a favourite with both lawmakers and the general audience.

Krofft established a series of live shows called ‘Comedy Kings’ for the Sands Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas after appearing on a CBS feature show in 1988.

At the 2003 Saturn Awards, the Krofft brothers received the Lifetime Career Award for creating some of the most memorable imaginative television episodes.

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences honoured them with the Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award in 2018.

Krofft most recently won the Julie Award at the 2023 Dragon Con in Atlanta.

Marty Krofft is survived by his brothers, Harry Krofft and Sid Krofft; his daughters, Deanna Krofft-Pope, Kristina and Kendra Krofft; five grandchildren and a great-grandchild; and a great-great-grandchild.