Marty Krofft, producer of colorful 1970s children’s TV shows, dies at 86

(Gray News) - Marty Krofft who with his brother Sid produced such 1970s Saturday morning classics as “H.R. Pufnstuf” and “Land of the Lost” has died at the age of 86, a family representative confirmed to several sources.

Variety reports Krofft died in Los Angeles Saturday of kidney failure.

Sid and Marty Krofft got their start in children’s television with “H.R. Pufnstuf” in 1969, about a young boy who lives in a magical land with a dragon for a friend. It and shows that followed were filled with the Kroffts’ trademark vivid colors and human-sized puppet costumes with large heads, leading some to wonder if the Kroffts had been inspired by drug use -- a claim the Krofft brothers denied.

Other hits for the duo included “Land of the Lost” about a family who becomes trapped in a land filled with dinosaurs, “Lidsville” which took place in a world filled with hat people, and “Sigmund and the Sea Monsters” about a sea monster who wanted to be friendly instead of scary, against his family’s wishes.

Krofft is survived by his 94-year-old brother Sid, another brother, three daughters, five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.