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H.R. Pufnstuf: Difference between revisions
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First in a long line of surreal and sometimes disturbing offerings from [[Sid and Marty Krofft Productions]].
To get an idea as to what you're in for, we turn to VH-1's "I Love the '70s" show, and their description of ''[[H.R. Pufnstuf]]'':
{{quote|"So, the deal with ''H.R. Pufnstuf'' is, Sid and Marty Krofft did a lot of drugs back in the '70s when they were given a TV show..."}}
For a more technical description, read on.
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Jimmy, a young boy with a British accent and the world's most annoying speech impediment, is abducted by the sinister and disturbingly Oedipal witch Witchiepoo in a gambit to snatch his magical talking golden flute. Yes, really.
{{quote|''But Pufnstuf was watching too, and knew exactly what to do...''}}
Jimmy is rescued by H.R. Pufnstuf, a large [[Muppet]] who serves as mayor of Living Island, a bizarre place where everything, "even the trees" are "alive". (The writers appear not to have understood the difference between "living" and "anthropomorphic"/"sentient".)
The short series (only seventeen episodes aired) followed the adventures of Jimmy, Puf and Freddie [the flute], as they made various attempts to smuggle Jimmy off the island while staying clear of Witchiepoo and her henchmen. A [[The Movie|film version]], featuring guest stars Martha Raye and Cass Elliot, appeared in 1970, a year after the show's premiere.
To say that ''[[H.R. Pufnstuf]]'' was disturbing is like saying the ocean is wet. There is just something almost seductively creepy about the whole thing, from Jimmy's constant prancing and the [[Ambiguously Gay|vaguely homoerotic relationship]] between boy, flute, and muppet, to the bizarrely twisted maternal figure of the witch, to the generally drug-induced artistic design of the costumes and sets. [[THC Theater|This is not a show to watch sober.]]
As a historical note, the basic design and characters of McDonald's "McDonaldland" commercials were blatantly plagiarized from ''[[H.R. Pufnstuf]]'' in 1971 after the Krofft brothers refused to license the ''Pufnstuf'' characters for use in a McDonald's commercial campaign. The Kroffts sued in 1973, and won the case in 1977. For more information, see [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a990827.html this article] at Cecil Adams' ''The Straight Dope'', or [http://www.coolcopyright.com/cases/chp5/kroftmcdonalds.htm this one] at coolcopyright.com.
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