Funeral services were pending Monday for Sid Krofft, who along with his brother Marty created classic children’s programs including “Land of the Lost,” “H.R. Pufnstuff” and “Sigmund and the Sea Monsters.”
Krofft died Friday of natural causes at age 96 at the Los Angeles home of his friend and business partner Kelly Killian, his publicist Adam Fenton said in a statement to media outlets.
On Krofft’s Instagram page, Killian wrote Monday, “I loved Sid with my whole heart. The last six years of my life were devoted to him, and his to me. In that time, he taught me more than I could ever put into words — about the art of Hollywood, the magic of the stage, and the depth and complexity of human nature. I wish so very much that I had more time with him.
“There is no way I could ever repay the life lessons he gave me, both the beautiful and the difficult,” Killian wrote. “Even now, I find myself instinctively checking in on him, walking into a room ready to ask him a question about a piece of history or a person that no longer exists. I didn’t know Sid for his shows — I only knew the man who created them. And that man was extraordinary.
“Last Thursday night, he grabbed my arm and said, `Kelly, I need you to know something — I love you.’ Those words will stay with me forever. I will miss his big blue eyes, his cheerful smile with his dimples, and the warmth that seemed to follow him everywhere he went. That man embodied love, life, and happiness — right to the very end. I love you more, Sid. Always.”
Krofft’s brother, Marty, died in 2023 at age 86.
Other shows produced by the duo included “The Bugaloos,” “Lidsville,” and “Pryor’s Place” starring actor-comedian Richard Pryor. There most recent collaboration was in 2015, with “Mutt & Stuff” for Nickelodeon.
The two also produced primetime hits for adults including the “Donny & Marie Show,” “The Brady Bunch Variety Hour,” “Barbara Mandrell & the Mandrell Sisters,” and the “D.C. Follies.”
But they were perhaps best remembered for “H.R. Pufnstuf,” which followed the adventures of a boy who was trapped in a fantastic land with a friendly dragon named Pufnstuf and a witch enemy known as Witchiepoo.
The show only produced one 17-episode season, which aired on NBC between 1969 and 1970, but the show lived on in reruns.
In 2007, TV Guide named “H.R. Pufnstuf” No. 27 on its list of the top cult shows ever.
Other Kroffts ventures included the World of Sid & Marty Krofft amusement park in downtown Atlanta in 1976, which was spread over six levels and billed as the world’s first vertical amusement park and drew about 600,000 visitors but close after six months due to financial difficulties.
They were also creative directors for Six Flags, producing live shows in parks across America, and created puppets that were used on tours by the likes of Judy Garland, Liberace, The Mills Brothers, Tony Martin & Cyd Charisse and Frank Sinatra.
Sid and Marty Krofft received lifetime achievement honors during the 45th Annual Daytime Emmy Creative Arts Awards in 2018 and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in February 2020.
The brothers wound up in a legal battle late in life, with Sid suing Marty in 2023, claiming he was owed nearly $500,000 in proceeds from a 2017 buyout of his share of their business. The suit was settled in 2025.