Marty Krofft, Legendary Co-Creator of H.R. Pufnstuf and Land of the Lost, Passes Away at 86

Marty Krofft, co-producer of "H.R. Pufnstuf" and "Land of the Lost," passed away on a Saturday afternoon in California, as stated by his representative. Krofft was 86 years old. 

The creative businessman, who collaborated with his older brother Sid Krofft on these shows, passed away due to kidney failure in Los Angeles, as confirmed by a family representative to PEOPLE.

Marty, known as the "King of Saturday Mornings," dedicated over 50 years to family-friendly and primetime TV. He teamed up with Sid on their first project, "H.R. Pufnstuf."

This live-action series premiered on NBC in 1969 and continued to captivate audiences through reruns on ABC and other networks during the 1970s and beyond. The show even inspired a 1970 movie called "Pufnstuf."

The brothers, born in Montreal, Quebec, began by making costumes for Hanna-Barbera's Banana Splits. Later, they made "Land of the Lost," which started on NBC in 1974 and was shown again on different channels. 

According to IMDB, the show had 43 episodes and ran for three seasons on NBC. In 2009, there was a movie version of "Land of the Lost" starring Will Ferrell. 

While Krofft was famous for making shows for kids, like "The Bugaloos," "Lidsville," "Sigmund & the Sea Monsters," and "Pryor’s Place with Richard Pryor," he also had successful shows on TV in the evenings. Marty created series like "The Brady Bunch Hour," "D.C. Follies," "Barbara Mandrell & the Mandrell Sisters," and the "Donny & Marie Show"

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Marty had a big career. He opened the World of Sid & Marty Krofft theme park in Atlanta in 1976. He also worked on the set of All in the Family and made huge puppets, 25 feet tall, for *NSYNC at the 2000 American Music Awards. This info comes from a family representative.

The Krofft brothers got a Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in 2018. 

Many friends and fans have shared memories of Krofft on social media. Maureen McCormick posted a picture of herself and Marty at his Walk of Fame event. McCormick wrote, "Rest In Sweet Peace Marty Krofft. Thank you for all the joy. You are in my heart forever. Love to Marty’s family and friends."  

In an interview on the Hsu Untied podcast, Krofft joked about the biggest highlight of his career. He said, "I've been running this thing for 50 years, and I'm still above the grass." He mentioned there were lots of great things beyond the shows and movies, and he found it hard to pick a favorite.  

In addition to his three daughters, three great-grandchildren, and five grandchildren, Marty is survived by his brothers Sid and Harry Krofft. 

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