Customer Reviews

H.R. Pufnstuf:.Complete Series

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

H.R. Pufnstuf may have lasted only 17 episodes, it may have come from the late 60's, and there may be a dozen other things that could be considered negative flaws about this show, but they only add to the infectious charm of this wonderfully orchaestrated live action cartoon.

I bought the complete DVD boxset for my fiancee's birthday recently, because I knew it would be something she would simply love and treasure for years to come. Some may think that the Kroft brothers did drugs in order to create the many zany and trippy programs they created over the years, but trust me, they didn't.

Are there druglike innuendoes and double-entendres placed visually and in the dialogue? well, that's really up to personal opinions and interpretations. But I digress.

This show is definitely worth owning, the dialogue can be a bit cringe-inducing at times but not overtly so, the puns and jokes can go from hilarious to Fozzie-like unBearability within the same episode, but everything is simply top=notch.

Jack Wild is awesome as Jimmy, he brings youthful energy and enthusiasm and seems to be enjoying himself wholeheartedly throughout the series. He is very convincing in his determination to get home or to rescue Freddy Flute from the witch, showcasing a great deal of courage and loyalty to his friends, Freddy, Puf, Dr. Blinky, etc.

Billie Hayes is simply excellent as Witchiepoo, she combines a playful lunacy with a menacing ruthlessness, wrapped up with perfect comedic timing, you can't help but laugh and love the ol' hag.

The costumes are simply marvelous, not just for Pufnstuff, but for everyone: Dr. Blinky, the Evil Trees (specially imported from Transylvania), Orson the Vulture, Seymour Spider, Cling & Clang (perfect examples of Keystone Cops), Judy Frog, etc.

There are even some very interesting moments within each episode. The show itself can be described as a 'Wizard of Oz' meets 'Puf the Magic Dragon', nowhere is this more evident than in the opening episode. Especially with a Magic Path looking very much like a Yellow Brick Road. Even Judy Frog is dressed and talks like Judy Garland (somewhat).

There is even an episode where a bunch of ants are holding up signs of protest with chants of 'Make Candy, Not War', this scene being somewhat reflective of the protests to the Vietnam war perhaps.

Jimmy does 'The Robot' long before it became a dance craze in 'Mechanical Boy', and in one episode a new dance is introduced called 'The Moonwalk' long before Michael Jackson would use the name for his own trademarked dance.

This is the perfect sort of show that can help lift your spirits when you're feeling down. Despite all of the bright and psychedelic colors utilized for this show, it certainly isn't candy-coated or in any ways babyish.

Let's hope more of the Krofft creations make it to DVD!

I was never a big fan of H.R. Pufnstuf but was still glad to see it on DVD. Here are the extra's that you will find on the DVD...

Commentary on the pilot episode
Sid and Marty get together to reminisce about their favorite series, H.R. Pufnstuf. They jam this track full of information and have wonderful stories to tell about the series. It sounds like everyone on the Paramount lot loved the show. Fans of the series will love listening to this.

Interview with creators Sid & Marty Krofft (22:02)
A really interesting interview with the brothers. They talk about how they got into puppetry and how the show was started, and even address the drug question. Sid did most of the talking, something that seemed to bother Marty. Hey, they're obviously brothers!

Interview with Billie Hayes (Witchiepoo) (10:32)
Billie has a nice chat about her career and the show.

Interview with Jack Wild (Jimmy) (11:42)
Jack Wild looks quite different from when he was on the show, but there are glimpses of Jimmy still in him. He spends a lot of time talking about the show and how it affected him as a person. He also talks about some of the pranks they used to play on the set.

Interview with TV historian, Hal Erickson (10:09)
Hal does a great job putting H.R. Pufnstuf into a historical perspective, but the gold in this interview is when he explains the battle between McDonald's and the Kroffts over the McDonald's characters. Very interesting stuff!

"Irving" (Sid & Marty Krofft pilot from 1975) (8:23)
This footage is really rough, but it's cool to see some of their early puppetry work. The opening minutes are chaotic with tons of different puppets performing, but then it kicks into a story.

If your a fan this will be great. I'm looking forward to the LAND OF THE LOST DVD due out later this year!!!

For any adult born after 1970, this series (and the movie that was made from it) will make little sense, if any. Wild, raucous colors, dancing, singing, and an island where everything - yes, EVERYTHING - is alive.

Little Jimmy, coaxed to Living Island by the evil machinations of Witchy-Poo (the heavy of the series) finds himself in possession of a magic, talking flute, and trapped on an island of talking hats and dragons and witches, all of which he can barely comprehend. To an adult of today, the show simply makes little sense...

Ah, but if you saw it as a child, as I did, the show makes perfect sense. First, it's *FUN*. That, indeed, was one of the main points of the show - having fun. Yet, each show attempted to impart (as is typical for children's programming) a moral message. In general, the most common message of the entire series was "Perseverance". Keep trying, because though you may fail, if you keep trying, you may succeed in the end. Other lessons imparted by the show include 'Don't steal', 'Don't Lie', and 'Don't be Mean (despite how much fun it may be, you end up hurting others, and that isn't nice).'

Adults today look at the show, searching for depth, perhaps hidden meanings. Well, there *AREN'T* any - what you see is what you get. Cling and Clang have no "Hidden Meanings" - they are simply Cling and Clang. The talking flute is just a talking flute, and Jimmy is just a boy who wants to go home.

Alas, the networks decided to cancel the show. In an era where even the most critically acclaimed shows often died due to a slip of a point or two in the Nielsens, H.R. Pufnstuf was not the smash hit the network demanded. Adults of the time simply shook their heads as their children laughed and clapped and sang along with the simple songs, for parents of the time understood the show about as well as they understood the dark side of the moon.

Yet, I understood it as a child, as did all my friends of that time. Yes, we sang along with the theme song (which I can still sing today, word for word - it was mercifully short), laughed at the antics of the Living Islanders, booed the evil Witchy-Poo, and deeply felt for Little Jimmy, who sometimes wept for his heartfelt desire to go home. As a child, however, I often found I was jealous, even angry with little Jimmy. Living Island was, in the end, a fantasy paradise (despite Witchy-Poo), and for each moment Jimmy sighed and wished he could go home, I sighed and wished I could be there, on Living Island, instead of in the world of 1969, with it's turmoil and strife that were far beyond the comprehension of a little boy.

I am 18 years old and wasn't lucky enough to see this when it first came out.My father told me about this show when I was growing up. He used to tell me a lot about his life as a kid, which kept me interested. Of course, Pufnstuff was his fave memory.

After my junior prom which just past, I came home and flipped on TV Land. The show my dad told me about was on TV, a first to both me and my dad, who hasn't seen the show in over 30 years.

The colorful cast of charactors and the sneezing house made me and my dad giggle.The magic flute was rather creepy, but all in all good clean fun . This show was a far cry from the stuff I grew up on * Strawberry Shortcake, Smurfs, etc* but still has become part of my *Most Interesting Oddities* list.In the last few years, I have never seen my dad so happy. He told me afterward that the trip down memory lane was the best.This DVD set is now his father's day gift. Thanks:}

You had to be there!!!!

Anyone who didn't grow up in the 70's who sees this show just sits there in stunned amazement. But, if you saw this show back in its heyday, you probably loved it.

The Kroft shows were a surreal breed. They were puppeteers, but the puppets in these shows were, generally, people in elaborate costumes. The colors were bright and psychedelic. The names were a mixture of puns and silly jokes. There were plenty of songs and hijinxs galore. The stories were silly and lame, but they had a spirit and warmth to them. Loyalty and honesty were always at the heart of the characters and good values always triumphed.

Jack Wild made a name for himself in Oliver and stared as Jimmy. He is marooned on the Living Island by Witchipoo, who covets his Magic Flute. Jimmy is rescued by the mayor of Living Island, H.R. Pufnstuf. Each week, Witchiepoo would concoct another wild scheme to steal Magic Flute; and, each week, her scheme would backfire, thanks to her inept henchmen and her own stupidity.

The one thing that cemented a love of this show, for me, was Billie Hayes as Witchiepoo. Billie was a great comedian and gave her all to Witchiepoo. I was easily scared as a kid, but she was never frightening. Witchiepoo was too much of a screw-up to pose a real threat. She had a charm that made you want to come back. Plus, she had a cool, souped-up broom! And, from all accounts, she was a heck of a nice lady.

I've heard the drug jokes about this and other shows (i.e. H.R. Pufnstuf Hand Rolled Pufnstuf) from the Krofts. Yeah, they're weird and look like the product of a demented or medicated mind, but the writers weren't that young and were pretty straight-laced. Maybe it was just something in the air back then.

I watched this when i was a kid in the late 80's and 90's and I still watch this beyond wack show. Witchiepoo and her monsters are absolutely the best characters of the show. $@) 420 4ever!

This was my favorite shows as a child and now I'm watching it with my sisters grandchild who loves it just as much as I did.
God, how time flys! I feel like such a geezer!! Did you see the interview with Jimmy who was 16 when the show was filmed and just a couple years older than me at the time? Well, it didn't do much for my self confidence. These shows are just as funny as I remember. Real fake and cheesey but it is supposed to be a fantasy world totally detached from reality. 420 all the way!!!!
Have fun with it.

This show was one of the best shows on Saturday morning. I grew up watching all of Sid & Marty Kroffts shows. They were very funny & entertaining to watch. I just can't wait until they release the other shows in a series set as well. Best shows in the 70's. I wish they made more shows like this one. Most of us who watched the shows way back when know what I am talking about. That was the best time in television. Great shows & better kids shows & comedies. Too much television is edited out these days. Your kids will love to watch Sid & Marty Kroffts television series. They are for the kid at heart. I am glad that they finally released a complete series set. I will be waiting for more in the near future.

H.R. Pufnstuf is one of those wonderful childhood pleasures to which I can always return. And I'm happy, although not surprised, to find that my kids love it too.

I sincerely hope that this is just the first of many more Kroft series box sets. I will absolutely jump all over a box set of the original 1970's Land of the Lost.

Please! More Kroft sets. And soon!

One of the criticisms I have with present-day children's TV is the mentality of the producers that shows have to be "educational." PLEASE...give me a break. Let kids be kids! Pufnstuf was not educational. It was not politically correct. It was not "socially aware." But it sure was FUN! Colorful, silly, and plenty of catchy songs! Who could ask for more? My son enjoys this box set, and told me the other day that he wished they still made kids' shows like this today.

By the way, has anyone else experienced the problem with the episode where Freddy turns into a mushroom? That particular episode looks like it was not remastered at all for the DVD. It has pops and lines, and has that dark and faded look that films get when they have aged. Also, two or three of the episodes have a shortened version of the theme song - just the part at the end of the opening credits where Jimmy, Puf, and Cling and Clang are dancing down the path singing, "H.R. Pufnstuf...Who's your friend, etc.". Other than these two observations, everything else looks great.