Sid Krofft, a puppeteer best known for co-creating hit children’s shows H.R. Pufnstuf and Land of the Lost, has passed away. He was 96 years old.
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According to The Hollywood Reporter, Krofft died on Friday in his sleep at the Los Angeles residence of his friend and business partner, Kelly Killian. His death comes more than two years after his brother and co-creator, Marty, who died at the age of 86.
Publicist Adam Fenton stated that Krofft had surgery in November, but his recovery proved to be “difficult and frustrating.”
Born on July 30, 1929, Krofft and his brother had long claimed to be the fifth generation of puppeteers in their family. However, they admitted in 2008 that a publicist in the 1940s had invented the story.
Sid notably became a puppeteer featured in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus. He created a one-man puppet show in the 1940s that was regularly performed during burlesque shows.
Sid started working with his younger brother Marty in the 1950s. In 1957, they co-created a puppet show, Les Poupées de Paris.
After their time on Hanna-Barbera’s The Banana Splits, the Krofft brothers launched their own children’s series, H.R. Pufnstuf. Although it was long thought that they had created the show while under the influence of drugs, Marty stated in a 2005 interview, “No drugs involved. You can’t do drugs when you’re making shows. Maybe after, but not during. We’re bizarre, that’s all.”
The brothers went on to create other shows, including The Bugaloos, Lidsville, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, Land of the Lost, The Lost Saucer, Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, and Wonderbug.
The Krofft Brothers in Later Years
Regarding their success acknowledgments, the brothers received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2018 Daytime Emmy Awards. They were also honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2020. They even had their first Krofft Kon in May 2022.
However, things grew sour between Sid and Marty. In January 2023, Sid sued his younger brother and the Krofft companies for allegedly failing to pay him nearly $500,000 as part of a buyout of his business interests.
Marty passed away from kidney failure on November 25, 2023.
Sid, alongside Kelly, had been interviewing celebrities on their Instagram Live show, Sundays With Sid, until recently. They were also finalizing two books about Sid’s life and career just before the puppeteer’s death.
“I loved Sid with my whole heart,” Kelly shared. “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 didn’t know Sid for his shows — I only knew the man who created them. And that man was extraordinary.”
She then said, “I wish so very much that I had more time with him. I will miss his big blue eyes, his cheerful smile with his dimples, and the warmth that seemed to follow him everywhere he went.”
Sid is survived by Mary’s daughters Deanna, Kristina, and Kendra.