LOS ANGELES — H.R. Pufnstuf is coming back to television, and he’s bringing a few old pals and a 1960s vibe along with him.
More than 40 years after the debut of the H.R. Pufnstuf children’s series, its title puppet character will pay a visit to Nickelodeon’s new Mutt & Stuff, the cable channel said.
Pufnstuf will be joined by Freddy the Flute and Cling and Clang — along with that duo’s cool Rescue Racer — on a “Mutt & Stuff” episode taping next month. It’s scheduled to air in early 2016.
Mutt & Stuff, as the title suggests, shares family history with H.R. Pufnstuf: Both are from prolific children’s TV producers Sid and Marty Krofft.
Nickelodeon’s series for preschoolers, which debuted in July, features a mix of puppets and real puppies in its dog-school setting. Calvin Millan, the 16-year-old son of Cesar Millan of The Dog Whisperer fame, joins with friend and larger-than-life dog puppet Stuff to provide training tips and lessons on canine loyalty and love.
Mutt & Stuff is the first children’s TV show from the Kroffts since they produced Land of the Lost, the 1974-77 series about a family’s adventures in an alternate universe populated by dinosaurs.
The reason for Pufnstuf’s visit? He’s Stuff’s uncle. Marty Krofft promises that Pufnstuf will be the same life-sized, redheaded, cowboy-boot-wearing puppet familiar to viewers of the show that debuted in the late 1960s.
“We don’t mess with our characters,” Krofft, 78, said, speaking for himself and sibling Sid, 86.
Pufnstuf is voiced by comedian, actor, and activist Randy Credico. Lennie Weinrib was the puppet’s original voice.
Just 17 episodes of H.R. Pufnstuff were created for its original 1969-71 run on NBC, but they’ve lived on in reruns (with MeTV their current home) and the memories of fans.
The show proved so indelible that a 2007 TV Guide poll of all-time cult favorites saw it ranked No. 27, sandwiched between Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman and Stargate SG-1.
Some wags may trace its enduring popularity to the notion that it was a true child of the ’60s — in others words, that H.R. Pufnstuf had a certain recreational drug aura about it.
Marty Krofft flatly rejects that as untrue.
“If we did the drugs everybody thought we did, we’d be dead today,” he said, adding, “you cannot work stoned.”
He suggests it was the show’s surreal and brightly colored look, in an era marked by hallucinogenic imagery, that prompted such speculation. Another stubborn idea, that the initials “H.R.” signified hand-rolled (as in marijuana joint), was also misguided, according to Krofft: They stood for Royal Highness, backward, he said.
The Kroffts have big plans for Pufnstuf and crowd, with possible vehicles including a feature film and their own new TV series. And the siblings are busier than expected with Mutt & Stuff, since its ratings success prompted Nickelodeon to double its season-one order to 40 episodes. Pufnstuf himself may return in future episodes.
They have more works in progress including Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, which originated as part of ABC’s The Krofft Supershow in the 1970s and is being rebooted with YouTube stars Grace Helbig and Hannah Hart.
First Published October 21, 2015, 4:00 a.m.
