If you grew up in the 70's, you may have some fond memories of the awesome Saturday morning cartoon lineup we had back then. The unusual shows created by producers Sid and Marty Krofft were some of the most popular programs to watch on a Saturday morning. Known for their wacky storylines and outrageously colorful characters, the shows featured wild puppets that were a far cry from the Sesame Street Muppets. In the 1970's, kids flew out of their beds at the crack of dawn to make sure they didn't miss the Saturday morning Krofft television lineup. The lineup changed over the years, but for most of the 1970's there were several great Krofft shows on the air during any given season.
If you were one of those 70's kids, with your bowl of Froot Loops in tow, you undoubtedly watched at least some of these classic shows:
H.R. Puf N Stuf. This was a live action show that combined a human character named Jimmy (played by Jack Wild) with some big puppets. The town witch, named Witchiepoo (played to perfection by the great Billie Hayes), was after Jimmy's magical talking flute. Enter H.R. Puf N Stuf who saved Jimmy from Witchie. There were plenty of freaky things on this show--- talking trees and whatnot. If you think it all sounds a little psychedelic (a magical talking flute?) keep in mind that this was the 70's.
The Bugaloos. This show was about a rock band-- a rock band that dressed like flying insects. They were sort of a goody two shoes band, much to the dismay of the evil doers in town. Joy, Harmony, Courage and I.Q. were the Bugaloos and this was definitely a feel good show.
Land of the Lost. This was another live action show that featured some puppets. A father and his two children, Holly and Will, find themselves lost in a mysterious jungle, complete with monsters and other oddities. They befriend a member of the ruling tribe of the land, a really strange looking creature named Chaka. There were also some scary creatures called the Sleestacks. This show was rather complicated to follow if you didn't watch it from the beginning. Luckily, I never missed an episode.
Sigmund and the Sea Monsters. My all time favorite Saturday morning show, this one starred child actor Johnny Whitaker (Jody from the show "Family Affair"). Two brothers, Johnny and Scott, befriend Sigmund, a kind Sea Monster. Sigmund is alienated from the other sea monsters because he doesn't like to be mean and scare people. Plus he's kind of goofy. I can still remember the theme song to this show word for word.
Electra Woman and Dyna Girl. I often wonder if Carmen Electra got her name from this show. Two attractive newspaper reporters double as the coolest female superheroes since Wonder woman. This show starred Deidre Hall and Judy Strangis. Hall, better known as Marlena Evans on the popular soap opera Days of Our Lives, had a big year in 1976-- she starred in this campy Krofft series and she also signed on to star in "Days".
