Announcing the Sid & Marty Krofft Archives
SID & MARTY KROFFT PICTURES
INTRODUCING “THE KROFFT ARCHIVES,” DEDICATED TO SHOWCASING KROFFT HISTORY, AND A PLACE TO BUY ALL THINGS KROFFT!
MARTY KROFFT GIVES FANS THE KROFFT GOLDEN TICKET, THE ALL-ACCESS PASS INSIDE THE KROFFT ARCHIVES
Marty Krofft announced today: “It’s a great time to be a Krofft fan…we are going to open the Krofft Archives and make its contents accessible to our fans!”
Sid and Marty Krofft Pictures has been a sensation in the entertainment industry for over 60 years, creating content for Disney, The Ringling Brothers, Hanna-Barbera, Six Flags Amusement Parks and much more. The Kroffts ultimately created feature film and television series under their own name, such as H.R. Pufnstuf (1969-70), Sigmund and The Sea Monsters(1973-75), Land of the Lost (1974-77) and dozens of other pop culture mainstays, and all of them have been documented along the way with thousands of photographs. Regarding this treasure trove of unseen images, Marty says: “Each and every photo tells the story of our creative process. We are working on a few projects to document and share the story of our history with our loyal fan base; a documentary on our life’s work and a deluxe coffee table book that will for the first time showcase all the iconic images taken over the years, but there are just too many images to choose from. Several books could be published, and each book would be six inches thick. So we’ve decided to open the vault doors and share what we’ve found on our official website: Sidandmartykrofftarchives.com. Each week we are going to release rare images from the Krofft Archives, and in most cases these images have been stored away and never seen since the day they were taken.”
Original Jack Wild fan card and 8 x 10 photograph
Krofft archivist Rob Klein, along with Marty’s longtime assistant Bill Tracy recently came across a box containing a 1970s “Krofft Productions” envelope - a unique artifact unto itself. Inside was a series of full-color behind-the-scenes photos taken by a crew member during the production of Pufnstuf (1970), the full-length feature film inspired by the hit TV show H.R. Pufnstuf. These photos were discovered at one the the Krofft warehouses, based not far away from where the Krofft “Showbiz Factory” was originally located during the late 60s through the 80s. “That was the very place where these iconic characters were born, dreamed up and fabricated,” Rob noted, “these photos are amazing because nothing like this has ever been seen before. We have seen a lot of imagery over the years from the Krofft shows, yet very few photos if any are ever seen of the Krofft creative process.”
Krofft Showbiz Factory large brochure
Historically, two icons of entertainment history share a similar creative web of content: Walt Disney and Sid & Marty Krofft. Not only did each create their own original productions for feature film and television, but the Kroffts also had their own theme park, something that other industry moguls like Jack Warner of Warner Brothers, Samuel Goldwyn and Louis B. Mayer of Metro Goldwyn Mayer (a.k.a. MGM) could not also claim. It’s no wonder that Walt Disney ultimately approached Sid & Marty and gave them insider industry advice not long before he passed away…and they took it! Walt saw something special in the brothers, and had a great eye for spotting talent. Perhaps Walt could sense the coming greatness in the Kroffts, and that little over a decade after his encounter with the Krofft brothers they would open their own amusement park: The World of Sid & Marty Krofft.
Rob notes: “We have discovered dozens of photographs of Krofft artisans building The World of Sid & Marty Krofft theme park. It brings a tear to the eye, seeing photos of the ride vehicles for The Great Pinball Machine Ride being constructed, or the full-size 1:1 Witchiepoo animatronic being programmed. There is even a photo of Marty Krofft approving Dr. Blinky’s animatronic figure from the H.R. Pufnstuf ride-through attraction. This reminds me of so many of the photos I have seen over the years of Walt Disney inspecting his team’s work while Disneyland was being realized in the 50s. These photos take the Krofft legacy to a new level.”
The World of Sid & Marty Krofft Promotional Commercial
Not only have images of the Krofft creative process been preserved, Marty has also saved almost everything else that his company created. There are newly-unearthed film prints of H.R. Pufnstuf episodes that still contain their original broadcast commercial spots, like a time capsule. Whether you saw the episode during its original airing, or if you would be seeing it for the first time, watching these newly-discovered prints prove that time travel is possible, now to be shared on the Krofft website under the Krofft Archives section. More Krofft treasures will be shared as we discover them. Marty continues: “We are going through everything once again.” All original film elements had been stored in temperature-controlled vaults at one Krofft facility, while another building maintains the artwork, puppets, costumes, press kits, photos, picture vehicles and merchandise. Its all been saved: vintage 70s Pufnstuf dolls to modern-day Pufnstufs from the popular Funko Pop line. Marty explains: “We have examples of almost everything that we have created, so maybe it’s time to share some of these items with our loyal fans. Let’s open up the archive and let some of these pieces of Krofft history become part of your Krofft collection.”
In addition to sharing rare Krofft photos and the stories behind them on the Krofft website and other official Krofft social media outlets, Sidandmartykrofftarchives.com will host the SID & MARTY KROFFT ARCHIVES STORE on Band, where fans can go to buy the same cast and crew related items that only the Krofft puppeteers, artists and employees could once obtain. Some items in the Krofft Archives found in quantity will now be made available for purchase at the SID & MARTY KROFFT ARCHIVES STORE, the very first official Krofft e-commerce store. Each item is a one-of-a-kind “Krofft artifact.” Rob Klein mentions: “It’s cool to have your original Krofft Supershow luchbox from when you were a kid, and now it’s also going to be very cool to have the opportunity to own a Krofft Superhsow lunchbox that was once Marty’s, and part of the Krofft Archives.”
Upon announcing the opening of his career-spanning archive, Marty thinks back on his years in Hollywood. “I knew all of the Hollywood’s moguls.” he remembers. “Many of them were my mentors. I am the last one, and I still own all of the shows that I created. Therefore, maintaining the work that my brother and I did is just another part of my job running the company. Creating these shows was one thing, and then after that you need to save as much as you can. I had to keep a close eye on Pufnstuf, Sigmund, the Sleestaks and all of the puppets. They are part of my family, and they have been good to me. It’s the least I can do to keep an eye on them, and to make sure they’re safe and sound.”
Marty Krofft