Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #84812 in DVD
• Released on: 2002-02-12
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Formats: Animated, Box set, Color, DVD, Live, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 3
• Running time: 390 minutes

Amazon.com
If you grew up in the '70s and glued yourself to the television every Saturday morning, bowl of cereal in hand, then you are most definitely familiar with the world of Sid & Marty Krofft. A live-action oasis in a desert of anemic animated programming, the shows of the messrs. Krofft were marked by outlandish fantasy plots, otherworldly monsters, horrible costumes, mediocre production values, zealous if cheesy acting, and numerous adolescent actors with which the young target audience could identify. And they were incredibly fun, captivating, and silly as all get-out. For half an hour, a Krofft show would take you to a magical world, where kids had power, heroes always triumphed, and bad guys were more funny than scary. If you were lucky, a musical number might dance your way, or some remedial special effects would shrink the heroes or send them flying. Ask any fans about the menacing dinosaurs of the pre-Jurassic Park adventure show Land of the Lost, the proto-feminist superheroes Electra-Woman and DynaGirl, or the fantasyland of H.R. Pufnstuf and friends, and they'll rhapsodize with a goofy smile on their faces. The lasting power of these shows is due more to nostalgia than quality; they're pricelessly over the top and campy, and the parade of familiar faces--such as Ruth Buzzi and Jim Nabors in The Lost Saucer--can bring back memories faster than an old home movie. This three-tape set features one episode each from the Krofft treasure trove, including the ever-popular H.R. Pufnstuf, the Brit-inspired The Bugaloos, Wonderbug the talking dune buggy, the odd coupling of Bigfoot and Wildboy, and much more. Grab your favorite cereal box, put on your pajamas, hunker down on the floor in front of the TV, and watch for six--count 'em, six--hours. --Mark Englehart

Customer Reviews

A delightful compilation of 70s kids' TV
"The World of Sid and Marty Krofft" is a three-tape compilation of classic Saturday morning kids' television. The three tapes contain one episode each from 13 different Krofft series. For the most part, these programs were produced and initially aired in the 1970s. The collection as a whole is a wild mix of fantasy, science fiction, puppetry, and comedy.

Many of these shows still hold up remarkable well after all these years. "H.R. Pufnstuf," the fantasy about a human boy marooned on a magical island, is loaded with bizarre puppets and surreal, hallucinogenic imagery. Young "Pufnstuf" star Jack Wild has a fun song-and-dance number in this episode. "Sigmund and the Sea Monsters" features one of kid TV's most lovable characters in Sigmund, the tentacled sea creature who befriends human boys Johnny and Scott. Also fun is "The Lost Saucer," a sci-fi comedy that is greatly energized by the comic chemistry of stars Ruth Buzzi and Jim Neighbors; the two play friendly androids. "Saucer" also features some fun visual touches, such as the Chickaphant (a huge mutant chicken/elephant hybrid).

But the best of the Krofft shows is probably "Land of the Lost," a remarkable attempt to combine serious family drama and science fiction in a children's show. The LOTL episode in this set, "Skylons," revolves around the mysterious alien technology which the Marshall family finds in their strange home.

Other shows represented on the set are the musical fantasy "Bugaloos"; the trippy "Lidsville," featuring a cast of talking hats; "Dr. Shrinker," a sci-fi comedy about a mad scientist with a shrinking ray; "Wonderbug," a fantasy about a flying car; "Magic Mongo," about a genie and his young pals; and "Pryor's Place," a "Sesame Street"-like show featuring comedian Richard Pryor.

Not all of the shows hold up as well. The episode of "Far Out Space Nuts," a silly sci-fi comedy, is painfully slow moving. I have fond memories of "Bigfoot and Wildboy," the series about a young man raised by the legendary hairy creature of the American wilderness. But the selected episode, featuring a cheesy female vampire, plays like an Ed Wood film. And the superhero series "Electra-Woman and Dynagirl" fails to achieve the tricky balance of camp and excitement attained by the 60s "Batman" series (after which the Krofft show appears to be modeled). The "Electra-Woman" villain in this episode, The Pharaoh, seems like a rip-off of Batman's King Tut.

Overall, "The World of Sid and Marty Krofft" is great fun, and even the less-than-effective shows still bring back great memories.

So much fun!
I would definately recomend this video collection to anyone who grew up in the 70's, how fun it was to see the shows I watched when everything was so much simpler! It brought back all the memories of being glued to the TV on Saturdays, waiting with anticipation to see Jimmy on H R Pufnstuf, and watch Sigmund and the Sea Monsters! And of course, what would happen to Will and Holly on Land of the Lost? Would those Sleazestaks finally get them? It's such a blast from the past. I share them with my five-year old now, and he loves them. The funny thing is, once I started watching the videos, I remembered all the songs and characters which I was sure I had forgotten! My son now sings the songs with me, and he likes these shows so much we do a Saturday morning routine just like when I was young, just sitting in front of the TV and wearing our PJ'S eating cereal. It's Grrrreat!!

A trip back in time
What can I say. If you were a kid in the 70's,and if you were like me, you stayed glued to the tube every Saturday morning watching those great Sid and Marty Krofft shows. Land of the Lost, H.R. Puff, Bugaloos, etc... Buy these tapes, you will be glad you did. It will take you back in time, when you did not have a care in the world, except trying not to miss all these great shows. If you have kids, let them watch them.To me, they are all classics. Thank you Sid and Marty Krofft, and thank you Rhino for giving us a great trip down memory lane....