Marty Krofft, who, with his brother Sid, created a string of television shows that captured audiences from Saturday morning to prime time, including fantastical children’s fare, like “H.R. Pufnstuf” and “Land of the Lost,” and variety shows, like “Donny and Marie,” died on Saturday in Los Angeles. But Krofft shows, which featured extravagant puppets and scenery, were often expensive to produce and sometimes had premises that could be a hard sell; one show, for instance, focused on magical, talking hats. Marty’s business acumen and ability to woo studio executives ensured that some of the strangest programs ever to appear on the small screen actually got made. “Sid was always ‘the artist,’” Marty was quoted as saying in “Pufnstuf & Other Stuff: The Weird and Wonderful World of Sid & Marty Krofft” (1998), by the critic David Martindale.

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Persons: Marty Krofft, Sid, Pufnstuf, Donny, Marie, ”, Harlan Boll, Kroffts, “ Sid, ’ ” Marty, “, Marty Krofft ”, David Martindale Locations: “, Los Angeles