There have been a number of references to the show in popular culture. Pufnstuf’s name was a bit of a joke to see if the NBC executives would notice. The Krofft brothers have been a bit vague at times about the title, though they have said in no uncertain terms that they did no drugs while working on the show. With its bright colors, seeming drug-related double entendres, and talking objects, there has been much speculation about the druggy nature of the show, including the origins of the title. Of course, the show has a villain, Witchiepoo, who wants Jimmy’s talking golden flute, named Freddy. And yes, a lollipop who owns a candy store. In fact, everything on the island is alive and there are 86 characters, including quite a variety of trees: hippie trees, social trees, old-men trees, and even Indian trees. On Living Island the mayor, Pufnstuf presides over other denizens of the forest, including Judy Frog, an owl, and of course, talking trees. In the show, Jimmy, a real boy played by Jack Wild, the young actor who had played the Artful Dodger in the film Oliver!, a performance that won him a Golden Globe and an Academy Award nomination, is shipwrecked on Living Island during a storm. PufnstufĬan’t do a little, ‘cause he can’t do enough The theme song seems to refer to, let's say, indulgence as well: H.R. In one notorious episode, the human character Jack faces off against evil mushrooms, one of whom is smoking.
Though Pufnstuf is supposed to be a dragon, pot enthusiasts have noted that his appearance, green with a shock of red hair, resembles a marijuana bud. Pufnstuf is the mayor - which, according to some sources, was a slang term for marijuana at the time.
The show is set on Living Island, where H.R. Pufnstuf, inanimate objects speak, like a scene out of an LSD trip (so we are told). Pufnstuff, the 1969 children's show created by Sid and Marty Krofft, was a drug-fueled fantasy - right? Evidence for the drugginess of the show begins with the titular character, a dragon whose last name sounds like "puffin' stuff" and whose initials might stand for "Hand-rolled." Hand-rolled Puffin' Stuff? Ok, that's pretty druggy.