OMG. LOL. I'd never even seen it and those darn hippies are so predictable. Oh well. Many of them can't even remember that far back any more. Kitty, this was great info- fun to read. There's always a story behind a story!
You're rockin on da board!
- Cali
Originally Posted by
KittySkyfish Now that we're on the H.R. Pufnstuf theme...here's some info on its "dark side"!
Readers who were watching kids' TV during the early 1970's will remember a psychedelically strange show called
H.R. Pufnstuf. Like many good things from that era,
H.R. Pufnstuf was full of nods to the prevailing stoner counter-culture, and included many sly pot and drug references which most of us likely missed as children.
Launched in 1969, the Summer of Love, the show revolved around the adventures of Jimmy, a young boy trapped on the magical Living Island, where virtually every object, animal and plant can talk and move. In each of the 17 zany episodes, the evil Witchiepoo tries to steal Jimmy's talking golden flute, named Freddy, while Jimmy tries to escape the island and return home. Jimmy is protected and guided by the island's Mayor – a friendly dragon named
H.R. Pufnstuf – and his many friends.
Aside from the extremely colorful and trippy imagery, there were many aspects to the popular show which, to the initiated, revealed its essentially stoney nature.
The main clue is the title character,
H.R. Pufnstuf, whose last name sounds a lot like "Puffing stuff." The title "H.R." is never explained on the show, and many interpreted it as code for "Hand Rolled," with
Pufnstuf's title of Mayor also being short for "marijuana."
Pufnstuf is green with red hair, just like cannabis buds.
The theme song of the show gave another strong hint at stoner subtext, with the following chorus being repeated a few times, both at the beginning and end of the show. The last line seems out of context unless seen as a pot reference:
H.R. Pufnstuf, who's your friend when things get rough?
H.R. Pufnstuf, can't do a little, 'cause you can't do enough!
Although the marijuana and drug references are sometimes subtle, they are laced throughout the entire series. Some highlights include Witchiepoo offering a minion a "roach beef sandwich," Freddy the Flute getting turned into a magic mushroom,
Pufnstuf telling Cling and Clang to "stop sniffing" the magic smoke, and Jimmy dosing Witchiepoo with a Love Potion.
When the
Pufnstuf crew film a movie, Jimmy plays Black Bart – a name also used at the time as a slang term for pot.
The evil Witchiepoo regularly uses drugs to mess with the good guys. In one episode she hits up the
Pufnstuf gang with "laughing gas," a magic smoke pouring from her saxophone. She goes to each person and blasts them with smoke – they burst into laughter, soon followed by a heavy sleep.
In other episodes Witchiepoo plies the good guys with spiked "Campfire Granny" chocolate treats, and uses "love gas" to win the island folk to her side.