The Failed Fantasy of Atlanta’s Sid and Marty Krofft Theme Park

Becoming a Household Name

Sid and Marty weren’t just making puppets and attractions; they were making a name for themselves, and the world was staring to notice.

Krofft Productions, Inc. was on the radar of the folks at Hanna-Barbera Productions, who were juggernauts in children’s programming. The producers of The Flintstones, The Yogi Bear Show, The Jetsons, and eventually Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!—just to name a few—hired the budding brothers in the late-‘60s to create character costumes for a new live-action show: The Banana Splits and Friends Show. It was a smash success, and the Kroffts got a glimpse at what their creations could become.

This opportunity and their motivation would be Sid and Marty’s launchpad for their rise to stardom as TV producers.

H.R. Pufnstuf and the Kroffts’ Big Break

Sid and Marty get their big break in 1969 with their own children’s TV show on NBC: H.R. Pufnstuf. The show followed the adventures of Jimmy: a boy shipwrecked on Living Island, where everything was alive. Living Island’s friendly dragon of a mayor, H.R. Pufnstuf, helped Jimmy protect his magic flute against the show’s villain: Witchiepoo.

The $3 million show went a little over budget, but for good reason. H.R. Pufnstuf was as bizarre and entertaining as The Wizard of Oz with characters that did not look like stringed marionettes, but like real cartoons. For anyone familiar with the old Kaleidoscope puppet show, this was no surprise, but the country at large was finally getting to see that signature Krofft look.

In fact, the Krofft look was so good, McDonald’s took clear inspiration from H.R. Pufnstuf for its McDonaldland marketing campaign; the courts ruled in the Kroffts’ favor in a hefty copyright infringement case.

H.R. Pufnstuf was a spectacle of 87 characters that spawned an album, a feature film, and plenty of merchandise.

“What Mickey Mouse is to Disney, Pufnstuf is to us.”
Marty Krofft, Atlanta Magazine, 1974

Needless to say, Sid and Marty’s debut as TV producers was a success. H.R. Pufnstuf aired for only one season with 17 episodes, but that short run was a testament of what the brothers could accomplish. H.R. Pufnstuf was just the beginning. Kids connected with the vibrant style, and the major networks wanted more.

Krofft-palooza took off in the ‘70s, producing an abundance of hit TV shows. Some highlights included Lidsville, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, Land of the Lost, and Wonderbug.

“I guess the networks just believe in a couple of crazy guys.”
Sid Krofft, The Los Angeles Times, 1970

Behind the scenes, the rise of Sid and Marty Krofft was partially thanks to their production facility, which was built during their partnership with Six Flags. The warehouse—along with the duo’s creative vision—elevated Sid and Marty Krofft as household names.

Sid, Marty, and hundreds of employees used the old Six Flags show business factory plus other facilities to create costumes, puppets, props, and sets for their productions. However, they hadn’t fully moved on from producing attractions too. Sid and Marty were looking to expand their entertainment empire. For their next side project, the brothers revisited a familiar industry: theme parks.

“We’re going into the amusement park business.”
Sid Krofft, The Los Angeles Times, 1970

An Amusing New Project

The trend of modern American theme parks was fairly new in the 1970s. Disneyland Park opened only a few decades prior, and regional parks were popping up all over the country in the ‘60s and ‘70s. These destinations were a level above the trolley parks of yesteryear. Themed attractions were more popular than ever before.

“Let’s face it: [Disneyland] is the Bible of the business.”
Sid Krofft, The Courier-Gazette, 1968

Sid and Marty were talented entertainers, storytellers, and promoters—so the theme park industry was right up their alley. The Kroffts were almost the next best thing to Disney when it came to theme parks; they picked up commissions here and there to produce animatronic displays and other entertainments for various clients. The two kept up with some theme park work, including a puppet theater show, Circus 70, at Coney Island in Cincinnati, Ohio.

However, as early as 1969, the two were planning their own attractions.

“After several years of building rides and dolls for other people, we’re building them for ourselves.”
Sid Krofft, The Los Angeles Times, 1970

On the side of their newfound success producing TV shows, the brothers were busy developing a chain of children’s shopping centers with amusement elements. They started in Mexico City with plans for a shopping center called El Mundo Infantile, which translates to Children’s World; its alternate name was El Mundo Sid and Marty Krofft. The Kroffts assessed other regions—such as New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles—for their chain of amusement centers and children’s fairs known as The World of Sid and Marty Krofft.

Their solo theme park ambitions were a work in progress. In the meantime, the Kroffts were still on track making attractions for clients. They developed a ride for Cincinnati’s Coney Island, tentatively called Time Machine, which went through moments in history like prehistoric times with dinosaurs and ancient Egypt.

The Kroffts spent five years developing a dark ride for the Fisherman’s Wharf area in San Francisco. The Enchanted World opened in June 1971 and took riders on a seven-minute journey that celebrated The Golden City’s past. The ride’s mini cable cars rode along 850 feet of track through 14 scenes such as the Gold Rush era, the 1906 earthquake, an uplifting ending. The ride featured 150 animated characters and was yet another spectacular example of what the brothers and their team were capable of.

Seeking a Theme Park Home

Sid and Marty put together a colorful portfolio of theme park work for other companies, usually putting their own attractions on hold. However, it was finally time for people to experience the world of Sid and Marty Krofft in person.

The Kroffts were serious about creating a theme park of their own. From puppeteers, to TV producers, to theme park pioneers—Sid and Marty were taking a ride in a growing industry.

The brothers dusted off their old plans for city-based amusement centers. Sid and Marty spent much of their successful careers entertaining in cities, so they began searching for a downtown area to build their future attraction.

“We have been in clubs and theaters our whole lives; we are city people, and I really believe that if the city dies, so does the world.”
Marty Krofft, The Atlanta Constitution, 1976

They considered a few major markets and landed a tentative agreement in New York City with the owners of the illustrious Madison Square Garden. That deal unfortunately fell through.

The Krofft brothers did not give up finding a location.

Around 1973, the Kroffts reached out to an old colleague from their time at Six Flags, J. Alton Alsup. The vice president of Six Flags connected the brothers with commercial developers in Atlanta: Maurice Alpert and Tom Cousins of International City Corp.

Georgia’s capital city needed some work in the early ‘70s; International City Corp. was developing a megacomplex in hopes of reviving a section of the metropolis. The location was along the lines of what the Sid and Marty were looking for.

The Krofft brothers were eager to take center stage in Atlanta.

“Atlanta is the best city possible to build the park…If the park won’t work here, it won’t work anywhere.”
Marty Krofft, The Atlanta Constitution, 1974