HR Pufnstuf, Who’s Your Friend

As my friend Rich says, HR Pufnstuf is “like if Captain Kangaroo went on the road with The Grateful Dead.” The show was like an acid trip for kids. A talking flute, psychedelic colors, a witch who could have been a transvestite. It was wild.

It’s easily one of my favorite childhood shows of all time. I acted out the opening song in my yard. Never mind that I didn’t have a lake or any kind of body of water nearby.

As a kid I wanted to be Jimmy. As an adult, I’m glad I’m not like Jack Wild, who played Jimmy.

Jack had a terrible life. He was a cute as punch child star but was an alcoholic, a diabetic, and a washed-up actor by the time he was 21. He spent close to two decades in a drunken haze and had three heart attacks. He was diagnosed with mouth cancer and had to have part of his tongue and both vocal cords removed. Holy hell.

Back when I first moved to Los Angeles, I was in a Ralph’s store and ran into Billie Hayes, who played Witchiepoo. To this day I haven’t been more excited about seeing a celebrity than I was when I saw her. She was delightful.

And it had some rockin’ songs. I was addicted to “Mechanical Boy” and what’s not to love about “Oranges, Smoranges?”

I hate to sound like Old Man Brown but they don’t make ’em like this anymore.

All hail the Vroom Broom.