On Monday, April 13th, the news broke that Sid Crofft, co-creator of colorful television series including H.R. Pufnstuf and The Banana Splits, passed away at the age of 96 at his home in Los Angeles, CA. He and his brother Marty brought puppetry to life on the small screen, with high concepts, fantastical themes, and an entire collection of colors.
What connection do the Kroffts have to nu metal? Turns out, none that properly saw the light of day. But as it turns out, there was a song by an alt-metal staple that was almost used on television, in a show that would have paid its homage to H.R. Pufnstuf.
Todd Kauffman, best known for his work on the Total Drama franchise that overtook Cartoon Network in the late Aughts, wanted to reboot the show around 2005, and even had a theme tune recorded by Finger Eleven. Sadly, this clip has since been archived on Kauffman's socials, but thanks to the way back machine, it never really went away.
Can't say the same for the reboot, as option rights negotiations led to it being shelved before it could ever be picked up. There have been images and animatics leaked in the years since its disbandment, but imagine if, in 2005, we could hear Finger Eleven on not just WWE Raw for Kane's theme "Slow Chemical," but on a new and improved(?), pre-Total Drama era H.R. Pufnstuf?
In any case, let's not mourn what could have been, as it still makes for a hell of a "what if?" Instead, we mourn a visionary in Sid Krofft, who I'm sure was thrilled with his and his brother's work inspiring the cover of Marilyn Manson's debut LP Portrait of an American Family.
