Psychedelic Kids’ Shows From the 60s — I Have Questions
Were drugs involved? Probably.
**An earlier version of this post appeared on ’s Fanfare.**
The times, they were a-changing
We all know that the decade between 1960 and 1970 was one of great change. Societal norms were quickly shifting and the suburban, apple-pie version of life exemplified by the 1950s aesthetic was turned on its head. This was for many reasons — the assassination of JFK, the civil rights movement, the Vietnam war…one could go on and on. It’s not surprising, then, that later on in the decade, folks just wanted to take a load off, you know? The latter part of the 60s was punctuated by the “Summer of Love” in 1967, and of course, Woodstock followed. Other norms were shifting as well. Sure — sex was no longer the unspoken activity that occurred behind closed doors — if at all — in the stereotypical 1950s home. No, now things were different: people were doing it, and often times, doing it with enhanced measures.
Yup: I’m talking about drugs.
The recreational use of various drugs during this time was facilitated by none other than Timothy Leary, who urged his followers to turn on, tune in and drop out. The LSD, pot and various hallucinogens that became popular in the 60s made “turning on” easy.
Maybe it was the Beatles with Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band and the Beach Boys’ ode to “good vibrations” that finally pushed the pursuit of an altered reality to the mainstream.
Whatever it was, it worked. At least it seemed to work for the folks in charge of children’s programming at the time (I know).
If aliens landed on the planet and only had some of the 1960s kids’ shows to figure out whether intelligent life existed on Earth, I’m not convinced that they’d answer in the affirmative.
Let’s begin, shall we?
HR Pufnstuf
What Was He?? Okay. I had nightmares about this weird and creepy character. His bizarrely huge head, his ambiguous species…what was he? Some 21st century Googling revealed that he was supposed to be a dragon but that was clearly unclear. Even though dragons are made-up creatures of lore, this creature with a massive yellow cranium and green bags under his eyes, indicating a centuries-long bender was scary, to say the least. Yikes.
Witchiepoo and Freddie the Flute — A Disturbing Combination Two of the main characters in this bizarre children’s show are the primary antagonist, a witch named (surprisingly) “Witchipoo” and a magic flute with the moniker “Freddie the Flute.” Now. Where to start? Okay, first off, what was up with Witchipoo’s face and voice? And her nose?? We know that witches by definition are supposed to be ugly and shrill, but this particular character was next level creepy. Add to this her irrational obsession with Jimmy’s flute and we’re all at once confused and frightened, especially those of us who were under the age of 10. Her sole purpose in life was to get the flute, which was in and of itself the creepiest-looking woodwind one had ever seen. Take a look at it here.
Jimmy. Let’s Discuss. HR Pufnstuf had a constant companion named Jimmy. Jimmy, apparently, had no parents who cared about him as he was allowed to play unsupervised with his magical talking flute, who was named Freddy, who clearly led Jimmy down the wrong path. Freddy, being the only magical talking flute in existence, was obviously the source of desire for anyone who saw it, including very deranged witches. You see, Freddy was with Jimmy when he accepted a ride in a talking boat, a ploy set up by said Witchiepoo who was singularly focused on getting her hands on the magic flute. Washing up on the shores of Living Island (surprisingly, everything is alive here), Jimmy is rescued by the dragon with the huge yellow cranium and two equally frightening creatures named Cling and Clang. These clearly impaired creatures with vacuous, dead eyes were supposed to be some type of law enforcement unit, based on their outfits. The fact that they couldn’t see straight or steady with their vacant eyes locked in a disconnected gaze might be the first sign that they were not to be trusted.
If aliens landed on the planet and only had some of the 1960s kids’ shows to figure out whether intelligent life existed on Earth, I’m not convinced that they’d answer in the affirmative.
What a long, strange trip it was…
The Banana Splits Adventure Hour
Wecan blame The Banana Splits Adventure Hour for the trend of late 1960s children’s television programming descending into psychedelia. This original purveyor of all things groovy was produced by Hanna Barbera and inspired by the costumes of Sid and Marty Krofft, who upped their game and went on to more freakish entertainment in the name of HR Pufnstuf.
The Banana Splits was an imaginary rock band by four goofy characters: Fleegle, Bingo, Drooper and Snorky. If the names don’t make you take pause and surmise that there was something freaky going on with this show, perhaps the following questions will.
The Banana Pad: Why? These four “musicians” hung out together in a place called The Banana Pad and the locale alone inspires questions. For instance, why is there a fireman’s pole in the place? There’s a robot who is in-house regularly, but doesn’t seem to have a purpose. Further, and more alarmingly, each one of the Splits have their own dune buggies, that they ride around their pads. How? Why?
Bingo! Yikes! This character was by far the weirdest and creepiest in my childhood mind. Perpetually sporting a cheshire cat grin, the drummer for the goofy band was a frightening image whenever the camera panned to his not-of-this-word smile. Apparently Bingo was supposed to be a gorilla but no primate in history has ever looked like this. Thankfully.
Shades in the shade — They’re inside yet except for the lead singer, Fleegle, they’re all wearing shades. We all know what that means.
The bizarre nature and creepiness of the characters of this show clearly resonated with more kids than originally believed. Fellow adult film creators who likely grew up watching these nightmare freaks finally got the cathartic therapy they required over 50 years later. In 2019, the Banana Splits Movie was released, but it wasn’t the light and groovy fare of the original TV show. Nope — this one was a horror/comedy where the weirdo characters lose it and go on a killing spree, you know — just because.
Romper Room
Another level of creepiness and/or drug-inspired weirdness was found in the popular children’s show, Romper Room. It was here that my paranoia about being watched was solidified at an early age. Why? Because the host of this kiddie show said she could see everyone who was watching her on TV. You see, she had a “magic mirror,” and on each episode, she’d rhyme off names of the kids who she was spying on through the boob tube.
This prospect was at once exciting yet frightening. As much as I wanted to hear my name and be recognized by her, I was also conflicted by the fact that if she could see me, that wasn’t exactly comforting.
Though my name was rarely uttered in the age of Jennifers and Lisas, there was a distinct memory of her finally saying “Samantha.” And while I felt that I’d won the proverbial lottery at the time, it’s also safe to say that I was equally petrified at the prospect of this strange woman looking through a magic mirror right into my living room.
But back to the suspicion that, like many shows in the era, drugs were behind this program. Shall we revisit the popular “Do-Bee” song?
Check out the lyrics:
I always do what’s right.
I never do anything wrong.
I’m a Romper Room Do Bee, a Do Bee all day long.
Do be a sidewalk player,
Don’t be a street player,
Do be a car sitter,
Don’t be a car stander,
Do be a plate cleaner,
Don’t be a food fussy,
Do be a play safe,
Don’t be a match toucher
Sidewalk player, car sitter, plate cleaner, play safe
I always do what’s right, I never do anything wrong,
I’m a Romper Room Do Bee, a Do Bee all day long.
You can listen to the lyrics put to music here.
And if it’s not glaringly obvious, it’s called the “DO-BE Song.”
Do-Be? Doobie? Really?
Between the Magic Mirror, the Do-Be Song and the Romper Room teacher’s conviction that she could see children through an empty mirror frame as well as through the TV, one can only come to an obvious conclusion. Yes: drugs were definitely involved. Ditto for the HR Pfnstuf and the Banana Splits. What a far-out, groovy era.
Sid and Marty Kroft have always been clear they were NOT on drugs. I absolutely loved their shows. They were fun and silly and Witchiepoo was a favorite. You either get it or you don't, I guess. Thanks for memory lane, though. Saturday mornings and Cap'n Crunch.
Yes, she's my favourite as well! A really talented soul, taken way too soon.
Your post had me revisiting Hilarious House. It was on really early, so I'd get up early on Sat mornings and try to find it. I didn't really know how to work the tv then, but occassionally I'd get lucky! Loved Billy Van.