H.R. Pufnstuf

Overview

Characters

Main

• Jimmy - A young English human who was lured to Living Island by an enchanted boat. Witchiepoo controlled the boat with the aim of stealing Jimmy's magic talking flute named Freddy.
• H.R. Pufnstuf – A friendly dragon who is the Mayor of Living Island.
• Freddy the Flute - A magic talking flute that is owned by Jimmy. He is often targeted by Witchiepoo.
• Cling and Clang - Two short mute police officers who work for H.R. Pufnstuf as his Rescue Racer Crew. Cling wears red and Clang wears green. Although they appear vaguely animal-like with their beaked faces, and furry three-toed feet, the Kroffts have said they are actually bells, hence their names, but there are police officers in Pippi Longstocking named Cling and Clang as well.
• Wilhelmina W. Witchiepoo - The primary antagonist of the series, inspired by Margaret Hamilton's portrayal of the Wicked Witch of the West. Witchiepoo is a wicked but ineffective witch who has been targeting Freddy the Flute. She rides a large rocket-powered broom with a steering wheel called the Vroom Broom. She is cruel to everyone around her, even her henchmen, whom she constantly whacks with her wand. Yet when faced with failure, Witchiepoo usually starts to pity herself by asking "Why me"?
• * Orson Vulture - A stuffy, somewhat inept vulture who is one of Witchiepoo's henchmen. As her favorite flunky, he multitasks as her sounding board operator, butler, and co-pilot on her Vroom Broom. Orson once made the mistake of asking what the W. in his boss's name stood for. The answer: WHACK!
• * Seymour Spider - A dim-witted "spider" who is another of Witchiepoo's henchmen. As her second favorite flunky, he primarily serves her as her hairdresser and an alternative sounding board operator when Orson was busy.
• * Stupid Bat - A bat who is the least favorite and least seen of Witchiepoo's henchmen. He mainly serves as her messenger. As his name implies, Stupid Bat is not very bright and his messages are usually delivered one second too late.
• * Skeleton Guards - Two skeletons who guard Witchiepoo's castle. They are easily spooked and will often run from danger in a flash, but not before their armor and capes fly off in a cartoonish fashion.

  Others

• Dr. Blinky - An owl who is Living Island's local physician and scientist. Dr. Blinky is also the head of H.R. Pufnstuf's "Anti-Smog, Pollution, and Witch Committee". Other characters fear his medical incompetence and are terrified at the prospect of being treated by him.
• Judy Frog - A singing, dancing frog who is one of H.R. Pufnstuf's friends and the resident entertainer. Judy is based on Judy Garland, whom Sid Krofft had previously toured with and opened for.
• Pop Lolly - A living lollipop who makes and sells candy and other sweet goods.
• * Cheese Guards - Two guards that are living pieces of cheese who work for Pop Lolly. They would often help Pop Lolly fend off a group of Hippie Ants who want to have free candy.
• Ludicrous Lion - A lion who works as a peddler and owns a horse-drawn wagon. He is quite cunning and not always so honest when it comes to money. Although slightly shady and greedy, he is officially one of the Good Guys since he would often help to thwart Witchiepoo's plots.
• * Polka-Dotted Horse - A good-natured but dim-witted horse who works for Ludicrous Lion.
• Tick Tock - A mobile alarm clock that warns the good characters when Witchiepoo is coming and informs them of various other dangers.
• Grandfather Clock - A mobile grandfather clock who is married to Grandmother Clock.
• Grandmother Clock - A mobile grandmother clock who is married to Grandfather Clock.
• Miss Wristwatch - A glamorous rich mobile human-sized wristwatch.
• Hippie Ants - A group of ants that would try to have free candy from Pop Lolly.
• The Boyds - A bunch of birds that serve as Living Island's residential band. The Boyds are based on The Byrds.
• * Lady Boyd - A blue bird who is the lead singer of The Boyds. She was often seen singing the end theme to this show.
• Shirlee Pufnstuf - A dragon who is H.R. Pufnstuf's sister and a famous actress.
• Max von Toadenoff the Great - A monocled toad who works as a film director. Max von Toadenoff the Great is based on Erich von Stroheim, but named for Akim Tamiroff.
• The Good Trees - Several walking, talking trees who always help out H.R. Pufnstuf and the good guys. In the film Pufnstuf, the song "Living Island" described them as the "Hippie Trees of Peace and Love". They consist of:
• * Hippie Tree - A tree with sunglasses and dreadlocks who often speaks in hippie slang.
• * Madame Willow - Also known as the Dowager Tree, Madame Willow is an older, elitist female tree with a lorgnette.
• * Chief Redwood - Also known as the Indian Tree, Chief Redwood dons a feathered headdress and speaks in the fashion of a stereotypical melodramatic Native American.
• * There is an older, male tree who may or may not be the husband of Madame Willow.
• * There is another female tree whose lips are always in the shape of an "O".
• * There is a baby tree.
• The Evil Trees - Three trees on Witchiepoo's side that speak in a Transylvanian accent.
• *Evil Tree #1 - - The leader of the Evil Trees.
• * Evil Tree #2 -.
• * Evil Tree #3 - A tree that always speaks in rhyme.
• The Mushrooms - A group of talking mushrooms on Witchiepoo's side that turn whoever touches them into mushrooms. The mushroom leader smokes a cigar and speaks like James Cagney.
• The Crustaceans - They are shown in several episodes as well as the closing theme song, some crab-like characters who are never named or introduced. There is a family of them, much like the living clocks and the living trees. They almost never say anything, but one of them has a couple of brief lines in "The Almost Election of Witchiepoo."
• Witchiepoo's Castle - A talking, living entity that is home to Witchiepoo and her minions. There is also a door inside the castle that is a separate living entity as well as living pillars.
• Dr. Blinky's House - A broken down house, propped up with crutches with a bandage on one side and an ice pack atop its chimney. It suffers from explosive sneezing that it has no control over. This usually sends Pufnstuf and friends running for cover, although it has been occasionally used to thwart Witchiepoo's plans enough for her to tell the house to cover its door when it sneezes. It houses several other inanimate talking characters such as fireplace, a test tube and a candle. There is a talking human skull and a few talking books, one of which is named Charlie. Charlie's brother, an evil black book of spells, is kept on Witchiepoo's nightstand.
• The Winds - The Winds of Living Island are often called upon by H.R. Pufnstuf to blow Witchiepoo out of the sky. They consist of the North Wind, the South Wind, the East Wind, and the West Wind.