The Banana Splits Adventure Hour
"Tra la, la, la, la, la, la..."
At one of the World's Fairs, the brothers Krofft were enlisted to create puppet shows for Six Flags, a theme park that existed in Arlington, Texas which soon began setting up franchises around the USA. One of the highlights of their live shows was a portion where the marionettes ripped off their strings and ventured out into the audience -- this was achieved by hiring dwarfs and midgets to don puppet costumes -- and it was so effective that most people couldn't figure out how this bit of wizardry was achieved. Their live shows caught the attention of Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera, two cartoon entrepreneurs who were looking for someone to design costumes for their newest TV characters, The Banana Splits...
"The Banana Splits Adventure Hour" was a bit of a departure from previous Hanna Barbera ventures in that it included live-action portions with guys in costumes, and comedy skits modeled after the ones on "Laugh-In" in addition to the animated segments. The Kroffts designed the suits for Fleegle, Bingo, Drooper and Snork, the show's four leads, they contributed to the overall look of the show, and during the first season, the live-action portions were taped at Six Flags Over Texas, where the Kroffts had their attraction set up. Although they had some creative input with the design, the Kroffts involvement ended there. The show (and its memorable theme song) were an overwhelming success, and it paved the way for the Krofft brothers to do a show of their own... a little show called "H.R. Pufnstuf," which would catapult the brothers into the spotlight.
