"In the middle of the summer, in the middle of a park,
There began a great adventure for a boy whose name was Mark.
He had come to see the magic man, along with all the children and
'Twas so began the day that Mark was never to forget…"

On one fateful day, a young inquisitive teenager named Mark made a trip to an amusement park, where he witnessed a magic show by the amazing Merlo the Great. Intrigued by the show, Mark stayed behind at the conclusion and snuck into the illusionist’s dressing room. Discovering the magician’s magic hat, Mark decided it couldn’t hurt to peek inside, but the moment he did, the hat began to grow…and grow…and grow. Rather than run away, curiosity got the best of Mark and he climbed up on the brim to peer inside. The moment he did, the hat began shake, knocking the teen off of the edge and into the hat.


"…Falling, falling, into the hat he fell,
Spinning, turning, whirling, twirling
Down, down…"

Mark’s destination was the mysterious world of Lidsville, a place inhabited by an assortment of living hats. And no sooner had he arrived than he was captured by a roving band of “Bad Hats” all under the employment of a sinister sorcerer named Horatio J. Hoo-Doo. Suspicious of the teen and fearing that he was sent as a spy by the “Good Hats,” Hoo-Doo proceeded to place Mark in his dungeon. At least Mark wasn’t alone; he was quickly befriended by the friendly Weenie the Genie, whose heart was in the right place – she just wasn’t so great at casting spells without her magic ring, which had been confiscated by Hoo-Doo. Mark helpfully assisted in recovering the ring and the two managed to escape his evil clutches.

Now back amongst the friendly Good Hats in Lidsville, Weenie and the gang tried their best to get Mark back to his own world. A number of obstacles stood in their way, however, including Hair Forest and Shampoo River, not to mention the ongoing efforts of Hoo-Doo to get back control of both Weenie and, of course, the magic ring.

"Lidsville is the Koo-Koo-Kookiest,
Lidsville is the Ki-Ki-Kickiest,
Lidsville is the Groo-Groo-Grooviest
Lidsville is the living end…"

Produced by Sid and Marty Krofft, creators of such live-action kids shows as H.R. Pufnstuf and Sigmund and the Sea Monsters (to name but a few,) Lidsville debuted in 1971 and ran for two years, with a total of 17 episodes. The cast of television veterans included Charles Nelson Reilly, playing both Merlo the Great and Hoo-Doo; Billy Hayes, who had played the inimitable Witchiepoo on Pufnstuf; and Butch Patrick (Eddie, the young son on The Munsters.) Typical of other Krofft offerings, the show featured a combination of live actors and costumed character mascots whose voices were dubbed in later. The show had the same distinctive psychedelic flavor of H.R. Pufnstuf, a product of those endearing 70s, as well as a fondly-remembered theme song. And decades later, Lidsville continues to live on in the hearts of its many fans, and, of course, on DVD.


"…So if you bump into a bonnet
With ears and eyes and nose upon it,
Nope, you haven't gone bats,
That's Lidsville…"