Vintage Video:: The Bugaloos!

The Bugaloos, the bugaloos–they’re in the air and everywhere! Flying high, flying loose, flying free in the summer breeze…

Oh, Bugaloos!  I must admit I am only familiar with them through re-runs, but man, each episode I saw was like a psychadelic dream.

I would have loved to have been in the room when Sid and Marty Krofft pitched the show to NBC corporate executives…

“We have this idea for a happy peace-loving insect rock band that play in a magical forest and are antagonized by a villain who will be played by Martha Raye in an orange feather head-dress and she’ll be driven around by a rat. It’s gonna be HUGE!”

Well, maybe not so huge, but definitively memorable. Who couldn’t love such a groovy insect band?  Let me introduce you to the characters…

First we have IQ, the clever and dreamy grasshopper who was the lead singer and lead charmer in the band.  Fun fact: Phil Collins was up for this part, but instead it went to the devestatingly handsome John McIndoe, whose career pretty much stalled to nothing after the Bugaloos. Hmm… Perhaps Phil Collins owes John McIndoe a fruit basket…

And Harmony, everyone’s favorite piano playing bumble bee, who rocks a widow’s peak in his afro.  That should be enough for us to worship him.

There was Courage, played by John Phillpot.  I think it must have taken a lot of moxie for a guy to play a ladybug! And alas there wasn’t a single single picture of him. Sorry.

And last, but certainly not least was Joy, the cutest thing EVER in her pink butterfly outfit, which I would have loved to wear for Halloween or Memorial day or any day, because it is so freaking cute. Just like her. And please note the longer proto-Dorothy Hammill hairdo.

And of course Benita Bizarre, played by the magnificent Martha Raye.  Why do the villains always get the best outfits? And hats? And rat chauffeurs?

Poor Benita–all she wanted was to get the local radio station to play her awful/off key songs. And of course foil everything the Bugaloos ever did!

But she did have the sweetest pad around. She lived in a jukebox.  Take that and your fur covered walls, Lenny Kravitz!

And if that wasn’t enough–have you seen the Bugaloos car? I wanted that almost as badly as Joy’s ballerina butterfly dress.

And it wasn’t just me. This amazing butterfly car wasn’t immediately junked–oh no.  It still lives on and travels the world at car shows.

The Bugaloos were so awesome that mankind could only handle one season of them. But don’t worry–those 17 glorious episodes are available on DVD and yes, they are totally worth it.  How kiddo friendly are they? Well, let’s just say… I was having nightmares about Martha Raye’s rat chauffeur for years. But for YOUR viewing pleasure–absolutely!

However, I would recommend the amazing soundtracks! After all, the Bugaloos did produce some clever ditties.  Besides the great tunes, the record albums are totally cool.

Someone totally needs to do a Bugaloo-inspired nursery! And put this album cover on the wall!

Thanks, NBC and Krofft Brothers for the Saturday morning ride of a lifetime with the Bugaloos!

Did you ever catch an episode of the Bugaloos?

17 thoughts on “Vintage Video:: The Bugaloos!

  1. The Krofft brothers are the best thing about being born in 1970– I grew up watching Banana Split & Bugaloo reruns as well as a whole slew of their shows that came out when I was a kinder {Electra Woman & Dyna Girl anyone? How about Sigmund & the Sea Monsters?}

  2. ‘Bugaloos’ how cute of you to remember! That was one of the favorite shows of your ‘partner in crime’ That and ‘The Doubledecker Bus’! Have you heard of that one?. AS early as a 2 year old, she would walk around the house singing the Bugaloo song at the top of her lungs!! Thanks for bringing back good memories!

    1. That is the cutest, sweetest thing ever! I would have loved to see that! I haven’t heard of “The Doubledecker Bus”, but I’ll certainly look for it and do a post on that!

  3. Yep it’s true, I was a Bugaloo fan! But I was so little I really remember NOTHING about the show….I too had to catch ’em in re-runs, but like my mom says I apparently loved singing the song. I also loved HR Puf-n-Stuff and Lidsville! (Charles Nelson Riley!!!) This post is amazing because I honestly didn’t remember very much of the show and its so fun to see it in all its kooky glory. It looks AWESOME! (Take THAT Fresh Beat Band!!) Sid and Marty Krofft were the best. We might need to do a post on Electra Woman and Dyna Girl some day!!

    1. Hahaha!!! I totally agree over Fresh Beat Band! The Bugaloos were beyond crazy! And so deliciously so! I hope this makes you bust out your DVD and check them out again and see what you remember.

  4. WOW. I’m with Alix, I barely, BARELY remember this show. The shot of the bee-guy playing the piano triggered my memory the most. So wild. I’ve found a few things here at MK that give me this visceral, almost creepy feeling when I see them because the memory is SO long ago (like, forty years ago, good GOD), and this is a doozie! 🙂

    1. Oh, lady–you and me BOTH! It is totally nutty II hope I didn’t freak you out too much, Tiffanie! I must admit a lot of these things would have scared the crap out of me as a kid, so I’m really interest in watching them again.

  5. I’m a bit too young for this show but it brought back memories of my favorite, very odd show Zoobilee Zoo. I pulled up reruns on YouTube once for my niece and she was entranced. Hilarious!

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