The Atlanta Legacy of Puppeteer, Dreamer and Entrepreneur Sid Krofft

96-year-old Sid Krofft has died in Los Angeles.

In 1974, the puppeteer extraordinaire, dreamer and entrepreneur, was contacted by Atlanta developer and sports team owner Tom Cousins (East Lake Czar) to create a downtown attraction.

The theme park would be inside the Omni International Complex (the future CNN Center).

According to the Atlanta History Center, “Atlanta’s rank as the murder capital of the U.S. in the early 1970s made developing the Omni a precarious business venture. However, Cousins and the Kroffts persisted, not anticipating that this decision would contribute to the demise of the theme park. Despite the high crime rate in the area, more than 3,000 dignitaries and celebrities attended an exclusive 1976 pre-opening of the World of Sid and Marty Krofft on the Sunday before the grand opening.”

It featured a "crystal carousel," a "Living Hats" show, a "pinball ride" where guests felt like a ball, and a 600-seat puppet theater. Guests accessed the park via a massive, freestanding, nine-story escalator.

Credit: ATL archives

Mayor Maynard Jackson said, "it was the most fantastic thing to ever hit any downtown in the world."

The attraction needed to draw 1 million visitors. It did 600,000, and shuttered 6 months later. 

Gone but never forgotten.

RIP Sid Krofft.

Credit: Ralph Nelson/Universal/Everett