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Another level, or "environment," is dominated by the Pinball Machine, in which visitors whirl inside a 6-ft. ball past gargantuan bumpers and buzzing circuitry and through tunnels of pulsating lights. The park's second rollicking ride, Living Island Adventure, plunges one down a simulated mine shaft and into a menacing world of strident sound and animated scenery where Witchiepoo on her Vroom Broom is bested by Mayor H.R. Pufnstuf. A high point of Krofft country is "Celebration," an ingenious electronic marionette show starring singers, skaters and musicians—and a goofy shark that swoops Jawsfully into the audience. Lest a single moment pall, World has 82 roving live performers. They are uniformly young and friendly, and offer the South's most familiar injunction: "Y'all come back."
The Kroffts came naturally to their World. The sons of a Greek family that has been renowned for puppeteering since the mid-18th century, Sid, 52, is a shy, fey, creative genius, while Marty, 39, the business manager, is 6 ft. 4 in. of Athenian chutzpah. The brothers first won fame with Les Poupe'es de Paris, a spicy puppet parody of the Lido and a hit at the New York and Seattle world's fairs in the 1960s.
Fantasy Factory. Since then the Kroffts have enlivened television's Saturday mornings with such series as H.R. Pufnstuf and The Bugaloos; most of the characters in their Atlanta World are thus familiar to children. The brothers also produce Donny and Marie, ABC's successful prime-time variety program, and have a contract for a new series,
Kroffts' SuperShow. Their bustling fantasy factory in Los Angeles took 21/2 years to turn out the hardware for Kroffts' World. Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson last week presented the brothers with plaques in honor of their labors—on which their name was misspelled KROFT. No matter. Their monikers will soon be as familiar in Atlanta as Maynard JAKSON.