BEFORE the internet, streaming services and over-scheduled weekends, Saturday mornings meant a chance for Aussie kids to manually turn the TV dial to their favourite shows.

And in the 1970s and early 1980s, there’s was a smorgasbord of wacked-out shows to choose from. From H.R. Pufnstuf stuff (seriously, what were they puffing?) to the psychedelic Banana Splits — it was weird and wonderful TV, light on the moralising and heavy on pure entertainment. Here are some of the best.

H.R. PUFNSTUF

The creators of H.R Pufnstuf were on another level when they cooked up this show about a boy named Jimmy and his talking flute. Set on Living Island, it was a paradise of weirdos where bizarrely-costumed life-size puppets rolled through one surreal hallucination after another attempting to outsmart the villain Witchipoo as she schemed to steal the magic flute. Stoners claimed Sid and Marty Krofft’s creation contained countless sly drug references including the title character’s name; hand-rolled (H.R.) marijuana (puffin’ stuff). Marty Krofft however said it simply stood for ‘Royal Highness’ backwards.

CATWEAZLE

The eccentric 11th century wizard looked like he hadn’t bathed in years and has possibly self-medicated with a few too many herbs. The time-travelling Catweazle and his toad bumbled through one bewildering experience after another in modern Britain with a red-headed kid called Carrot. It’s no surprise Geoffrey Bayldon, who played Catweazle, went on to play another bonkers character, the walking talking scarecrow in kids’ show Worzel Gummidge.

BANANA SPLITS

Tra-la-la, la-la-la-la, tra-la-la, la-la-la-la. Aside from the manic theme song, and the fact three of the four ‘bananas’ wore sunglasses in EVERY show (very suss), the groovy Banana Splits Adventure Hour made every kid want to crash dodgems and drive quad bikes. Produced by Hanna Barbera, the show’s mix of bubblegum pop, comedy skits, animation and live-action shorts was groundbreaking although this pre-teen psychedelia probably looked like a bad acid trip to our parents.

WACKY RACES

Muttley’s smoker’s laugh is seared into the memories of most gen Xers who grew up watching this absurd cartoon. The snickering dog was henchman to villain Dick Dastardly, and while he spent a lot of time being sledged by his boss, he also saved his arse in almost every episode. The pair spent their time trying to thwart an oddball cast of racers, from the club-wielding cavemen to the go-go boot wearing Penelope Pitstop. A touch of mild violence and innuendo only our parent’s understood made it the perfect kid’s cartoon.

FRAGGLE ROCK

In the strange universe of Fraggle Rock, Fraggles, Doozers and Gorgs all depended on radishes as they lived out their lives on a compost heap called Marjory. Yep. Fraggle Rock was a freaky little world with its own logic but the creativity bursting from the minds of creator Jim Henson and his collaborators was irresistible.

THE WOMBLES

‘Underground, overground, Wombling free’. These furry critters whon wombled around a burrow on Wimbledon Common in London, hiding from humans, gave many kids their first lesson in recycling. On a quest to make use of the junk people threw away, the community of long-snouted furballs with excellent manners whipped up all sorts of gadgets from everyday rubbish. The show later became a stop motion animated series and even managed a few chart-topping hits.