Marty Krofft

In the half-hour solo portion of his interview, Marty Krofft (1937-2023) discusses his early involvement in puppetry and his father’s puppeteering. He talks about his relationship with his brother, Sid Krofft, and their puppet act together. He also describes the business aspects of puppeteering and reflects on his achievements, regrets, and how he’d like to be remembered. 

In the two-and-a-half-hour joint portion of their interview, brothers Sid and Marty Krofft recount their early years in a puppeteering family. They discuss working with Judy Garland and appearing on The Dean Martin Show. They describe creating their first television series, H.R. Pufnstuf, after achieving success in designing the live-action costumes for Banana Splits, which launched them into children's television. They also talk about the origin of their other cult-favorite programs including Lidsville, The Bugaloos, Lost Saucer, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, and Land of the Lost. They recount their involvement with amusement parks and also speak of their lawsuit over McDonaldland. Karen Herman conducted the interviews on July 27, 2000 in Sherman Oaks, CA.