Marty Krofft, Sid & Marty Krofft Productions

Today, my guest is Marty Krofft, who together with his brother Sid Krofft, are the founders and creators of Sid & Marty Krofft Productions.

After designing the characters and sets for Hanna-Barbera‘s The Banana Splits in 1968, the Krofft’s producing career initially made the landmark children’s television series H.R. Pufnstuf. They went on to make numerous children’s television and variety show programs including Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, Land of the Lost, The Lost Saucer, Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, and Wonderbug. In 2018, the Kroffts received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Daytime Emmys and in 2020, the Kroffts were honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for their contributions to television.

In this candid conversation, Marty shared the real stories behind his 50-year career running Sid & Marty Krofft Productions, his roots in live puppetry, and his relentless drive to keep creating new entertainment.

1. The Live Puppetry Roots. Marty revealed that before dominating television, he and his brother Sid were the opening puppet act for legends like Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, and Liberace. This three-year live touring experience across the country gave them a profound understanding of what audiences truly wanted, leading to an incredible television “batting average” where 16 of their 20 pilots became successful shows.

2. Surviving as an Independent. Despite the uphill battles of being an independent producer, Marty successfully maintained control and ownership over all of their intellectual property. He recalled a major studio executive telling him that if he had pursued cash over fame, he would be running a major studio today; instead, he proudly survived as a hands-on independent producer who always came up with his own weird ideas rather than copying television trends.

3. Entertaining the Executives. While his brother Sid acts as the creative genius, Marty is highly hands-on with the daily business, running the company and overseeing projects from the beginning to the final mix. When pitching new ideas to executives like Michael Eisner, the brothers relied on their sense of humor and would deliberately argue with each other during the meeting, knowing the executives were eager for the comedic entertainment.

4. No Plans for Retirement. At over 80 years old, Marty has zero intentions of retiring, jokingly stating that he will only stop if he is pulled out of an airplane. Today, he is actively working on new secret movies and series for major companies, and recently saw immense modern success when their classic characters were released as NFTs, selling out and grossing $600,000 in just 12 minutes.

Hsu Untied interview with Marty Krofft, Sid & Marty Krofft Productions