Sid Kroft

About

Television show creator, producer, and puppeteer known for his work on the shows H.R. Pufnstuf (1969-1971), Land of the Lost (1974-77), Sigmund and the Sea Monsters (1973-75), and Donny and Marie" (1976-79) among many other projects. He and his brother Marty Krofft were known as the Krofft Brothers and were co-creators on most of his projects.

Before Fame

He first began working as a puppeteer for vaudeville and in circuses. He began pairing up with his brother Marty and turned their interest into TV shows rather than live performances. He and his brother appeared on the premiere episode of The Dean Martin Show in the year 1965. He began getting involved in TV after that appearance. He and Marty designed the costumes and did work on The Banana Splits Adventure Hour in 1968, which helped spark their joint career.

Trivia

He and Marty used to tell people they were fifth-generation puppeteers, but that was a myth made up by their publicist. McDonald's tried to copy their style in the late 1970s, but they ended up losing upon being sued by the Krofft Brothers.

Family Life

He was born Sid Yolas in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He has Greek and Hungarian heritage. He had three brothers total including Marty. His father was a clock salesman who emigrated from Greece in the early 1900s.

Associated With

Shirley MacLaine and Richard Nixon attended one of his live shows in the 1970s.