Sid Krofft
Encyclopedia
Sid Krofft is a Canadian/American puppeteer
and television producer. He created and produced a wide array of shows and TV series and specials with his brother, Marty, beginning in the 1960s.
to Rhode Island
to New York
. By 1937, Sid was staging puppet shows in the family's backyard with paper puppets, and the boy planned to charge peers a penny to view it. When his parents forbade that idea, Sid instead charged friends a button to see the show (decades later, buttons became the standard currency on Living Island of the Krofft TV show H.R. Pufnstuf
).
at age 15, carnivals and burlesque
shows, and he was soon joined by his father, who worked as Sid's apprentice.
By the 1950s, Sid was touring as the opening act for numerous celebrities, including Judy Garland
, Liberace
, Cyd Charisse
and Tony Martin
. Sid was in dire need of another puppeteer when he opened for Judy Garland at the Flamingo Hotel, so he asked his younger brother Marty to assist. The two have been business partners ever since, forming Sid and Marty Krofft Productions
.
Soon after, Sid got the idea to do an adults-only puppet show, which ultimately came to be known as Les Poupées de Paris
. The show was an instant success, and led the Kroffts to the Texas amusement park Six Flags
, where a (seemingly) permanent Krofft puppet attraction was erected. Their Six Flags shows caught the attention of Hanna-Barbera
, who recruited the Kroffts to design costumes for their latest show, The Banana Splits Adventure Hour.
The Banana Splits was a huge success for NBC
, so the Krofft brothers were asked to develop their own series. The result was H.R. Pufnstuf
, a short-lived television series that became a cult
phenomenon. Sid continued to churn out outlandish ideas throughout the '70s, and brother Marty was commissioned to bring Sid's weird and wacky ideas to life on the television screen. The duo's children's shows were wildly popular and paved the way for the Kroffts to invade primetime with television variety show
s and specials showcasing celebrities (The Donny and Marie Show, The Brady Bunch Hour
, and Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters, as examples). Sid continued steadily developing ideas for TV shows until the early '90s, but the Kroffts' popularity began to wane as ratings
for variety shows and live-action children's shows began to decline.
Interest in the Krofft's empire was renewed in October 1995 when Nick at Nite
aired Pufapalooza, a marathon of the Kroffts' television shows. Around this time, Sid noticed that his skin was bleeding. In December 1995, he was diagnosed with melanoma
skin cancer. Sid began a vigorous regimen of alternative medicine
and his cancer went into remission several months later.
In the years since, Krofft has tried to breathe new life into several of his early projects, such as Electra Woman and Dyna Girl and Land of the Lost, and he has continuously mentioned plans to recreate H.R. Pufnstuf and Sigmund and the Sea Monsters
as feature films, though to date, the latter two projects have continuously been stalled before production began.
, and Sid's birthplace was originally Athens
. Sid's original name was designated Cydus Yolas.
Puppeteer
A puppeteer is a person who manipulates an inanimate object, such as a puppet, in real time to create the illusion of life. The puppeteer may be visible to or hidden from the audience. A puppeteer can operate a puppet indirectly by the use of strings, rods, wires, electronics or directly by his or...
and television producer. He created and produced a wide array of shows and TV series and specials with his brother, Marty, beginning in the 1960s.
Biography
Cydus Yolas (later to be known as Sid Krofft) was born in 1929 to Peter, a clock salesman, and his wife Mary. Cydus took an interest in puppeteering at an early age. The family moved from CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. By 1937, Sid was staging puppet shows in the family's backyard with paper puppets, and the boy planned to charge peers a penny to view it. When his parents forbade that idea, Sid instead charged friends a button to see the show (decades later, buttons became the standard currency on Living Island of the Krofft TV show H.R. Pufnstuf
H.R. Pufnstuf
H.R. Pufnstuf was a children's television series produced by Sid and Marty Krofft in the United States. It was the first Krofft live-action, life-size puppet program. The seventeen episodes were originally broadcast September 6, 1969 to September 4, 1971...
).
Career
Encouraged by his family, Sid took his act on the road, starring in circuses such as Ringling BrothersRingling brothers
The Ringling brothers were seven siblings who transformed their small touring company of performers into one of America's largest circuses in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in McGregor, Iowa and raised in Baraboo, Wisconsin, they were the children of Heinrich Friedrich August Ringling...
at age 15, carnivals and burlesque
American burlesque
American Burlesque is a genre of variety show. Derived from elements of Victorian burlesque, music hall and minstrel shows, burlesque shows in America became popular in the 1860s and evolved to feature ribald comedy and female striptease...
shows, and he was soon joined by his father, who worked as Sid's apprentice.
By the 1950s, Sid was touring as the opening act for numerous celebrities, including Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
, Liberace
Liberace
Wladziu Valentino Liberace , best known simply as Liberace, was a famous American pianist and vocalist.In a career that spanned four decades of concerts, recordings, motion pictures, television and endorsements, Liberace became world-renowned...
, Cyd Charisse
Cyd Charisse
Cyd Charisse was an American actress and dancer.After recovering from polio as a child, and studying ballet, Charisse entered films in the 1940s...
and Tony Martin
Tony Martin (entertainer)
Tony Martin is an American actor and singer.-Career:Tony Martin was born on Christmas Day, 1913 as Alvin Morris in San Francisco, California to Jewish immigrant parents. He received a saxophone as a gift from his grandmother at the age of ten. In his grammar school glee club, he became an...
. Sid was in dire need of another puppeteer when he opened for Judy Garland at the Flamingo Hotel, so he asked his younger brother Marty to assist. The two have been business partners ever since, forming Sid and Marty Krofft Productions
Sid and Marty Krofft
Sid Krofft and Marty Krofft , are a sibling team of television producers who were influential in children's television and variety show programs in the USA, particularly throughout the 1970s and early 1980s....
.
Soon after, Sid got the idea to do an adults-only puppet show, which ultimately came to be known as Les Poupées de Paris
Les Poupées de Paris
Les Poupées de Paris was a musical puppet show created, produced and directed by Sid and Marty Krofft, that toured the United States throughout the 1960s.-History:...
. The show was an instant success, and led the Kroffts to the Texas amusement park Six Flags
Six Flags
Six Flags Entertainment Corp. is the world's largest amusement park corporation based on quantity of properties and the fifth most popular in terms of attendance. The company maintains 14 properties located throughout North America, including theme parks, thrill parks, water parks and family...
, where a (seemingly) permanent Krofft puppet attraction was erected. Their Six Flags shows caught the attention of Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. was an American animation studio that dominated North American television animation during the second half of the 20th century...
, who recruited the Kroffts to design costumes for their latest show, The Banana Splits Adventure Hour.
The Banana Splits was a huge success for NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, so the Krofft brothers were asked to develop their own series. The result was H.R. Pufnstuf
H.R. Pufnstuf
H.R. Pufnstuf was a children's television series produced by Sid and Marty Krofft in the United States. It was the first Krofft live-action, life-size puppet program. The seventeen episodes were originally broadcast September 6, 1969 to September 4, 1971...
, a short-lived television series that became a cult
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
phenomenon. Sid continued to churn out outlandish ideas throughout the '70s, and brother Marty was commissioned to bring Sid's weird and wacky ideas to life on the television screen. The duo's children's shows were wildly popular and paved the way for the Kroffts to invade primetime with television variety show
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...
s and specials showcasing celebrities (The Donny and Marie Show, The Brady Bunch Hour
The Brady Bunch Hour
The Brady Bunch Hour is an American variety television series produced by Sid and Marty Krofft in association with CBS Television Distribution, which aired on ABC between 1976 to 1977....
, and Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters, as examples). Sid continued steadily developing ideas for TV shows until the early '90s, but the Kroffts' popularity began to wane as ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
for variety shows and live-action children's shows began to decline.
Interest in the Krofft's empire was renewed in October 1995 when Nick at Nite
Nick at Nite
Nick at Nite is the nighttime Cable network that broadcasts over the channel space of Nickelodeon on Sundays from 8.p.m.-7.am., Monday through Fridays from 9 p.m.-7 a.m. and Saturdays from 10 p.m.-6 a.m. . Though it shares channel space with Nickelodeon, A.C. Nielsen Co...
aired Pufapalooza, a marathon of the Kroffts' television shows. Around this time, Sid noticed that his skin was bleeding. In December 1995, he was diagnosed with melanoma
Melanoma
Melanoma is a malignant tumor of melanocytes. Melanocytes are cells that produce the dark pigment, melanin, which is responsible for the color of skin. They predominantly occur in skin, but are also found in other parts of the body, including the bowel and the eye...
skin cancer. Sid began a vigorous regimen of alternative medicine
Alternative medicine
Alternative medicine is any healing practice, "that does not fall within the realm of conventional medicine." It is based on historical or cultural traditions, rather than on scientific evidence....
and his cancer went into remission several months later.
In the years since, Krofft has tried to breathe new life into several of his early projects, such as Electra Woman and Dyna Girl and Land of the Lost, and he has continuously mentioned plans to recreate H.R. Pufnstuf and Sigmund and the Sea Monsters
Sigmund and the Sea Monsters
Sigmund and the Sea Monsters was an American children's television series that ran from 1973 to 1975, produced by Sid and Marty Krofft and aired on Saturday mornings...
as feature films, though to date, the latter two projects have continuously been stalled before production began.
False family history
For most of Krofft's life, he and his family's history was publicly presented as true when it was actually concocted by a publicity agent in the 1940s. In a Los Angeles Times article in 2008, Sid and his brother Marty admitted the deception, mentioning that even young family members possessed incorrect information, believing some of the fiction as fact. Most authoritative sources before 2008 considered the agent's fiction as fact. For example, Krofft's family was reportedly five generations of puppeteers in GreeceGreece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, and Sid's birthplace was originally Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
. Sid's original name was designated Cydus Yolas.