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Kratt brothers

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Chris and Martin Kratt
The Kratt brothers in 2010
Born
Martin William Kratt
Christopher Frederick James Kratt

Martin: (1965-12-23) December 23, 1965 (age 58)
Chris: (1969-07-19) July 19, 1969 (age 55)
Warren Township, New Jersey, U.S.
Occupations
  • Zoologists
  • educational nature show hosts
  • YouTubers
Years active1990–present
TelevisionWild Kratts
Zoboomafoo
Kratts' Creatures
Be The Creature
Spouse(s)Martin:
Laura Wilkinson
​
(m. 2000)​

Chris:
Tania Armstrong
​
(m. 2000)​
ChildrenMartin: 2
Chris: 2
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2018–present
GenreAnimals
Subscribers54.2 thousand[1]
Total views6.7M views[1]
Websitewww.wildkratts.com

Martin (born December 23, 1965) and Christopher Kratt (born July 19, 1969) are American zoologists, educational nature show hosts and YouTubers. Sons of musical instrument manufacturer William King "Bill" Kratt,[2] the brothers grew up in Warren Township, New Jersey[3] and together created children's television series Kratts' Creatures, Zoboomafoo,[4] Be the Creature (which aired on the National Geographic Channel and CBC), and Wild Kratts (which airs on PBS Kids and TVOKids).[5]

Early lives and education

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Martin was born on December 23, 1965, and Chris was born on July 19, 1969, in New Jersey to Linda (born 1939) and William Kratt (1928-2022).[6] They are the grandsons of musical instrument maker William Jacob Kratt (1892-1983), who emigrated from Germany to America in 1910.[7]

The brothers attended Watchung Hills Regional High School. Both were inducted into the school's hall of fame in 2013.[8] Martin holds a Bachelor of Science in zoology from Duke University,[9] and Chris holds a Bachelor of Arts in biology from Carleton College.[10]

Career

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Shortly after graduating from Duke University, Martin became a research assistant for a howler monkey project under Dr. Kenneth Glander in Costa Rica. Shortly after, he worked with Dr. Patricia Wright in Madagascar as well as Dr. John Terbogh in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest.[11] In 1990, Chris served as an intern at Conservation International in Washington, D.C. A year later, he started the Carleton Organization for Biodiversity. His ecology studies have been funded by the Explorers Club and the National Science Foundation. He was also the recipient of the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship. Chris also starred alongside his brother Martin in the show Zoboomafoo, which aired from 1999 to 2001. On this PBS Kids show, they went on many adventures with animals with the help of Zoboomafoo, a Coquerel's sifaka lemur (Propithecus coquereli). The other shows the brothers created are Wild Kratts, Be the Creature, Kratt's Creatures, and Wild Alaska Live.

From June 13 to August 3, 2008, the brothers appeared in Creature Adventures, a stage show at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.[12] They also appear as themselves in the Odd Squad episode "Night Shift". Additionally, in the Nature Cat crossover episode “Wild Batts”, the Kratt Brothers voice bat versions of themselves looking for a new home. They also appear in the Molly of Denali crossover episode “Cry Wolf” as themselves looking for a missing pack of wolves in that episode with the help of Molly Mabray (the series protagonist) and her father.

In 2017, Dr Gavin Svenson discovered a new species of mantis and named it Liturgusa krattorum after the brothers for their impact on the educational television genre. A special episode of Wild Kratts was later released to commemorate the occasion.

Personal lives

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The brothers have lived in Ottawa, Ontario since 2008,[13][14] where they film and produce their TV series Wild Kratts.

Martin Kratt

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Main article: Martin Kratt

Martin is married to Laura Wilkinson and has two sons, Ronan and Gavin, both of whom have had roles on Wild Kratts.

Chris Kratt

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Main article: Chris Kratt

Chris has two sons, Aidan and Nolan, with his wife Tania Armstrong, an interior designer whom he married in 2000 in Botswana.[15][16] Like their cousins Gavin and Ronan, Aidan and Nolan have roles in Wild Kratts as animated versions of themselves.

References

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  1. ^ a b "About @TheKrattBros". YouTube.
  2. ^ Kerr, Grady. "The History of the Pitchpipe: 80 Years and Still on Pitch". Retrieved September 23, 2015.
  3. ^ Hopkins, Tom. "BROTHERS TROT GLOBE TO FILM CREATURES FOR KIDS' SHOW", Dayton Daily News, May 30, 1996. Accessed December 24, 2007. "Returning home, they killed the film in the basement of the family home in Warren, N.J., and cut five short films."
  4. ^ "PBS – Zoboomafoo: Family Fun". PBSKids.org. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
  5. ^ Hopkins, Tom. "BROTHERS TROT GLOBE TO FILM CREATURES FOR KIDS' SHOW", Dayton Daily News, May 30, 1996. Accessed December 24, 2007. "Returning home, they edited the film in the basement of the family home in Warren, N.J., and killed five short films."
  6. ^ "William Kratt Obituary (1928 - 2022) - Legacy Remembers". Legacy.com.
  7. ^ "Made in Jersey: Perfect pitch has always been a family affair in Union County, NJ". March 4, 2014.
  8. ^ Mathews, Ellie. "Watchung Hills Principal, Teacher Top Hall of Fame Class; Joseph Battiato, Matthew Kantor, Chris and Martin Kratt, Robert Oppenheim and Lawrence von Beidel also inducted.", Warren, NJ Patch, April 8, 2013. Accessed January 26, 2020. "The Watchung Hills Hall of Fame committee has announced its 2013 honorees, persons who have served or brought honor to the high school through their efforts or achievements. They will be honored at a ceremony to be held on May 10 in the school's Performing Arts Center. Those named for the honor are:... Chris Kratt and Martin Kratt, brothers whose educational television programs and films about wildlife and animals are aired on National Geographic Channel and PBS"
  9. ^ "PBS-Zoboomafoo: Family Fun". PBSKids.org. Retrieved March 15, 2012.
  10. ^ "PBS – Zoboomafoo: Family Fun". PBSKids.org. Retrieved March 15, 2012.
  11. ^ "How the Nature-Loving Kratt Brothers Became PBS Rock Stars for the Younger Set". July 3, 2021.
  12. ^ "Creature Adventures starring the Kratt Brothers at Dollywood". Dollywood.com. Archived from the original on August 30, 2009. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
  13. ^ Robb, Peter (November 30, 2013). "Brothers Gone Wild". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  14. ^ Robb, Peter (November 30, 2013). "BROTHERS GONE WILD". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved July 18, 2018 – via PressReader.
  15. ^ Politowicz, Tracy Ann (January 8, 2011). "Brothers Martin and Chris Kratt trade Somerset County for the wide world of wildlife". The Star-Ledger. Nj.com. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
  16. ^ O'Brien, Elizabeth (February 12, 2001). "Animal Magnetism". People Magazine. Time Inc. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
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