Have you heard of the Wild Kratts, the PBS Go series that premiered in January? Macaroni Kid was thrilled to have the opportunity to discuss animals and parenting with Chris and Martin Kratt, the stars and creative force behind the show. The Kratt Brothers are in town for the Houston Children's Festival, happening this Saturday and Sunday downtown.
The show is about the exploratory animal adventures of Chris and Martin Kratt. Through the use of animation, the viewer is able to see what normally cannot be seen through live action filming. But according to the Kratts, it's more than an animal show. "It's a science show - animals can take you anywhere in science. You learn chemistry with skunks, gravity with falcons.”
Natives of New Jersey, the Kratt brothers began their careers in wildlife like many children - exploring in their own backyards "in the wilds of New Jersey".
"We would go on our own creature adventures," according to Chris. "We would observe box turtles, garter snakes, possum… and we had this fascination with animals that just kept going.”
“ I think most kids really like animals - kids love animals more than anybody, and there were no wildlife shows on specifically for kids when I was a kid."
During college, the pair began pursuing their love of the wild. As Chris tells it, the brothers "started in college in places like Costa Rica, and just camped out. We recorded (animals) with our camcorder, and took our recordings into schools to show kids. We found out what they liked, and didn't like about the recordings, and finally a station picked up our show."
"We wanted to make that first daily wildlife show for kids.” Ultimately, Kratt’s Creatures was born, followed later by the Emmy-award winning PBS Kids series Zoboomafoo, which was the first wildlife show specifically designed for preschoolers.
And now with the Wild Kratts series, school-aged viewers can experience the wild through animated adventures. As the creators and visionaries behind the Wild Kratts, the Kratt brothers also write many of the episodes and lead the animation team. "We selected animators that were really good and were really excited about animating animals that had never been animated before,” says Martin. “So many creatures on our show had never been animated, so they (the animators) were excited, too.” Chris and Martin are both parents of boys – Martin’s boys are seven and nine, and Chris’ boys are eight and almost two. As far as parenting priorities, theirs are clear.
“For me as a parent,” says Chris, “what works is just letting my kids experience all they can experience, try new things, and explore their interests. As a kid, that’s the time when you should be exploring all the various things life has to offer.”
Martin agrees, and adds, “As a parent producing kid shows, it’s becoming important for me, as kids take in more and more screen time - be it in front of computer or television - to take away something of value, something they can use.”
He goes on to say that “one of the objectives of the Wild Kratts was to give the funny, entertaining, and exciting, but also to walk away from it having gained something. Childhood goes by so quickly, and this is the time (kids) can really learn and build on that foundation.”
And in addition to the knowledge base, the show has had an added benefit – it has encouraged together-time for families. “One of the most gratifying things about the show,” says Chris, “is receiving letters from parents, saying that we’ve encouraged them to get outside and head to the zoo, or wherever, and have creature adventures of their own!”
Chris and Martin Kratt, stars of the PBS Kids series the Wild Kratts, will appear at the Houston Children’s Festival this Saturday only, April 9, on the Best Buy Jump, Jive, and Jam Stage at 12pm and 2pm. For more information about the festival and the full schedule, check homepage of the Houston Children's Festival, which will be held this weekend downtown.
