A Family Name Built Like a Machine
I think of William Kratt Jr. as the kind of man who helped keep a legacy from slipping through the cracks. His name may not be the most familiar part of the Kratt story, but his work sits at the center of it like a steel axle holding a wheel in motion. He came from a family shaped by manufacture, music, and persistence, and he carried that inheritance forward with a steady hand.
William Kratt Jr. was the son of William Kratt Sr. and Emily Kratt. He also had a sister named Jean. The family lived in the hard-working, practical world of business building, where ideas had to survive contact with reality. In that setting, inheritance was not a trophy. It was a responsibility.
His life connects two eras. One era belongs to the old family business, with pitch pipes, toy instruments, and shop-floor discipline. The other belongs to the next generation, the one his sons would help make famous through children’s television and wildlife education. William Jr. stood in the middle, bridging the old factory smell of molding plastic and the bright modern reach of media and education.
Military Service, Then Business
Before his business career took shape, William Kratt Jr. served in the Army Ordnance Corps. That detail matters to me because it suggests a man trained in precision, logistics, and practical execution. He did not step into family life as a sheltered heir. He returned with discipline and then joined the family company in 1954.
That was the beginning of a long industrial chapter. Together with his father, he helped launch The Plastic Injecto Company. The name alone sounds like a spark from a press machine. The company produced musical toys under the Arist-O-Kratt line, including plastic harmonicas and the Magic Music Box. It was a business built on small joys, but the work behind it was serious. Design, production, sales, and timing all had to align.
In 1965, The Plastic Injecto Company was sold to Auburn Rubber Company. That sale marked one turning point in William Jr.’s business story, but not the end of his industrial work. He later helped run the family’s custom-molding business and kept the Kratt enterprise alive for decades.
A Man at the Center of a Working Family
William Kratt Jr. and Linda Kratt became the family’s emotional center. According to family records, they were together for about 50 years by 2010 and semi-retired in Vermont. I like the concept of a calmer retirement with the lengthy echo of employment.
They had four kids: Martin, Chris, Susan, and Christine. That is a vast, active home where identity is shared but not squashed. Each child became an adult differently, yet they had a family root.
Martin Kratt was known for educational and nature TV. Chris Kratt also created science, adventure, and curiosity programs. Millions of families knew the Kratts from their public careers. The spotlight didn’t appear suddenly. It started at home in a family culture that valued labor, inventiveness, and practicality.
William Jr. helped build the basis for fresh prominence.
The Children and Their Own Branches
Martin Kratt, William Jr.’s son, became one half of the well-known Kratt Brothers team. He married Laura Wilkinson, and they have two sons, Gavin and Ronan. Chris Kratt, the younger brother, married Tania Armstrong, and they have two sons, Aidan and Nolan. The family tree branches cleanly, but not thinly. It is full of life.
Susan Kratt and Christine Kratt remain less publicly visible than their brothers, but they are still part of the family structure. Susan is publicly associated with veterinary and biotech work, while Christine appears connected to veterinary and clinical safety work. Even where the public record is thinner, the pattern is clear. This is a family that seems to produce people who work with purpose.
William Jr.’s grandchildren continue the line: Gavin, Ronan, Aidan, and Nolan. A family line like this is not a straight road. It is more like a river delta, splitting and widening, yet still fed by the same source.
Business, Numbers, and the Shape of a Life
William Kratt Jr.’s career has a very specific texture. It is not the kind of life measured by celebrity headlines or stock market speculation. It is measured by years, companies, product lines, and steady adaptation.
Here is the rough shape of the business timeline I see:
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1954 | Joined the family company after Army service |
| 1954 to 1965 | Helped run The Plastic Injecto Company and the Arist-O-Kratt toy line |
| 1965 | Sold The Plastic Injecto Company |
| Later decades | Helped operate the family custom-molding business |
| 2001 | Family sold the pitch-pipe business after 76 years |
| 2010 | Described as semi-retired in Vermont with Linda |
Those dates tell a story of endurance. He was not building a brand for one season. He was carrying a legacy across generations. That kind of work can be invisible from the outside, but it is often the skeleton inside a family story.
Why His Story Still Matters
William Kratt Jr. should be remembered since he is an American family builder who rarely becomes recognized. He labored in history’s background, where many enduring things are made. People invented products, sold companies, raised families, and prepared for the next generation.
The Kratt brothers made the family famous, but their father provided the roots. Every wind can lean a tree without roots. With them, it stands.
Humanity is evident in his transition from military service to industrial job to family life to Vermont retirement. No theatrical arc. A functioning arc. Grease and patience are on its hands. It looks like a well-maintained machine.
Family Members
William Kratt Sr.
William Kratt Sr. was William Jr.’s father and the earlier generation of the family business. He helped establish the company line that William Jr. later continued.
Emily Kratt
Emily Kratt was William Jr.’s mother. She was not a decorative figure in the family story. She helped with operations, improved methods, and trained employees. That kind of contribution leaves fingerprints on a business for decades.
Jean
Jean was William Jr.’s sister. Public information places her in Wisconsin and outside the family business.
Linda Kratt
Linda was William Jr.’s wife and the mother of Martin, Chris, Susan, and Christine. Her role in the family story is central, both as partner and parent.
Martin Kratt
Martin is one of William Jr.’s sons and one of the best known members of the family. He became a zoologist, television creator, and co-host in educational wildlife media.
Chris Kratt
Chris is William Jr.’s younger son and Martin’s brother. He also became a zoologist and television creator.
Susan Kratt
Susan is one of William Jr.’s daughters. Public references connect her to veterinary and scientific work.
Christine Kratt
Christine is William Jr.’s other daughter. Public references connect her to veterinary and clinical safety work.
Laura Wilkinson
Laura is Martin’s wife and William Jr.’s daughter-in-law. She is the mother of Gavin and Ronan.
Tania Armstrong
Tania is Chris’s wife and William Jr.’s daughter-in-law. She is the mother of Aidan and Nolan.
Gavin Kratt
Gavin is William Jr.’s grandson through Martin.
Ronan Kratt
Ronan is William Jr.’s grandson through Martin.
Aidan Kratt
Aidan is William Jr.’s grandson through Chris.
Nolan Kratt
Nolan is William Jr.’s grandson through Chris.
FAQ
Who was William Kratt Jr.?
William Kratt Jr. was a family businessman and manufacturer who helped continue the Kratt family enterprise after military service. He played a major role in the business history behind the Kratt name.
What was William Kratt Jr. known for?
He was known for joining the family company in 1954, helping build The Plastic Injecto Company, and later running family manufacturing operations for many years.
Who were William Kratt Jr.’s children?
His children were Martin, Chris, Susan, and Christine.
Was William Kratt Jr. connected to the Kratt Brothers?
Yes. Martin and Chris are his sons. Their public careers in wildlife education and television made the family name widely known.
Did William Kratt Jr. have grandchildren?
Yes. His grandchildren include Gavin, Ronan, Aidan, and Nolan.
Where did William Kratt Jr. live later in life?
Later public descriptions place him in Vermont with Linda during semi-retirement.
What kind of business did he work in?
He worked in family manufacturing, including pitch pipes, plastic molding, and musical toy production.
Was William Kratt Jr. a public celebrity?
No. He was more of a private family and business figure, while his sons became more public through media work.
