The Passing of the Man that Gave Us Sea-Monkeys

I was only hoping for a photograph and ended up getting a great interview. I asked George Atamian, the president of ExploraToy (the distributors of Sea-Monkeys), if he could arrange an interview with Harold von Braunhut for the Ant Farm & Sea-Monkeys chapter of The Playmakers. George informed me that Harold had been sick of late and that he rarely granted interviews anymore. Content to have anything I could get, I asked for a picture of him. George said that he would work on it and get back to me.

A few weeks later I got a call from a pleasant woman asking for my address. I asked her who she was and she said, “I’m Yolanda von Braunhut, Harold’s wife.” I thanked her for her generosity and gushed over how I planned to cover Sea-Monkeys and Harold’s other famous invention, X-Ray Spex in The Playmakers. She then said, “Well he’s right here, would you like to speak with him?” I scrambled for a pad and pencil as she added, “Hold on. I’ll crank up his hearing aid.”

Harold was fun to listen to and a great interview. He told me about all those comic book ads he bought and being a big comic fan as a kid, I felt as if I was talking to royalty. Like many kids of the ’60s and ’70s, I grew up reading those Sea-Monkeys ads. “Own a BOWLFUL of HAPPINESS!” “Only $1.00!” I also had the entertaining (and yes, odd) chance to “grow my own pet” thanks to him.

At the end of our conversation I thanked him for inventing The Amazing Live Sea-Monkeys and of course, for the interview. It was July 18, 2003. A little more than two months later, he passed away. George Atamian posted this obituary as a tribute to the man behind everyone’s favorite petite pet.

Thanks again Harold, wherever you are.

Harold von Braunhut (1926-2003)