Sally Cruikshank began her career as an independent animator while a college student in the 1970s. In 1975, while working in San Francisco for Snazelle Films, she wrote, designed, directed, and animated (with only minimal assistance) Quasi at the Quackadero, a surreal short featuring art deco-ish, vibrantly colored, indistinct characters, reminiscent equally of birds and frogs. The short, which was later chosen for inclusion in the 1994 book The 50 Greatest Cartoons, led to other projects, including animating a nightmare television sequence for Twilight Zone: The Movie (partially directed by John Landis). Her other works include the animated intro to the film Mannequin and a sequence for a 2017 SpongeBob SquarePants Halloween special.