Fraggle Rock

Did You Know?

• In early development, the Fraggles were called 'Woozles' pending a more suitable name.
• The avant-garde poet bpNichol worked as one of the show's writers.
• The original North American wraparound features an inventor named Doc played by Gerry Parkes and his dog Sprocket.

Characters

The series features three intelligent anthropomorphic species: Fraggles, Doozers, and Gorgs. Fraggles refer to humans as 'Silly Creatures. The Fraggles and Doozers inhabit a system of natural caves called Fraggle Rock, which connects to the Land of the Gorgs and to 'Outer Space' (the human world). A central theme is that the three species depend on one another for survival but struggle to communicate due to biological and cultural differences. The main Fraggles are five individuals: pragmatic Gobo, artistic Mokey, indecisive Wembley, superstitious Boober, and adventurous Red. Fraggles are small anthropomorphic creatures, typically 18 inches tall, with fur-tufted tails and a variety of colors. They live a carefree life with a thirty-minute work week, spending time playing and exploring. Their diet consists mainly of radishes and Doozer sticks, made from ground radishes and Doozer building material. Wisdom is sought from Marjory the Trash Heap, a large, sentient compost heap in the Gorgs' garden, who is said by her rat companions Philo and Gunge to 'know all and see all.'

Spin-offs

An animated Fraggle Rock series aired for one season on NBC's Saturday morning lineup in 1987, introducing some Fraggles, Doozers, and other cave creatures exclusive to the series. Doc, Sprocket the Dog, and several Fraggles appear in A Muppet Family Christmas, where Doc and Sprocket rent Fozzie Bear's mother's farmhouse. Kermit the Frog and his nephew Robin discover a Fraggle hole in the basement and enter Fraggle Rock, encountering the five main Fraggles. In 2012, The Jim Henson Company and DHX Media announced a computer-animated spin-off titled The Doozers, targeting children ages 4 to 7 and focusing on four young Doozers named Spike, Mollybolt, Flex, and Daisy Wheel living at Doozer Creek. The series began airing on Hulu on April 25, 2014. In September 2005, The Jim Henson Company announced a film adaptation, Fraggle Rock: The Movie, aiming for a 2009 release. In October 2006, Ahmet Zappa was hired to write a treatment for a full-length live-action musical fantasy. In May 2008, The Weinstein Company announced it would distribute the film, written as a live-action musical by Cory Edwards, who would also direct. The film would involve all core characters and take them outside Fraggle Rock to interact with humans, whom they think are aliens. Karen Prell and Dave Goelz were slated to return as Red Fraggle, Boober Fraggle, and Uncle Traveling Matt.

Music

Music was essential to Fraggle Rock, with each episode containing two or three original songs co-created by Canadian poet Dennis Lee and Philip Balsam, plus background music. Some episodes, especially those featuring Cantus and the Minstrels, revolved around music—for instance, Red Fraggle trying to discover her own song for the Fraggle Medley, or how music could break winter or bring light into the caves. During the show's first run, a lengthened and re-recorded version of the opening theme came out as a single, reaching number 33 on the UK chart in March 1984. The show's writers included Jim Henson, Jerry Juhl, and Jocelyn Stevenson, while Philip Balsam and Dennis Lee wrote the songs. On October 30, 2007, KOCH Records put out Fraggle Rockin': A Collection, a three-disc box set of Fraggle Rock music. This set had restored and remastered versions of three original Fraggle Rock LPs, along with special liner notes that included rarely seen photos, contributions from the original composers, and sheet music for selected songs. The main part of those liner notes, titled "Getting Down at Fraggle Rock," is an interview with Philip Balsam and Lawrence S. Mirkin, written by Mike Petersen and Saul Pincus.

In other media

Interactive books for Playskool's Talk 'n Play include Fraggle Rock: The Great Fraggle Travel Race. Magic Pen and Invisible Inks books were produced for Lee Publications, including two untitled Fraggle Rock books with cover art by Nate Butler, published in 1989.