''Fraggle Rock'' (also known as ''Jim Henson's Fraggle Rock'' or ''Fraggle Rock with Jim Henson's Muppets'') is a children's musical

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

puppet television series about interconnected societies of

Muppet The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an surreal humor, absurdist, burlesque, and self-referential humor, self-referential style of Variety show, variety-sketch comedy. Created by Jim Henson in 1955, they are ...

creatures, created by

Jim Henson James Maury Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990) was an American puppeteer, animator, cartoonist, actor, inventor, and filmmaker who achieved worldwide notice as the creator of The Muppets and '' Fraggle Rock'' (1983–1987) and ...

. An international co-production of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, ''Fraggle Rock'' was co-produced by British television company

Television South Television South (TVS) was the ITV franchise holder in the South and South East of England between 1 January 1982 at 9.25 am and 31 December 1992 at 11.59 pm. The company operated under various names, initially as 'Television South plc' and ...

(TVS), the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

(CBC), U.S. pay television service

Home Box Office Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television, premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office busi ...

(HBO), and

Henson Associates The Jim Henson Company (formerly known as Muppets, Inc., Henson Associates, Inc., and Jim Henson Productions, Inc.; commonly referred to as Henson) is an American entertainment company located in Los Angeles, California. The company is known for ...

. Unlike ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) ...

'', which had been created for a single market and only later adapted for international markets, ''Fraggle Rock'' was intended from the start to be an international production, and the entire show was constructed with this in mind. At least four different versions of the human "wraparound" segments were produced separately to air in different countries. Following the success of the ''Fraggle Rock: Rock On!'' shorts which aired on

Apple TV+ Apple TV is a digital media player and microconsole developed and marketed by Apple Inc. It is a small network appliance hardware that plays received media data such as video and audio to a television set or external display. Since its secon ...

in April 2020, a reboot of ''Fraggle Rock'' was ordered by the streaming service. Known as '' Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock'', it premiered on January 21, 2022.

History

''Fraggle Rock'' debuted in 1983 as one of the first shows involving the collaboration of Henson International Television (

HiT Entertainment HIT Entertainment Limited (commonly written as HiT) was a British-American entertainment company founded in 1982 as Henson International Television, the international distribution arm of The Jim Henson Company, by Jim Henson, Peter Orton, and Sop ...

from 1989), the international arm of

Jim Henson Productions The Jim Henson Company (formerly known as Muppets, Inc., Henson Associates, Inc., and Jim Henson Productions, Inc.; commonly referred to as Henson) is an American entertainment company located in Los Angeles, California. The company is known fo ...

. The co-production brought together British regional ITV franchise-holder

(TVS), CBC Television (Canada), and U.S. pay-TV service

and the

Jim Henson Company The Jim Henson Company (formerly known as Muppets, Inc., Henson Associates, Inc., and Jim Henson Productions, Inc.; commonly referred to as Henson) is an American entertainment company located in Los Angeles, California. The company is known for ...

(then known as Henson Associates). Filming took place on a

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

soundstage (and later at

Elstree Studios Elstree Studios is a generic term which can refer to several current and demolished British film studios and television studios based in or around the town of Borehamwood and village of Elstree in Hertfordshire, England. Production studios ha ...

, near London). The avant-garde poet bpNichol worked as one of the show's writers. In the early days of development, the script called the Fraggles "Woozles" pending the devising of a more suitable name. Henson described the ''Fraggle Rock'' series as "a high-energy, raucous musical romp. It's a lot of silliness. It's wonderful."Random House, 1993. Jim Henson The Works: The Art, The Magic, The Imagination The program proved accessible to audiences of all ages, and used the fantasy creatures as an allegory to deal with serious issues such as

prejudice Prejudice can be an affective feeling towards a person based on their perceived group membership. The word is often used to refer to a preconceived (usually unfavourable) evaluation or classification of another person based on that person's per ...

, spirituality,

personal identity Personal identity is the unique numerical identity of a person over time. Discussions regarding personal identity typically aim to determine the necessary and sufficient conditions under which a person at one time and a person at another time ca ...

, the

environment Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, all living and non-living things occurring naturally * Biophysical environment, the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism or ...

, and

social conflict Social conflict is the struggle for agency or power in society. Social conflict occurs when two or more people oppose each other in social interaction, and each exerts social power with reciprocity in an effort to achieve incompatible goals but ...

. ''Down at Fraggle Rock'' documentary; 1987, HBO and Jim Henson Productions In 2009, as part of the

Jim Henson Foundation The Jim Henson Foundation was founded by puppeteer and Muppet creator Jim Henson to promote and develop puppetry in the United States. Since 1992 Jim Henson's daughter Cheryl Henson has served as the president for the Foundation. It is the only ...

's donation of

puppets A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. The puppeteer uses movements of their hands, arms, or control devices such as rods or strings to mov ...

to the

Center for Puppetry Arts The Center for Puppetry Arts, located in Atlanta, is the United States' largest organization dedicated to the art form of puppetry. The center focuses on three areas: performance, education and museum. It is one of the few puppet museums in the ...

, the

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

museum displayed many of the original puppet characters from ''Fraggle Rock'' in their exhibition ''Jim Henson: Wonders from his Workshop''.

International co-productions

The producers made the series with the intention of it airing in various forms internationally. That concept grew out of Jim Henson's experience adapting ''Sesame Street'' to the requirements of foreign markets. The human "wraparound" segments were produced separately in several countries, so the viewer could always relate to the world of the program. The series has appeared now in over 10 countries and languages. The head producer was Wesley James Tomlinson. * The original North American version, filmed in Toronto, features an inventor named Doc (played by Gerry Parkes) and his dog Sprocket. This wraparound was also used in Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, the Republic of Ireland, Scandinavia, Spain, Japan, and Eastern Europe. Dutch, Scandinavian, Spanish, Japanese, and Eastern European shows were dubbed in their respective languages. * The British inserts were filmed first at the TVS Television Theatre in Gillingham, Kent, and later at their larger studio complex in

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, linking it wi ...

(the former since closed and demolished) and presents ''Fraggle Rock'' as a rock-filled sea island with a lighthouse. Exterior footage was that of St Anthony's Lighthouse located near Falmouth in Cornwall. The

lighthouse keeper A lighthouse keeper or lightkeeper is a person responsible for tending and caring for a lighthouse, particularly the light and lens in the days when oil lamps and clockwork mechanisms were used. Lighthouse keepers were sometimes referred to as ...

is The Captain (played by

Fulton Mackay William Fulton Beith Mackay (12 August 1922 – 6 June 1987) was a Scottish actor and playwright, best known for his role as prison officer Mr. Mackay in the 1970s television sitcom '' Porridge''. Early life Mackay was born in Paisley, Re ...

), a retired sailor who lives with his faithful dog Sprocket. In the third season, as MacKay had died in 1987, the role was played by

John Gordon Sinclair John Gordon Sinclair (born Gordon John Sinclair; 4 February 1962) is a Scottish actor, voice actor, singer, and novelist. He is best known for portraying Gregory in the 1981 film '' Gregory's Girl''. There was a Gordon Sinclair already register ...

as P.K., (the Captain's nephew) and in the fourth and final season by Simon O'Brien as B.J. (son of the lighthouse's owner, Mr. Bertwhistle). In 2014, 35 of these British ''wraparounds'' were still missing, believed wiped, although subsequent recoveries have gradually reduced this number. As of December 2020, all 96 wraparounds have been found and handed over to the BFI, confirming that the entire UK production still exists in some shape or form.Archived a
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...

repeated it in the UK from 1993, as did

Boomerang A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning ...

and

Cartoonito Cartoonito is a brand name used by Warner Bros. Discovery for a collection of television networks and Block programming, programming blocks that target preschool-age children. The name combines the "cartoon" with the Spanish language, Spanish suf ...

in 2007. The episodes shown were the original North American versions. * In France, the wraparound segments take place in a bakery with its version of Doc (played by

Michel Robin Michel Robin (13 November 1930 – 18 November 2020) was a French film, stage, and television actor. A sociétaire of the Comédie-Française since 1996, he also appeared in 120 films from 1966 to 2018. He won several awards for his acting, ...

) who worked as a baker and a French Sprocket called Croquette. Doc inherited the home from his eccentric Uncle Georges (who was a noted inventor). Thus, when the frame story required the use of a mechanical device, Doc would find yet another of Uncle Georges's machines. Plot-lines also frequently involved the elegant but unseen Madame Pontaven (who Doc repeatedly attempted to impress and invite to dinner with no success). Not all of the 96 episodes were produced in French. * In the German version, the action takes place beneath the workshop of the inventor Doc (played by Hans-Helmut Dickow). The series was named ''Die Fraggles'' with 85 of the 96 produced episodes being presented in German.

Characters

There are four main intelligent anthropomorphic species in the Fraggle Rock environment: Fraggles, Doozers, Gorgs, and Silly Creatures. The Fraggles and Doozers live in a system of natural caves called Fraggle Rock that are filled with all manner of creatures and features and which connect to at least two different areas: * The Land of the Gorgs which they consider part of the "Universe". * "Outer Space" (our world). One of the main themes of the series is that, although the three species depend on the other for their survival, they usually fail to communicate due to vast differences in their biology and culture. The series mainly follows the adventures of five Fraggles, each with their own personality: pragmatic Gobo, artistic Mokey, indecisive Wembley, superstitious Boober, and adventurous Red. Some of the characters' names are film industry

in-jokes An in-joke, also known as an inside joke or a private joke, is a joke whose humour is understandable only to members of an ingroup; that is, people who are ''in'' a particular social group, occupation, or other community of shared interest. It i ...

. For example, Uncle Traveling Matt is a reference to the traveling matte technique used with blue screen to give the impression a character is somewhere they are not; Gobo is named after a shaped metal grill placed over a theater light to produce interesting shadows (window shapes, leaves, etc.) and Red is a reference to a "redhead", another name for an 800w film light.

Fraggles

Fraggles are small anthropomorphic creatures, typically tall,"The Story of Fraggle Rock", from Henson.com
that come in a variety of colors and have fur tuft tipped tails. Fraggles live a generally carefree life, spending most of their time (they have a thirty-minute

work week The weekdays and weekend are the complementary parts of the week devoted to labour and rest, respectively. The legal weekdays (British English), or workweek (American English), is the part of the seven-day week devoted to working. In most of t ...

) playing, exploring, and generally enjoying themselves. They live on mainly

radish The radish (''Raphanus raphanistrum'' subsp. ''sativus'') is an edible root vegetable of the family Brassicaceae that was domesticated in Asia prior to Roman times. Radishes are grown and consumed throughout the world, being mostly eaten raw ...

es and Doozer sticks, made of ground-up radishes and the material with which the Doozers build their constructions. The Fraggles seek wisdom from Marjory the Trash Heap, who is located in a corner of the Gorgs' garden. Marjory the Trash Heap is a large, matronly, sentient compost heap. According to her rat-like companions Philo and Gunge, the Trash Heap "knows all and sees all." By her own admission, she has "everything".

Doozers

Within Fraggle Rock lives a second species of small humanoid creatures, the pudgy, green, and industrious Doozers. Standing about tall ("knee-high to a Fraggle"). Doozers are in a sense the opposite of Fraggles; their lives are dedicated to working and industry. Doozers spend much of their time busily constructing all manner of scaffolding throughout Fraggle Rock, using miniature construction equipment and wearing

hardhat A hard hat is a type of helmet predominantly used in workplace environments such as industrial or construction sites to protect the head from injury due to falling objects, impact with other objects, debris, rain, and electric shock. Suspensi ...

s and work boots. Doozers build their constructions out of an edible candy-like substance (manufactured from radishes) which is greatly enjoyed by Fraggles. This is essentially the only interaction between Doozers and Fraggles; Doozers spend most of their time building just for the sake of it, and Fraggles spend much of their time eating Doozer buildings which they consider delicious. The Doozers say in an early episode that "architecture is meant to be enjoyed", and in "The Preachification of Convincing John" Mokey prevents the other Fraggles from eating the building work, believing it to be insensitive to the Doozers. As a result, the Doozer building eventually takes over Fraggle Rock, and once full the Doozers plan on moving out as they have nowhere left to build. They explain that they want the Fraggles to eat their work to create space for more building work to go up again. Despite this co-dependence, the Doozers generally maintain a low opinion of Fraggles, considering them frivolous. The Doozers also seem to have little knowledge of the universe outside Fraggle Rock; early in the series, they are unaware of the existence of the Gorgs or their garden. However, there was also one time when Doc found, in his workshop an ancient-looking Doozer helmet, indicating that the Doozers may have explored outside Fraggle Rock into "Outer Space" at some time in their forgotten past. Adolescent Doozers come of age with a "taking the helmet" ceremony, in which they proudly accept their Doozer helmet from the Doozer Architect, after swearing to live a life of hard work. Rarely, a Doozer will refuse to "take the helmet"; a once in a generation occurrence that is generally met with shock and disbelief in the Doozer community. Such non-conformist Doozers can, however, find places of high regard in Doozer society, due to the advantages of their more creative way of thinking.

Gorgs

Outside another exit from Fraggle Rock live a small family of Gorgs, fat furry humanoids standing about . The husband and wife of the family, Pa, and Ma, consider themselves the King and Queen of the Universe, with their son Junior Gorg as its prince and heir-apparent, but to all appearances, they are simple farmers with a rustic house and garden patch. In "The Gorg Who Would Be King", Pa says he has ruled for 742 years. Fraggles are considered pests by the Gorgs, as they often steal radishes from the garden. The Fraggles do not consider it stealing. The Gorgs use the radishes to make anti-vanishing cream, without which they disappear headfirst.

The Silly Creatures of Outer Space

In the North American, French, and German versions of Fraggle Rock (along with most other foreign dubs), the connection between Fraggle Rock and Outer Space is a small hole in the wall of the workshop of an eccentric inventor named Doc and his (Muppet) dog Sprocket. In the British version, the situation is much the same, except that the hole leads into the living quarters of a lighthouse where the keeper lives with his dog, Sprocket. Gobo must go out into Doc's workshop to retrieve the postcards from his uncle Matt from the wastebasket where Doc throws them, assuming they are misdelivered. Traveling Matt (a pun on

traveling matte Mattes are used in photography and special effects filmmaking to combine two or more image elements into a single, final image. Usually, mattes are used to combine a foreground image (e.g. actors on a set) with a background image (e.g. a scenic ...

, the film

compositing Compositing is the process or technique of combining visual elements from separate sources into single images, often to create the illusion that all those elements are parts of the same scene. Live action, Live-action shooting for compositing is ...

technique used in his segments) is exploring the wider world, observing humans, and reporting humorously false conclusions about their everyday behavior. Sprocket often sees and chases Gobo, but can't convince Doc anything lives beyond the wall. Sprocket and Doc have many similar miscommunications throughout the series, given the language barrier, but overall, they understand each other quite well. In the final episode arc of the original North American version of the show, Doc himself finally meets Gobo and befriends him. Gobo tells Doc that Fraggles refer to humans as "silly creatures", and apologizes. Doc tells him that he thinks that it is a very good name for humans. Unfortunately in the final episode, Doc and Sprocket have to move to another state, but the Fraggles discover a magic tunnel that allows them to visit Doc and Sprocket's new home easily at any time.

Episodes

Broadcast history

The CBC/HBO version of the series has been broadcast and dubbed in 95 countries. The series airs on Channel 7, TV One, Doordarshan, and

Workpoint TV Workpoint TV is Thailand's television station, owned by Workpoint Entertainment, broadcasting on channel 23 of Thailand's digital television. History Workpoint Entertainment began to test their satellite TV broadcasting Channel for Workpoin ...

. Others were broadcast on

Coub Coub is a video hosting service, video streaming platform available on the web, iOS and Android (operating system), Android. It allows users to create and share looped audio-visual collages up to ten seconds long, using existing video clips from ...

as an uploaded video, and others broadcast on

TVtropolis DTour (styled as DTOUR) is a Television in Canada, Canadian English language specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment. The channel was originally established by Canwest in 1997 as Prime, a cable companion to Global Television Network, Glob ...

(Canada), Bolivision (Bolivia), and

CNC3 CNC3 Television (CNC3) is a television station privately owned by Guardian Media Limited serving Trinidad and Tobago. It broadcasts over-the-air on channels 12 and 14 and is seen throughout the FLOW cable system on channel 3 (DVS) or 103 (AVS) ...

(Trinidad and Tobago). After the show ended on HBO in 1987, the channel started to rerun the series. In 1988, it ran on

TNT Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagen ...

. The show aired on Disney Channel from October 1, 1992 to September 30, 1996. From 1999 to 2001, the show moved to

Odyssey Network The Hallmark Channel is an American television channel owned by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., which in turn is owned by Hallmark Cards, Inc. The channel's programming is primarily targeted at families, and features a mix of television movies an ...

, which had recently been purchased by Henson and Hallmark. After Hallmark took full control, it discontinued the reruns. From October 10, 2010 to October 4, 2014, reruns aired on The Hub as part of the channel's launch. In 2007, ''Fraggle Rock'' reruns aired on television internationally. On July 23, 2007,

and

started repeating episodes of the original North American production of ''Fraggle Rock'' in the UK, as they were unable to use the UK edits. In January 2013, ITV broadcast two episodes of this version as part of its Old Skool Weekend feature on the

CITV CITV (short for Children's ITV, also known as the CITV Channel) is a British free-to-air children's television channel owned by ITV plc. It broadcasts content from the CITV archive and acquisitions, every day from 6 am to 9 pm which ...

channel. On December 12, 2015, the remastered " The Bells of Fraggle Rock" episode debuted alongside Henson's remastered ''

Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas ''Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas'' is a 1977 television special directed by Jim Henson, based on the 1971 children's book of the same name by Russell Hoban. The special features an ensemble cast of Henson's Muppet characters as well as chara ...

'' on ABC Family in its '' 25 Days of Christmas'' programming block. ''Fraggle Rock'' was available on

HBO Now HBO Now (formally named HBO from July 2020) was an American subscription video on demand streaming service for premium television network HBO owned by WarnerMedia subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc. Officially unveiled on March 9 and launched on A ...

in HD and in 2016 the series began to air reruns on

HBO Family Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is bas ...

. In 2019, ''Fraggle Rock'' debuts along with the Henson classic content on

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming and Renting, rental service of Amazon (c ...

in North America, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Scandinavia, Finland, and Iceland. On May 26, 2020,

announced that, alongside a series order for a reboot, they had acquired the exclusive streaming rights to the previous seasons of ''Fraggle Rock'' in the 100 countries the service is available in, making the series the first piece of non-original content available on the service.

Home media

Australia

Magna Pacific Magna Home Entertainment was an independent home entertainment distributor headquartered in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, operating within Australia and New Zealand. As of February 2009, Magna Home Entertainment became a fully owned subsidia ...

published the American version of ''Fraggle Rock'' on Region 4 DVD in 2007. The DVD set ''Fraggle Rock: The Complete Fourth Season'' actually includes seasons four and five. The DVDs have no special features. A set of plush dolls of Gobo, Wembley, Boober, and Red were released by Sababa Toys, each accompanied by a DVD featuring two episodes of the show, and one episode of the animated series.

United Kingdom

Twelve UK episodes were released on VHS and DVD by Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment in April 2004. TVS, the original ITV broadcaster, has passed through several owners since dropping out of the ITV network in 1992 and it was believed only these 12 episodes had survived. The research found more episodes, but many of the original 95 remained lost. HiT Entertainment has tried unsuccessfully to locate the missing episodes, including extensive inquiries with

The Jim Henson Company The Jim Henson Company (formerly known as Muppets, Inc., Henson Associates, Inc., and Jim Henson Productions, Inc.; commonly referred to as Henson) is an American entertainment company located in Los Angeles, California. The company is known for ...

both in the UK and the US. When UK television channels wish to broadcast the show, they used the US versions; such was the case with

and

in 2007. In addition to the unknown fate of the physical master material, much of the original TVS production paperwork and sales documentation has been lost during the intervening years. This problem affects the majority of the TV program archive, preventing any commercial exploitation. As of December 2017, search efforts and returned episodes from private collectors - mostly home recordings on VHS - have raised the number of episodes to 95, with only one episode - "Gobo’s School For Explorers", missing. In December 2020 TV preservation company Kaleidoscope announced via their Facebook page that VHS copies of all episodes had been located and transferred from the collection of producer

Victor Pemberton Victor Francis Pemberton (10 October 1931 – 13 August 2017) was a British writer and television producer. His scriptwriting work included BBC radio plays, and television scripts for the BBC and ITV, including ''Doctor Who'', ''The Slide'', ...

. In 2010,

Lionsgate Home Entertainment Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquartered ...

the UK began releasing complete season box sets. These releases are the same as the American box sets, except without bonus features.

United States

HBO Video Home Box Office, Inc. (HBO) is an American multinational media and entertainment company operating as a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery. Founded by Charles Dolan and based out of WarnerMedia's former corporate headquarters at the 30 Hudson Yar ...

, previously known as HBO/Cannon Video and Thorn EMI/HBO Video, released a collection of single-episode VHS tapes during the 1980s through Jim Henson Video. In 1993, Buena Vista Home Video, under their ''Jim Henson Video'' label released five ''Fraggle Rock'' VHS tapes with two episodes each.

HIT Entertainment HIT Entertainment Limited (commonly written as HiT) was a British-American entertainment company founded in 1982 as Henson International Television, the international distribution arm of The Jim Henson Company, by Jim Henson, Peter Orton, and Sop ...

released several single-disc DVDs with three episodes each (two in the VHS counterparts) plus bonus episodes which could be unlocked by completing a trivia game before releasing the first three seasons of ''Fraggle Rock'' on DVD in Region 1 between September 2005 and September 2007. It released a complete series box set on November 4, 2008, but did not release the final season in a separate release. Season 4 had originally been scheduled to be released on the same day as the complete series set but at the last minute, it was scrapped and was never released. In 2009,

reached a deal with The Jim Henson Company to release ''Fraggle Rock'' on DVD. It subsequently released the final season on DVD for the first time on November 3, 2009. On the same day, the "Complete Series" collection was re-released with new packaging (due to numerous complaints about the previous release). In 2013, Vivendi Visual Entertainment acquired the license to release Jim Henson Company DVDs, including Fraggle Rock. Season 1 was re-released on March 12, 2013, followed by Season 2 on April 16, Season 3 on May 14, and Season 4 on June 18. A complete series set was also released on May 14 as ''Fraggle RockThe 30th Anniversary Collection''. This 22-disc set features all 96 episodes of the series as well as bonus features. A six-episode DVD was released with the title ''Meet the Fraggles''. On July 11, 2018, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment announced that they would be releasing a complete series set of ''Fraggle Rock'' on

Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...

in honor of the show's 35th anniversary. The 12-disc set includes remastered versions of all 96 episodes of the series in high-definition, and includes all features from the previous DVD season releases as well as adding new material such as a 1993 ''

Today Show ''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'' or informally, ''NBC News Today'') is an American news and talk morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It w ...

'' segment featuring Uncle Traveling Matt, a series of on-set videos with creator Jim Henson, and all 13 episodes of '' Fraggle Rock: The Animated Series''. It was released on September 25, 2018.

Spin-offs

Animated series

An animated ''Fraggle Rock'' series aired for one season on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

's Saturday morning lineup in 1987. The cartoon series introduced some Fraggles, Doozers, and other cave creatures exclusive to the series.

''A Muppet Family Christmas''

Doc, Sprocket the Dog, Gobo Fraggle, Wembley Fraggle, Boober Fraggle, Mokey Fraggle, Red Fraggle, and Uncle Traveling Matt appear in ''

A Muppet Family Christmas ''A Muppet Family Christmas'' is a Christmas television special starring Jim Henson's Muppets. It first aired on December 16, 1987, on the ABC television network in the United States. Shot in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, its teleplay was conceived ...

''. Doc and Sprocket rent the farmhouse of

Fozzie Bear Fozzie Bear is a Muppet character best known as the insecure and comedically fruitless stand-up comic on ''The Muppet Show.'' Fozzie is an orange-brown bear who often wears a brown pork pie hat and a pink and white polka dot necktie. The char ...

's mother while she plans to go to Malibu until Fozzie shows up with his friends. Doc and Sprocket end up adjusting to the Muppets and the characters from ''

''.

Kermit the Frog Kermit the Frog is a Muppet character created and originally performed by Jim Henson. Introduced in 1955, Kermit serves as the everyman protagonist of numerous Muppet productions, most notably ''Sesame Street'' and ''The Muppet Show'', as well ...

and his nephew Robin find a Fraggle hole in the basement and enter Fraggle Rock where they encounter the five main Fraggles. Large Marvin Fraggle and other background Fraggles make appearances as well. During the finale, the five Fraggles come up where Uncle Traveling Matt is seen sitting near Doc and Sprocket. In the final scenes, Jim Henson washes the dishes while Sprocket dries them.

''The Doozers''

In 2012, The Jim Henson Company and

DHX Media WildBrain Ltd. (formerly known as DHX Media, Ltd.) is a Canadian media, animation studio, production, and brand licensing company, mostly associated as an entertainment company. The company is known for owning the largest library of children ...

announced a computer animated spin-off to Fraggle Rock, titled ''The Doozers'', targeted at children between ages 4 and 7. It focuses on four young Doozers named Spike, Mollybolt, Flex and Daisy Wheel, who live at Doozer Creek. The series began airing on Hulu on April 25, 2014.

Canceled feature film

In September 2005, The Jim Henson Company announced it was working on a film adaptation of ''Fraggle Rock'', known as ''Fraggle Rock: The Movie'', with the aim of a release in 2009. The story allegedly involves the original Fraggle characters. In October 2006, Darkhorizons.com reported "Henson's company has hired executive producer

Ahmet Zappa Ahmet Emuukha Rodan Zappa (born May 15, 1974) is an American musician and writer, and trustee of the Zappa Family Trust. Early life Ahmet Zappa was born in Los Angeles, California, the third of four children born to musician Frank Zappa and ...

(''The Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless'') to write a treatment for the film which will be a full-length live-action musical fantasy starring the underground dwellers who venture out into the human world. Henson Co. co-topper

Lisa Henson Lisa Marie Henson (born May 9, 1960) is an American television and film producer and former actress who has been involved in television shows such as ''Sid the Science Kid''. She is the CEO of The Jim Henson Company, founded by her parents Jim an ...

is producing, whilst Brian Henson will exec produce." In May 2008,

The Weinstein Company The Weinstein Company (usually credited or abbreviated as TWC) was an American independent film studio, founded in New York City by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in March 2005. TWC was one of the largest mini-major film studios in North America pri ...

announced it would distribute the ''Fraggle Rock'' movie. The film was written as a live-action musical by

Cory Edwards Cory Edwards (born August 21, 1968) is an American film director, screenwriter, and stand-up comedian. He is probably best known for directing, co-writing, and voice acting in ''Hoodwinked'' (2005), and for co-writing and voice acting in the 2 ...

, who would also direct. The film was to be produced by The Jim Henson Company; Ahmet Zappa was executive producing along with Brian Inerfeld. The film would involve all of the core characters from the series. The story would take the characters "outside of their home in Fraggle Rock, where they interact with humans, which they think are aliens."

Karen Prell Karen Leigh Prell (born July 26, 1959) is an American puppeteer and animator. She is the performer of Red Fraggle in ''Fraggle Rock''. Early life and career Prell was born on July 26, 1959 in Florida but grew up in Seattle, Washington. She als ...

and

Dave Goelz David Charles Goelz (; born July 16, 1946) is an American puppeteer and puppet builder known for his work with the Muppets. As part of the Muppets' performing cast, Goelz performs Gonzo the Great, as well as Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Waldorf (after ...

were slated to return for the film as Red Fraggle, Boober Fraggle, and Uncle Traveling Matt, respectively. In 2011, Weinstein's deal with Henson expired, leaving the production of the film in doubt. The

Scissor Sisters Scissor Sisters were an American pop rock band formed in 2001. Its members include Jake Shears and Ana Matronic as vocalists, Babydaddy as multi-instrumentalist, Del Marquis as lead guitar/bassist, and Randy Real (who replaced Paddy Boom) ...

were announced to write music for the film. In October 2011,

New Regency Regency Enterprises (commonly referred to as Regency onscreen and copyrighting as Regency Entertainment (USA), Inc. in the U.S. and Monarchy Enterprises S.á.r.l. overseas) is an American entertainment company formed by Arnon Milchan. It was foun ...

acquired the rights to the movie to be produced by The Jim Henson Company and

The Montecito Picture Company The Montecito Picture Company is a film production company co-owned by Ivan Reitman and Tom Pollock. It is located on the Sony Pictures lot in Culver City, California, United States. Montecito is a city in California in Santa Barbara County. H ...

, with 20th Century Fox distributing. New Regency and the producers were in discussion of whether to use puppets or CGI as well as a mix of live-action. Once this has been decided, it will look to a writer for the movie. In 2012,

James Byrkit James Ward Byrkit (also known as James Byrkit or Jim Byrkit) is an American film director, writer, and actor. He is best known for directing the science fiction thriller Coherence (film), ''Coherence'' and co-writing the script for ''Rango (2011 f ...

and Alex Manugian were announced as screenwriters. In March 2015, ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' said

Joseph Gordon-Levitt Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt (; born February 17, 1981) is an American actor. He has received various accolades, including nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his leading performances ...

would star in and produce the film. On July 28, 2018, Gordon-Levitt revealed that the film is still in early stages of development. In December 2017,

The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Disney Stud ...

(the current owners of

The Muppets The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an absurdist, burlesque, and self-referential style of variety- sketch comedy. Created by Jim Henson in 1955, they are the focus of a media franchise that encompasses ...

) announced that it would acquire 21st Century Fox, including 20th Century Fox. The acquisition was completed in March 2019, thus granting Disney the distribution rights to the film. The feature film project was subsequently canceled in favor of a new television series.

''Fraggle Rock: Rock On!''

''Fraggle Rock: Rock On!'' is a series of weekly live-action shorts, first broadcast on the

streaming service starting on April 21, 2020. Episodes follow the Fraggles living in separate caves during a period of

social distancing In public health, social distancing, also called physical distancing, (NB. Regula Venske is president of the PEN Centre Germany.) is a set of non-pharmaceutical interventions or measures intended to prevent the spread of a contagious dis ...

, and interacting with each other using a video chat system that was installed by the Doozers. Footage for the series is shot using smartphones in the production teams' and artists' own homes. A total of six episodes have aired. Original cast members Karen Prell and Dave Goelz reprise their roles as Red Fraggle, and the voices of Boober Fraggle and Uncle Traveling Matt (they were puppeteered by John Tartaglia, who also performs Gobo Fraggle and puppeteers Wembley Fraggle). Other cast members include Donna Kimball as Mokey Fraggle and Frankie Cordero as the voice of Wembley.

''Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock''

In January 2021,

announced that production officially started on a reboot of the show, titled '' Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock''. This new show is distinct from the ''Fraggle Rock: Rock On!'' shorts that were released in April 2020, and consists of full-length episodes. The show would be produced at the Calgary Film Centre. The series was released on January 21, 2022. Most of the cast from ''Fraggle Rock: Rock On'' returns for the series, with the exceptions of Wembley Fraggle, now performed by Jordan Lockhart, and Boober Fraggle and Traveling Matt, puppeteered by

Frank Meschkuleit Frank Meschkuleit (born 1962) is a Canadian voice actor, puppeteer and comedian known for his role as Toopy on the Canadian television series '' Toopy and Binoo''. Meschkuleit began his performing career as a mime, and broke into puppeteering w ...

and

Kevin Clash Kevin Jeffrey Clash (born September 17, 1960) is an American puppeteer, director and producer known for puppeteering Elmo on ''Sesame Street'' from 1984 to 2012. He also performed puppets for ''Labyrinth'', ''Dinosaurs'', '' Oobi'', and various ...

, respectively (Dave Goelz still provides their voices).

Music

Music played a central part in ''Fraggle Rock''. Every episode featured two or three original songs co-written by Canadian poet Dennis Lee and

Philip Balsam Philip Balsam is a Canadian songwriter, composer and author. Many of his musical works were created for television or theatre, in collaboration with a lyricist. He is best known for his work on the show ''Fraggle Rock''. Career With fellow Canadi ...

, as well as incidental music. Several episodes (usually involving Cantus and the Minstrels) focused primarily on music—such as Red Fraggle's attempt to find "her song" for the Fraggle Medley, or the effect of music on the breaking of winter or the presence of light in Fraggle Rock. During the show's original run, a re-recorded, extended version of its opening theme was released as a single that reached number 33 on the British chart in March 1984. Writers included Jim Henson,

Jerry Juhl Jerome Ravn Juhl (July 27, 1938 – September 27, 2005) was an American television and film writer, best known for his work with The Muppets. Biography Juhl was born in St. Paul, Minnesota; his family moved to Menlo Park, California, when ...

, and Jocelyn Stevenson, with songs by

and Dennis Lee.

Album releases

KOCH Records MNRK Music Group (pronounced "monarch", formerly known as Koch Records and eOne Music) is a New York City-based independent record label and music management company. It was formed in 2009 from the music assets of Koch Entertainment, which had ...

released '' Fraggle Rockin': A Collection'', a three-disc box set of ''Fraggle Rock'' music, on October 30, 2007. The collection featured "restored and remastered" versions of three original ''Fraggle Rock'' LPs. The collection also included "special liner notes featuring rarely seen photos, contributions from the original composers and even sheet music for select songs". The main portion of these liner notes, called "Getting Down at Fraggle Rock", features an interview with

and Lawrence S. Mirkin and is written by Mike Petersen and Saul Pincus.

Song list

* "Down In Fraggle Rock (Fraggle Rock Theme Song)" * "Afraid to Be Afraid" * "All Around the World" * "Bad News" * "Ball of Fire" * "The Ballad of Sir Blunderbrain" * "Beetle Song" * "Brave Alone" * "Brave Boy, Jump Up" * "Bring Back the Wonder" * "Catch the Tail by the Tiger" * "Cave Flute" * "Choose-Right (Up-Tight Move-Now) Blues" * "The Clown Concerto" * "Convincing John" * "Count on Me" * "Dixie Wailin’ " * "Do It On My Own" * "Doom Dee Doom (March Alone)" * "Doozer Building Song (We'll Work Together Building Shapes in the Air)" * "Doozer Gong Music" * "Doozer Knitting Song" * "Doozer March Song (Set Your Shoulder)" * "Down in Fraggle Cave" * "Dream Girl Lover" * "Dream a Dream (and See)" * "Dreaming of Someone" * "Dum De Dum" * "Dum De Dum II (I Wish I Had a Genie)" * "Dum of a Son of a Gun" * "Dump the Stuff Out (Yucky for Sure)" * "Easy is the Only Way to Go" * "Everybody's Doin' It" * "Eye to Eye" * "Face Facts, Pack Snacks, Make Tracks" * "Feel So Bad" * "The Fireman's Anthem" * "Fly to the Sky (Learn to Fly)" * "Follow Me" * "Follow the Road" * "Follow Your Heart" * "Fraggle Rock Rock" * "A Fraggle You Can't See" * "Friends Till the End" * "Friendship Song" * "Front 'N' Back Patter Song (Turn Around Now!)" * "The Garbage of Time" * "Get Blue (Goin' Down the Road)" * "Get Goin’ " * "Go with the Flow" * "Good-bye, Good-bye (Just a Rainbow in the Sky)" * "The Gorg's Lament (O World O Time O Woe)" * "The Gypsy Song (I Sniff the Rose)" * "Help Me for a Change" * "Helping Hand" * "Here to There" * "Hip Hip Hooray" * "Ho Ho Ho (What a Funny World It Is)" * "Home" * "I Knew I Was Good" * "I Seen Troubles" * "I Swear (To Be Fair)" * "I'm Never Alone" * "I'm Not Scared" * "I'm a Little Stew Pot" * "If It Happened to You" * "Inny Minny Cow Cow" * "Is It True?" * "The Joke Isn't Funny Anymore" * "The Joy" * "Just Don't Know What Time It Is" * "Just a Little Wimp" * "Kick a Stone" * "Learn to Love a Wimp" * "Let Me Be Your Song" * "A Little Doozer Music" * "Lose Your Heart (And It's Found)" * "Lost and Found" * "Lover, Lover, Number 9" * "The Me I Wanna Be" * "Magic Be with You" (The last song, appeared in the episode "Change of Address") * "Mokey's Jam Session" * "Muck and Goo" (written by bpNichol) * "Music Box" * "Music Makes Us Real (Ping!)" * "Noodlin' Nut" * "Now You See Me (Now You Don't)" * "Now's the Time for Parting" * "Once Upon a Time (I Knew My Name)" * "One and One (I'm the One that Won!)" * "Only Way Home" * "Our Melody" * "Pantry Chant" * "Party Hard (Who Knows What You See)" * "Pass It On" * "(Today Has Been) A Perfect Day" * "Perfect Harmony" * "Pipe Bangers Theme" * "Please/See/Feel the Water Run" * "Pukka, Pukka, Pukka Squeetily Boink" * "Ragtime Queen" * "Recruiting Song (Heed the Drumbeat Now)" * "Remembering Song (Na-Na-Na)" * "Rev" * "The Rock Goes On" * "Rollin', Rollin' On" * "The Rules Song (I'm the Leader Now)" * "Rumble Bug Hum" * "Sail Away" * "Share and You're Not Alone" * "Shine On Us Now (Moon Come Soon)" * "Shine On, Shine On Me" * "Sing It and Say" * "Sing That Law Again" * "(Sleep By the) Light of the Moon" * "Somewhere There's a Special Place" * "Sorrow and Shame" * "Spring Cleaning" * "Stuff Samba" * "Sunlight and Shadow" * "Sweet, Sweet Little Treat" * "There's a Lot I Want to Know" * "Time to Live as One" * "Trash is Back in Town" * "Turn Your Buttons Down" * "Water Drip Song" * "The Way I've Got to Go" * "Welcome Back, Uncle Matt" * "Wembley, Wembley, Number 9" * "Wemblin' Fool" * "What If" * "What If a Friend" * "What an Awful Day" * "Why?" * "Wise to Myself" * "Without a Hat" * "Workin’ " * "Yes, We Can" * "Yucky!" * "Closing Theme"

Soundtrack musicians

* Don Gillis — Musical Director *

Bernie LaBarge Bernie LaBarge (born March 11, 1953) is a Canadian performing and session guitarist, an award-winning singer and songwriter, and producer, who has gone on tour and made recordings with Canadian and international artists. In a wide-ranging care ...

— Guitar * Michael Francis — Guitar * Bob McLaren — Drums * Ray Parker — Keyboards * Tom Szczesniak — Bass Guitar * Dick Smith — Percussion

In other media

Books

Interactive books produced for

Playskool Playskool is an American company that produces educational toys and games for children. It is a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc., and is headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. History The Playskool Institute was established by Lucille King in 1928 ...

's Talk 'n Play: * ''Fraggle Rock: The Great Fraggle Travel Race'' Magic Pen and Invisible Inks books for Lee Publications * Fraggle Rock (No title – the cover scene of Fraggles playing tag – artwork by

Nate Butler Nate Butler is an American songwriter, music producer, vocal producer, and recording artist based in Atlanta, Georgia. He has been a part of 45 plus million records sold worldwide at last count. Butler has worked with multi-platinum artists such ...

) (1989) * Fraggle Rock (No title – the cover scene of Fraggles looking into musical treasure chest – artwork by Nate Butler) (1989) Listed as: title, author, illustrator, and date of publication. * ''The Radish Day Jubilee'', Sheilah B. Bruce, Lawrence DiFiori 1983 * ''Red and the Pumpkins'',

Jocelyn Stevenson Jocelyn Stevenson is a British-American writer and producer, largely for children's shows. She has received the BAFTA Special Award. Screenwriting credits Television * ''Fraggle Rock'' (1983-1987) * ''Sesame Street'' (1987-1989) * ''Charlie Chalk ...

, Kelly Oechsli 1983 * ''They Call Me Boober Fraggle'', Michaela Muntean, Lisa McCue 1983 * ''Wembley Fraggle Gets the Story'', Deborah Perlberg, Steven Schindler 1984 * ''Gobo and the River'', Joseph Killorin Brennan, Diane Dawson Hearn 1985 * ''Marooned in Fraggle Rock'', David Young, Barbara McClintock * ''Best Friends'',

, Sue Venning 1984 * ''Boober Fraggle's Celery

Soufflé A soufflé is a baked egg-based dish originating in France in the early eighteenth century. Combined with various other ingredients, it can be served as a savory main dish or sweetened as a dessert. The word soufflé is the past participle of t ...

'', Louise Gikow, Kelly Oechsli 1984 * ''Danger: Boober Cooking'', Louise Gikow, Kelly Oechsli 1984 * ''Boober Fraggle's Giant Wish'',

, Jeffrey Severn 1984 * ''If I Were King of the Universe'', Danny Abelson, Lawrence DiFiori 1984 * ''The Legend of the Doozer Who Didn't'', Louise Gikow, Barbara McClintock 1984 * ''No One Knows Where Gobo Goes'',

Mark Saltzman Mark Saltzman is an American script writer who has written films, plays and musicals and for TV. He worked for several years for ''Sesame Street''. He has been given seven Emmy Awards for Best Writing for a Children's Show. TV and film work He g ...

, Peter Elwell 1984 * ''The Tale of Traveling Matt'', Michaela Muntean, Lisa McCue 1984 * ''Traveling Matt's Adventures in Outer Space'', Michaela Muntean, Lisa McCue 1984 * ''What Do Doozers Do?'', Michaela Muntean, Sue Venning 1984 * ''What's a Fraggle?'', Louise Gikow, Barbara McClintock 1984 * ''Wembley's Egg,'' Laura Phillips, Sue Venning 1984 * ''Fraggle Countdown'', Michaela Muntean, Diane Dawson Hearn 1985 * ''The Cave of the Lost Fraggle'', Michael Teitelbaum, Peter Elwell 1985 * ''Follow That Fraggle'', Louise Gikow, Barbara Lanza 1985 * ''Sprocket, Dog Detective'', Louise Gikow, Barbara Lanza 1985 * ''Mokey's Birthday Present'', Ellen Weiss, Elizabeth Miles 1985 * ''Waggleby of Fraggle Rock'', Stephanie Calmenson, Barbara McClintock 1985 * ''Why Wembley Fraggle Couldn't Sleep'', H. B. Gilmour, Barbara McClintock 1985 * ''Goodnight Wembley Fraggle'', H. B. Gilmour, Barbara McClintock 1985 * ''Cotterpin's Perfect Building'', Ellen Weiss, Lauren Attinello 1986 * ''Wembley and the Soggy Map'', Louise Gikow, Lisa McCue 1986 * ''Wembley Fraggle and the Magic Stone'', Louise Gikow, Lauren Attinello 1986 * ''Gobo and the Prize from Outer Space'', Lyn Calder, Frederic Marvin 1986 * ''The Case of the Missing Socks'', Rebecca Grand, Jeffrey Severn 1986 * ''Wembley Fraggle's Big, Bigger, Biggest'', Harry Ross, Larry DiFiori 1988 * ''The Fraggles Alphabet Pie'', Harry Ross, Larry DiFiori 1988 * ''The Fraggles Counting Book'', Harry Ross, Larry DiFiori 1988 * ''Mokey Fraggle's New Colors'', Emily Paul, Larry DiFiori 1988 * ''The Fraggles Cooperate'', Harry Ross, Larry DiFiori 1989

Comics

The

Star Comics Star Comics was an imprint of Marvel Comics that began in 1984 and featured titles that were aimed at child readers and were often adaptations of children's television series, animated series or toys. The last comic published under the imprint ...

imprint of

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

published two separate ''Fraggle Rock''

comic-book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

series in 1985 and 1988 respectively. Originally, the first series was to be drawn by Marty Taras, the creator of Baby Huey, and the cover of the first published issue of the ''Fraggle Rock'' comic is done by him. Also, at least one penciled page of his Fraggle work for that first issue has been preserved in print.Marvel Age, The Official Marvel News Magazine, Volume 1, Issue 19, October 1984 However the art assignment for the series finally went to

Marie Severin Marie Severin (; August 21, 1929 – August 29, 2018) was an American comics artist and colorist best known for her work for Marvel Comics and the 1950s' EC Comics. She is an inductee of the Will Eisner Comics Hall of Fame and the Harvey Awards ...

, who illustrated all eight-issue interiors and the other seven covers. The second series lasted six issues. In early 2010, Archaia Studios Press published its first three-issue series of ''Fraggle Rock.'' A second three-issue series was followed in January 2011. Both series were collected into hardcover editions shortly after their respective publications. A four-issue miniseries ''Fraggle Rock: Journey to the Everspring'' was published in 2014. A third three-issue miniseries was published in 2018.

Other televised appearances

* Before its background appearance on Fraggle Rock, Food (a small, brown, alien creature) first appeared on ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...

'' during "

The Land of Gorch ''The Land of Gorch'' was a recurring adult puppetry skit that appeared in season one of the American comedy television program ''Saturday Night Live,'' featuring Jim Henson's Muppets. His characters appeared regularly on the late-night comed ...

" sketch. It was later recycled as Zsa Zsa Porkmustard in the "Science Fiction" episode of ''

The Jim Henson Hour ''The Jim Henson Hour'' is a television series that aired on NBC in 1989. It was developed as a showcase for The Jim Henson Company's various puppet creations, including the Muppet characters. Nine of the twelve episodes produced aired on NBC bef ...

'' as well as an undersea creature cameo in the "Aquatic Life" episode. * Uncle Traveling Matt appears in ''

The Muppets Take Manhattan ''The Muppets Take Manhattan'' is a 1984 American musical comedy drama film directed by Frank Oz. It is the third theatrical film in ''The Muppets'' franchise. In addition to the Muppet performance, the film features special appearances by Ar ...

'', seated in Piggy's wedding party during the play where he is in the same section as the bears that Fozzie Bear was hibernating with. * There was a special featuring the Fraggles called ''Fraggles Look for Jobs'' which details the Fraggles after the show had ended. Gobo has secured a singing job billed as "Gobo the Frosty Fraggle", Wembley has no immediate plans except to stop wearing banana tree shirts, Mokey is writing a screenplay called "Girls of the Sixties", and Red has signed a contract to play hockey for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Boober spends most of the video on the phone (with Bernie and others) hoping to find another acting job, preferably as a romantic lead. Two clips from this have been shown on The Jim Henson Company's YouTube page. * A prototype version of Blustering Bellowpane Monster appeared in the Play-Along Video film ''Neat Stuff: To Know & To Do'' as Mergie (performed by Camille Bonora). * Mama Tree Bird and Baby Tree Bird appeared in ''

The Ghost of Faffner Hall ''The Ghost of Faffner Hall'' is a children's television series from Jim Henson Productions and the British ITV company Tyne Tees Television which aired from August 16, 1989 to November 11, 1989 in the UK, and slightly later in the US. The puppet ...

''. * The Rumble Bugs made background cameos in ''

The Song of the Cloud Forest ''The Jim Henson Hour'' is a television series that aired on NBC in 1989. It was developed as a showcase for The Jim Henson Company's various puppet creations, including the Muppet characters. Nine of the twelve episodes produced aired on NBC bef ...

''. * Gobo Fraggle, Mokey Fraggle, and Wembley Fraggle made a cameo appearance in ''

The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson ''The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson'' is a one-hour special that aired on CBS on November 21, 1990. The program was a tribute to Muppet creator Jim Henson, who had died earlier in 1990 due to toxic shock syndrome caused by a streptococcus infecti ...

'' alongside the other Muppets and characters from "Sesame Street" in the "Just One Person" tribute song to

. * The puppets for Sprocket the Dog, Begoony, Mudwell the Mudbunny, Murray the Minstrel, Aretha, Wander McMooch, Brool the Minstrel, and the Inkspots make cameo appearances in ''

The Muppet Christmas Carol ''The Muppet Christmas Carol'' is a 1992 American Christmas musical comedy drama film directed by Brian Henson (in his feature directorial debut) from a screenplay by Jerry Juhl. Adapted from the 1843 novella '' A Christmas Carol'' by Charles D ...

''. Begooney was shown as the child of the characters depicted by Mudwell and Murray. Sprocket was seen in a crowd cameo. The Inkspots (performed by

Jerry Nelson Jerry L. Nelson (July 10, 1934 – August 23, 2012) was an American puppeteer, best known for his work with The Muppets. Renowned for his wide range of characters and singing abilities, he performed Muppet characters on ''Sesame Street'', ' ...

and

Steve Whitmire Steven Lawrence Whitmire (born September 24, 1959) is an American puppeteer, known primarily for his work on ''The Muppets'' and ''Sesame Street''. Beginning his involvement with the Muppets in 1978, Whitmire inherited the roles of Ernie and Kerm ...

) were seen in the house windows and one of them was seen near a mud puddle during the song "Scrooge" while sitting next to the Porcupine from ''

Billy Bunny's Animal Songs ''Billy Bunny's Animal Songs'' (also known as ''Muppet Sing Alongs: Billy Bunny's Animal Songs'') is a direct-to-video musical film featuring The Muppets. It is the first direct-to-video feature film in ''The Muppets'' franchise. It was the first ...

''. Aretha (performed by

) appears in a crowd chorus where she has a line in the song with a Pig Businessman and the Blue Frackle. Wander McMooch (performed by David Rudman) and Brool the Minstrel (performed by

Louise Gold Louise Gold (born 1956) is an English puppeteer, actress and singer whose career has spanned more than four decades. She is best known for her work as a puppeteer on television and for roles in musical theatre in the West End. Gold was raised ...

) make cameo appearances as one of the guests at Fred's party. * Mudwell the Mudbunny, Begoony, Murray the Minstrel, Brool the Minstrel, Wander McMooch, Inkspots, Aretha and Blustering Bellowpane Monster appears in ''

Muppet Classic Theater ''Muppet Classic Theater'' (also known as ''Muppet Family Theater'' in the Republic of Ireland and ''Muppet Fairy Tales'' in the United Kingdom) is a direct-to-video musical comedy film featuring The Muppets. It is the first direct-to-video featur ...

''. * The Sneels, where they've appeared in the caves eating plants in ''Gunge the Great and the Glorious'', as well as several posters, returned in '' The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss'' with a Seuss style (performed by the puppeteer who voiced "Mokey", the pink Sneel, and Stephanie D' Abruzzo, the Green one). Their babies, who never surfaced anywhere in the caves of Fraggle Rock, made their debut on this show. * Large Marvin Fraggle (though one of the only Fraggles to appear on the mainstream ''The Muppets'' series), Blustering Bellowpane Monster, Begooney, Brool the Minstrel, Inkspots, Mudwell the Mudbunny, Murray the Minstrel, and Poison Cackler appear in ''

Muppets Tonight ''Muppets Tonight'' is an American live-action/ puppet family-oriented television series created by Jim Henson Productions and featuring The Muppets. Much like the "MuppeTelevision" segment of ''The Jim Henson Hour'' (1989), the show was a conti ...

''. * The puppets for Philo, Begoony, Blustering Bellowpane Monster, The Inkspots, Murray the Minstrel, Beastie, Mudwell the Mudbunny, Brool the Minstrel, Aretha, and an unnamed background cave creature appeared in ''

Mopatop's Shop ''Mopatop's Shop'' is a children's television series that which premiered on CITV in the UK on 4 January 1999. 260 ten-minute episodes were made and aired daily. It was a co-production between Jim Henson Television and Carlton Television. After ...

'' as various guests. * Aretha appears in ''

The Muppets' Wizard of Oz ''The Muppets' Wizard of Oz'' is a 2005 musical fantasy television film directed by Kirk R. Thatcher. It is the second film to be made for television in ''The Muppets'' franchise. The film stars Ashanti, Jeffrey Tambor, Quentin Tarantino, Davi ...

'' as a Flying Monkey. * Blustering Bellowpane Monster appears in ''

''. It can be seen in a Muppet crowd cameo near the end of the film. * Blustering Bellowpane Monster appears in ''

Muppets Most Wanted ''Muppets Most Wanted'' is a 2014 American musical crime comedy film and the eighth theatrical film featuring the Muppets. Directed by James Bobin and written by Bobin and Nicholas Stoller, the film is a sequel to ''The Muppets'' (2011) and sta ...

''. He is seen in the opening of "El Muppet Show" and "The Wedding".

Live appearances

* Starting in 2008,

began making live appearances with a rebuilt Red Fraggle puppet at various events like

San Diego Comic-Con International San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is c ...

. * Wembley Fraggle, Red Fraggle, and Uncle Traveling Matt appeared in the "Fraggle Rock" portion of the ''Jim Henson's Musical World'' show at Carnegie Hall in 2012. * On April 24, 2013, Red Fraggle and Gobo Fraggle appeared at "The Spare Room" to commemorate the 30th Anniversary of ''Fraggle Rock''. Karen Prell performed Red as usual while John Tartaglia performed Gobo. * In May 2013, John Tartaglia performed Gobo Fraggle at an event to grant the

Museum of the Moving Image The Museum of the Moving Image is a media museum located in a former building of the historic Astoria Studios (now Kaufman Astoria Studios), in the Astoria neighborhood in Queens, New York City. The museum originally opened in 1988 as the Amer ...

a permanent gallery devoted to

. *

Kathryn Mullen Kathryn Mullen is an American puppeteer, actress, and voice actress most closely associated with Jim Henson projects. History Mullen began performing on ''The Muppet Show'' in its third season, primarily as Gaffer the Backstage Cat. She also vo ...

and Karen Prell performed Mokey Fraggle and Red Fraggle at Dragon Con 2013 as part of ''Fraggle Rocks 30th Anniversary during the "''Fraggle Rock'' Meet and Greet" event.

Michael K. Frith Michael Kingsbury Frith (born 8 July 1941) is a British artist and television producer. He is the former Executive Vice-President and Creative Director of The Jim Henson Company. His contributions to Muppet projects have been extensive and vari ...

also attended with puppeteers

Paul McGinnis Paul McGinnis (born 1973) is an American puppeteer for ''Sesame Street'' and The Muppets. He has also performed in various non-Muppet television productions such as ''The Book of Pooh'', ''Julie's Greenroom'', ''The Wiz Live!'', '' Crash & Bernste ...

and

Victor Yerrid Victor Yerrid (born November 13, 1971) is an American actor and puppeteer for the Jim Henson Company and has performed Muppet characters in many films, television commercials and television shows. He is best known in the Muppet World for his work ...

. * On September 24, 2016, Red, Gobo, Wembley, and Mokey appeared at a Puppets for Puppetry event honoring Muppet performer Dave Goelz. Karen Prell and John Tartaglia performed Red and Gobo as usual, while

performed Wembley and Donna Kimball performed Mokey.

Internet appearances

* Gobo Fraggle, Wembley Fraggle, Boober Fraggle, Mokey Fraggle, Red Fraggle, and Uncle Traveling Matt appear in the music video for the Ben Folds Five song "Do It Anyway", for which

Chris Hardwick Christopher Ryan Hardwick (born November 23, 1971) is an American comedian, actor, television and podcast host, writer, and producer. He hosts ''Talking Dead'', an hourlong aftershow on AMC affiliated with the network's zombie drama series '' The ...

and

served as executive producers. Only Red, Boober, and Uncle Traveling Matt have a dialogue. While

and

reprised their roles of Red Fraggle and Uncle Traveling Matt, the other puppeteers included Sean Johnson as Boober Fraggle, Patrick Johnson as Wembley Fraggle, and Donna Kimball as Mokey Fraggle. The music video begins with Uncle Traveling Matt reporting about his experience at a recording studio (portrayed by

The Jim Henson Company Lot The Jim Henson Company Lot, formerly A&M Studios, is a studio property located just south of the southeast corner of North La Brea Avenue and Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. Originally established by film star Charlie Chaplin, the property served ...

) where the recording of the song is overseen by a sound engineer played by

Rob Corddry Robert William Corddry (born February 4, 1971) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his work as a correspondent on ''The Daily Show with Jon Stewart'' (2002–2006) and for his starring role in the film ''Hot Tub Time Machine''. He ...

. During the song, the sound of the band's performance reaches Fraggle Rock, opening a hole through which the five main Fraggles are pulled out upon grabbing a microphone cable. The Fraggles then join the band in performing the song. Also during the music video, a gate guard (played by Chris Hardwick) can be seen with a tattoo of Junior Gorg on his left arm, and a female receptionist (played by Anna Kendrick) wears a "Boy Gorg" T-shirt (featuring an image of Junior Gorg dressed as a singer

Boy George George Alan O'Dowd (born 14 June 1961), known professionally as Boy George, is an English singer, songwriter, DJ, author and mixed media artist. Best known for his soulful voice and his androgynous appearance, Boy George has been the lead singer ...

). The video ends with Folds, Hardwick, Corddry, Kendrick, and Red Fraggle singing the ''Fraggle Rock'' theme song, with Boober speaking the closing line, "down at Fraggle Rock", as in the original series. The music video was accompanied by a behind-the-scenes video, featuring interviews with Folds, Hardwick, and Red Fraggle.

References

External links

* * * {{InternationalEmmyAward Children and Young People 1980s American children's comedy television series 1980s American musical comedy television series 1980s British children's television series 1980s Canadian comedy television series 1983 American television series debuts 1983 British television series debuts 1980s Canadian children's television series 1983 Canadian television series debuts 1987 American television series endings 1987 British television series endings 1987 Canadian television series endings American children's adventure television series American children's comedy television series American children's fantasy television series American children's musical television series British children's adventure television series British children's comedy television series British children's fantasy television series British children's musical television series Canadian children's adventure television series Canadian children's comedy television series Canadian children's fantasy television series Canadian children's musical television series CBC Television original programming English-language television shows ITV children's television shows Star Comics titles Television shows produced by Television South (TVS) The Muppets television series Canadian television shows featuring puppetry American television shows featuring puppetry British television shows featuring puppetry Television series by ITV Studios Television series by The Jim Henson Company Television shows filmed in Toronto Television shows adapted into comics Television shows adapted into novels