Fraggle Rock
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Fraggle Rock
A basic guide for beginners:
A Fraggle is a small creature (about the size of a cat) which lives inside a crevice in a lighthouse. The Fraggles live in an underground world of caves.
They sometimes venture into our world but only rarely as it is fraught with dangers to them. The exception to this rule is Uncle Travelling Matt who is a renowned explorer in our world (referred to by the Fraggles as "outer space") and he seems to get by without too many people noticing the fact that he is essentially a puppet.
Aside from the exception of Uncle Travelling Matt, the only creature who really knows of the Fraggles existence is the lighthouse keeper's dog called Sprocket. Sprocket also has a strong resemblance to a puppet but his owner is unperturbed by this.
Living alongside the Fraggles in their chthonic world are the Doozers. Doozers are even smaller than Fraggles - they are presumably not much bigger than an action man or barbie doll. Doozers spend all of their time working to maintain the Fraggle's grotto world and seem to be a race of workmen erecting scaffolding and completing building maintenance.
The Fraggles and Doozers live in complete harmony. The Fraggles enjoy playing games, singing songs and enjoying their lives whereas the Doozers are only satisfied by working away at their building maintenance tasks. It's a nicely symbiotic relationship.
However, there is a third race of creatures that inhabit the other side of the Fraggle's world - the domain of the Gorks. If a Fraggle leaves the safety of their underground world in the wrong direction they arrive in the back garden of the Gorks. The Gorks are a family of three human-sized creatures who resemble actors in heavy, full length felt costumes. Gorks hate Fraggles who they see as pests for stealing their vegetables.
The main cast of Fraggles are Gobo, Red, Mokey, Wembley and Boober.
Left to right: Red, Wembley, Mokey, Gobo, Boober and a Dozer.
If anything here doesn't make immediate sense, the opening credits essentially provide enough exposition for the whole premise:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLQS6xo40kI" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Unlike the vastly overrated Muppets which is widely repeated to this day, Fraggle Rock is usually just a cloudy memory for most people. However, Jim Henson himself regarded it as the best and most successful project he ever completed.
It's brilliant.
So check it out and if you've got children of an appropriate age then show them - they'll love it.
A Fraggle is a small creature (about the size of a cat) which lives inside a crevice in a lighthouse. The Fraggles live in an underground world of caves.
They sometimes venture into our world but only rarely as it is fraught with dangers to them. The exception to this rule is Uncle Travelling Matt who is a renowned explorer in our world (referred to by the Fraggles as "outer space") and he seems to get by without too many people noticing the fact that he is essentially a puppet.
Aside from the exception of Uncle Travelling Matt, the only creature who really knows of the Fraggles existence is the lighthouse keeper's dog called Sprocket. Sprocket also has a strong resemblance to a puppet but his owner is unperturbed by this.
Living alongside the Fraggles in their chthonic world are the Doozers. Doozers are even smaller than Fraggles - they are presumably not much bigger than an action man or barbie doll. Doozers spend all of their time working to maintain the Fraggle's grotto world and seem to be a race of workmen erecting scaffolding and completing building maintenance.
The Fraggles and Doozers live in complete harmony. The Fraggles enjoy playing games, singing songs and enjoying their lives whereas the Doozers are only satisfied by working away at their building maintenance tasks. It's a nicely symbiotic relationship.
However, there is a third race of creatures that inhabit the other side of the Fraggle's world - the domain of the Gorks. If a Fraggle leaves the safety of their underground world in the wrong direction they arrive in the back garden of the Gorks. The Gorks are a family of three human-sized creatures who resemble actors in heavy, full length felt costumes. Gorks hate Fraggles who they see as pests for stealing their vegetables.
The main cast of Fraggles are Gobo, Red, Mokey, Wembley and Boober.
Left to right: Red, Wembley, Mokey, Gobo, Boober and a Dozer.
If anything here doesn't make immediate sense, the opening credits essentially provide enough exposition for the whole premise:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLQS6xo40kI" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Unlike the vastly overrated Muppets which is widely repeated to this day, Fraggle Rock is usually just a cloudy memory for most people. However, Jim Henson himself regarded it as the best and most successful project he ever completed.
It's brilliant.
So check it out and if you've got children of an appropriate age then show them - they'll love it.
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Re: Fraggle Rock
Don`t know why but always found `Fraggle Rock` a smidgeon creepy. I had a similar aversion to `Chorlton and the Wheelies` (think it was the witch!). I obviously had issues back then!!!
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Re: Fraggle Rock
There was a constant sense of mild menace in the Fraggle's lives, yes. They lived in constant fear of discovery by the humans of "outer space" and abject fear of the Gorks.
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Re: Fraggle Rock
Sounds like my life now with the Japanese wife!!!!!! It must have been a premonition back when I was 9 or 10!!!Rowls wrote:There was a constant sense of mild menace in the Fraggle's lives, yes. They lived in constant fear of discovery by the humans of "outer space" and abject fear of the Gorks.
Re: Fraggle Rock
Takes me back to the late eighties when me and me mates used to go into the Carlton pub on Standish St and sing the theme tune to the regulars on a Saturday night.
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Re: Fraggle Rock
Down at fraggle rock,
Grab a fraggle by the cock,
Swing it round your head,
Til the f£(£rs dead.
Grab a fraggle by the cock,
Swing it round your head,
Til the f£(£rs dead.
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Re: Fraggle Rock
Yes he was. I'm not even sure that the full archive of the British version of Fraggle Rock is still extant. Remarkably, they got binned. The ones that survived are mainly available now because of home video recording and film collectors. :OCaernarfon_Claret wrote:Fulton Mackay was only in the UK version.
The series was very adaptable like that because the "linking segments" in the lighthouse could be re-shot with different nationalities. I believe many countries had their "own" version of Fraggle Rock.
One of the best things that the series does it present to children the idea that the same world can be seen in many different ways depending on who you are and how you view the world. It does this subtly and gently and with great skill. Unlike most children's TV it never patronizes the audience or bangs these ideas over your head like a lot of modern stuff does.
It is, to my mind, one of the finest invocations of tolerance and equality that TV has ever produced. And it doesn't even tackle the subject directly.
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Re: Fraggle Rock
i use to have the Fraggle Rock theme tune as my phone ringtone
Might have to reload it and have it again
Might have to reload it and have it again
This user liked this post: Rowls
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Re: Fraggle Rock
They were good.
Not a patch on these Bad Boys though.
https://youtu.be/zq-fbkpcBo4" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Not a patch on these Bad Boys though.
https://youtu.be/zq-fbkpcBo4" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Re: Fraggle Rock
St Anthony's lighthouse near St Mawes, Cornwall I think featured in the series. Saw it the other day from Falmouth.
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Re: Fraggle Rock
Looked at this at breakfast time. Had the theme tune in my head all day. Cheers for that!
This user liked this post: FactualFrank
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Re: Fraggle Rock
That certainly looks like the lighthouse for the UK version (but not the US one).jollyjack wrote:St Anthony's lighthouse near St Mawes, Cornwall I think featured in the series. Saw it the other day from Falmouth.
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Re: Fraggle Rock
You've made my evening Rowl with that clip. I loved Fraggle Rock as a kid.
Give me Fraggle Rock, Button Moon & Rainbow any day over Teletubbies and In The Night Garden that my son loves now.
Give me Fraggle Rock, Button Moon & Rainbow any day over Teletubbies and In The Night Garden that my son loves now.
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Re: Fraggle Rock
You'll have to get him into Mr Bloom's Nursery.bf2k wrote:You've made my evening Rowl with that clip. I loved Fraggle Rock as a kid.
Give me Fraggle Rock, Button Moon & Rainbow any day over Teletubbies and In The Night Garden that my son loves now.
It's brilliant!
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Re: Fraggle Rock
bf2k wrote:You've made my evening Rowl with that clip. I loved Fraggle Rock as a kid.
Give me Fraggle Rock, Button Moon & Rainbow any day over Teletubbies and In The Night Garden that my son loves now.
Crikey.... Button Moon! This is making me feel really old.
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Re: Fraggle Rock
A lot of international versions followed the US version with no lighthouse at all. It was an inventor and his dog instead.