1 The Muppet Mindset: Mokey Fraggle
Showing posts with label Mokey Fraggle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mokey Fraggle. Show all posts

Sep 6, 2013

News Update: September 6, 2013

NEWS UPDATE: September 5, 2013

This past weekend the annual Dragoncon was held in Atlanta, Georgia. For the past few years Dragoncon has had an uncanny ability to attract Muppet performers and personalities for panels and appearances. This year was no exception, as Karen Prell, Kathryn Mullen, and Michael Frith all appeared to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Fraggle Rock. Of course, since Karen Prell and Red Fraggle are basically inseparable, Red Fraggle was also there--and so was Mokey Fraggle! This is the first time Kathy Mullen has performed Mokey since Fraggle Rock ended. Check out the video below for a purely delightful appearance!



Last week our good friends Bill Barretta and Gene Barretta (henceforth known as the Barretta Bros.) appeared on the "Preston & Steve Radio Show" in Philadelphia. Luckily, since most of us (myself included) probably aren't within listening range, the entire appearance is online! Take a listen for some Barretta Bros. fun!

As you'll certainly remember, The Great Muppet Caper and Muppet Treasure Island are coming to Disney Blu-ray on December 10th. We've already seen the (lackluster) cover art for the dual release, but now, thanks to our friends at StitchKingdom.com, we have information on the bonus features included! First of all, as expected, both films are restored and remastered for Blu-ray high definition, which is incredibly exciting. The "Classic Bonus Features" included are "The Tale of the Story Beyond the Tail" and "Muppet Treasure Island Audio Commentary." The new bonus features include Frog-E-Oke sing-along, a rediscovered music video of "Let the Good Shine Out," and an exclusive preview of Muppets Most Wanted. Some pretty exciting stuff there, but very little bonus content for The Great Muppet Caper which is insanely disappointing.

Last week our friends at ToughPigs.com found some artwork for some gorgeous potential Muppet figures designed by the talented Jim Valeri. On his website, Valeri says he designed the figures for a client but does not know the status of them or what they might be used for. However, judging by the stylistic designs, these figures certainly look like they would be a great addition to the recently released Disney video game/toy line Disney Infinity. Of course, nothing is confirmed, but they look like Disney Infinity figures to me, so perhaps come spring we'll see Muppet figures! Check them all out below:






The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, muppetmindset@gmail.com

Sep 17, 2012

Brand New Fraggle Music Video!!

We have been wondering for years if we would ever see them again... but here we are, in the year of their 30th anniversary, that Gobo, Mokey, Wembley, Boober, Red, and Uncle Traveling Matt return in full force!! That's right, thanks to the combined efforts of The Jim Henson Company, Chris Hardwick, The Nerdist Channel, and the Ben Folds Five, the FRAGGLES ARE BACK!! Check out the amazing music video, also featuring Rob Cordry and Anna Kendrick, for the new Ben Folds Five song "Do It Anyway" below to witness the return for yourselves! (Be sure to watch the ENTIRE video!)



Also don't miss this fantastic behind the scenes video below to hear Red Fraggle (Karen Prell) discuss how much fun she's had making this thing called a video with "Mr. Ben With His Three And The Other Two Once They Show Up." Enjoy!!



WELCOME BACK, FRAGGLES!!!





The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, muppetmindset@gmail.com

Mar 28, 2012

Weekly Muppet Wednesdays: Mokey Fraggle

MOKEY FRAGGLE

Performed by...
Kathryn Mullen

First appearance...
Fraggle Rock Episode 101: "Beginnings" (1983)

Most recent appearance...
The Muppet Celebrate Jim Henson (1990)

Best known role...
Sweet, poetic, artistic, caring, daring member of the Fraggle Five; Red Fraggle's roommate; Lanford's caretaker

WHO IS MOKEY FRAGGLE?
Mokey Fraggle is artistic, caring, and calm (almost to a fault). She enjoys painting, singing, creating, writing, reading, and loving her friends and her fellow living things. She has shown compassion for Doozers, Gorgs, piles of trash, vicious plants, and many other things. Mokey cares for everyone and everything, yet she is not without her faults. She has stopped war, started revolutions, ended revolutions, faked her own funeral, and attempted to join the Minstrels. Through it all, however, Mokey remains loyal and dedicated to her friends.

Mokey's relationship with Gobo Fraggle is interesting. At times she can act like his older sister, other times his babysitter, other times romantic sparks ignite between them. One thing is certain however, and that is that Mokey and Gobo share a passion for discovery. Mokey enjoys discovering new life and things to admire, while Gobo enjoys discovering new caves and paths. Their most prominent moments together occur in episodes such as "New Trash Heap in Town," where Gobo must bring Mokey back down to earth after becoming the new trash heap goes to her head. Mokey may not be the most prominent of Gobo's friends, but she is certainly one of the most valuable.

With Boober, Mokey shares a similar relationship like her relationship with Gobo. At times she appears to chide Boober forcefully, at other times she chides him lovingly, playfully even. An older sister role seems to be what Mokey shares with most of the Fraggles, but with Boober it seems to be a little more important. For instance, in the episode "Marooned," Mokey is completely mortified and worried for Red and Boober's safety when they are trapped under a rock. She is almost unable to function with her worry. Boober even travels back in time with Mokey in the episode "Mokey, Then and Now."

Wembley and Mokey have not really had many important story moments together. The most prominent was in "Mokey, Then and Now," when Wembley joined Boober and Mokey as they traveled back in time and visited the Fraggles of the past. Despite their small number of stories together, Mokey and Wembley appear together quite often, almost any time the other Fraggles are shown as a group. Even though they don't have many interactions, they are still very good friends.

Through it all, Mokey's best friend in Fraggle Rock is Red Fraggle. Not only are Red and Mokey roommates, but they share more important moments together than almost any other pair on the show. Their relationship first started to become interesting in the episode "I Want to Be You," where Red attempted to change her self to be like Mokey. This started their best friend relationship, which would last throughout the show. In "Fraggle Wars," Red attempted to save Mokey from the Fraggles in Fraggle Cave. In "A Cave of One's Own," Red and Mokey decide to move in together, finding it much more difficult to live together with their differences than they thought. Red often feuds with Mokey's pet plant Lanford, whom Mokey adores and Red despises. Despite all of their differences, they remain best friends, and make a great duo.

MOKEY FRAGGLE SONGS
Mokey has performed numerous songs throughout the course of Fraggle Rock. These are just some of her most popular and famous songs...
  • "Lose Your Heart and It's Found" with The Minstrels
  • "Blanket of Snow, Blanket of Woe" with Philo and Gunge
  • "A Cave Our Own" with Red Fraggle
  • "Thimble Beetle Song" with Red and Gobo
  • "I'd Give My Soul"
  • "Sunlight and Shadow"
  • "Perfect Harmony" with Marjory the Trash Heap, Junior Gorg, and a Doozer
  • "Sail Away" with the Fraggle Five
  • "Ragtime Queen"
  • "Helping Hand" with Gobo Fraggle
  • "Time to Live as One" with the Fraggles
  • "Why?"
MOKEY FRAGGLE EPISODES
  • Episode 106: "The Preachification of Convincing John"
  • Episode 119: "The Great Radish Famine"
  • Episode 122: "Mokey's Funeral"
  • Episode 124: "New Trash Heap in Town"
  • Episode 207: "Mokey and the Minstrels"
  • Episode 217: "Fraggle Wars"
  • Episode 220: "A Cave of One's Own"
  • Episode 305: "Blanket of Snow, Blanket of Woe"
  • Episode 310: "The Secret Society of Poobahs"
  • Episode 320: "The Incredible Shrinking Mokey"
  • Episode 408: "A Brush with Jealousy"
  • Episode 508: "Mokey, Then and Now"
WHY DOES FRAGGLE ROCK NEED MOKEY FRAGGLE? 
Mokey is a perfect member of the Fraggle Five. She acts as the oldest of the group, taking care of the others and just about everyone else--including Marjory the Trash Heap. Her friendship with all of the other Fraggles and her dedication to doing what's right, even when it isn't what's popular, are what make Mokey so essential. She paints, she writes, she sings, and she helps make Fraggle Rock a great place to live for every creature that lives there.












The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, muppetmindset@gmail.com

Jul 6, 2011

Weekly Muppeteer Wednesdays: Kathy Mullen


(Note from the British Correspondent: AH-HA! I have once again found my way back to the control room of the Muppet Mindset and today I am posting...oh...Ryan already has a post ready to go...fine...I shall post that for today, but I will be back! Just keep a weather eye open...Hmm...should probably spice up this article with some pictures though... - TBC)

KATHY MULLEN

Notable Muppets...
Mokey Fraggle, Cotterpin Doozer, Gaffer the Backstage Cat, Wanda (Season 4)

Kathryn Mullen did not originally want to be a puppeteer, but rather aspired to be an actress. However, a visit to the Muppet Workshop changed her mind, and joined the Puppeteers of America. She first worked with the Muppets on The Muppet Movie in 1978, playing background Muppets. After the movie was done, she joined the cast of The Muppet Show, becoming the third full-time female puppeteer. On The Muppet Show, she played mainly one-time and background characters, most notably Gaffer the Backstage Cat and Wanda in her only 4th season appearance. She also puppeteer characters in several other Muppet projects, including The Great Muppet Caper and The Muppets Take Manhattan, the later which she performed Jill the Frog.

After The Muppet Show, she began to puppeteer more major characters, such as Kira in The Dark Crystal. However, her most major roles were in Fraggle Rock, where she performed Mokey Fraggle and Cotterpin Doozer. Mokey was one of the 5 main characters on the show, and Kathryn also performed her in A Muppet Family Christmas, and The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson.

She later worked on several other Henson projects, including the first season of The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss, in which she performed recurring characters Morton the Elephant Bird, Little Cat A and Junior Kangaroo. She also performed Joy Buzzer in The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson, Grouches in Follow That Bird, and Apple in A Christmas Toy.  She also began to write and direct, writing episodes of Little Muppet Monsters and the Fraggle Rock animated series, and co-directing several episodes of The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss.

She has also worked outside of Henson, helping to create Between the Lions, assisting fellow Muppeteer Frank Oz with Yoda in The Empire Strikes, and performing Allegra, the main character in the Nick Jr. TV show, Allegra’s Window. She has also worked with her husband, former Creative Director for Jim Henson Productions Michael Firth, and No Strings International to create and perform an educational Puppet Show for Afghanistan children.






The Muppet Mindset by Ryan Dosier, ryguy102390@gmail.com
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