My Favorite Things About Fraggle Rock, Part 4 - The Bonus Features

Ryan Dosier - After talking about Fraggle Rock for three weeks, you start to become a little Fragglish yourself. I constantly find myself dancing my cares away and eating radishes... but that's beside the point. Today's entry marks the final in my series discussing my favorite things about Fraggle Rock. If you've missed the first three parts, you're missing out on The Characters, The Music, and The Silly Creatures and you should probably check those out before continuing. Today I'll be talking about one of the most impressive aspects of the show's release on DVD: the Bonus Features.

While not technically a part of Fraggle Rock itself, the bonus features included on the DVD release of each season of the show are so all-encompassing and add so much to my understanding and appreciation of the series that I consider them to be a beautiful tribute to the show. These bonus features are truly, truly incredible and pull together so many people who worked on the show that I can safely assume we will never see features like this again on any other Muppet-related release.

Season One set the precedent with hours of conversation with Jerry Juhl, Jocelyn Stevenson, and the Muppet performers who so deserve the spotlight: Dave Goelz, Jerry Nelson, Steve Whitmire, and Karen Prell. Season Two brought even more discussions with the Muppeteers and more writers plus an amazingly beautiful tribute to Jerry Juhl. Season Three we got to hear from Gerry Parkes (Doc) and even more writers. Season Four spotlighted the talented individuals inside the Gorgs. These are just small pieces of the big picture of bonus features included on these releases.

It is truly amazing just how many individuals came out of the wood work to discuss Fraggle Rock and it shows how truly special this series was to everyone who worked on it. It is a wonderful treat to see Dave Goelz and Steve Whitmire sit together and laugh about the pranks they used to pull on the crew. Or to watch Karen Prell one up the both of them with her Muppet knowledge. Or to see Jerry Juhl light up when discussing the show. Or to hear Gerry Parkes' obvious adoration for the show and the role he played. Or to feel how much the writers truly believed in these characters and what they were preaching. Everyone who talks about Fraggle Rock clearly loved it and that is a beautiful thing.

Another amazing set of features spread across the four seasons are some incredibly rare, magnificent behind the scenes footage. In one, Steve Whitmire takes us behind the scenes with a handheld camera, in another we get to see parts of the wrap party with touching speeches from Jim Henson and Jerry Juhl and hilarity from Karen Prell and Richard Hunt. A lot of the behind the scenes footage is contained in the amazing documentary on Season One, "Down at Fraggle Rock." Hosted by Jim Henson and running at least an hour, this documentary is truly special and a fantastic look at the entire series.

Overall, these features remind us why Fraggle Rock was so wonderful... because of the people who made it. Writing these articles and watching the series from start to finish has been such a delight. The true spirit of Fraggle Rock lives in the people who made the show real. The love, the fun, the beauty of the series will surely live on in the folks who brought the Fraggles, Doozers, and Gorgs to life and in the millions of fans who have fallen in love with this nearly perfect show. If you still have not seen Fraggle Rock, you are truly, truly missing out (and are probably really confused by these articles). Get on that. Soon.

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

My Favorite Things About Fraggle Rock, Part 3 - The Silly Creatures

Ryan Dosier - For the past two weeks I've been haphazardly tossing out my thoughts on one of Jim Henson's greatest projects: Fraggle Rock. Two weeks ago I discussed the amazing characters and last week I focused on the powerful and toe-tapping music of the series. This week I struggled with what I wanted to talk about--mostly because there are so many wonderful aspects of the show to discuss. I decided to combine a few elements of the series here under one heading: Silly Creatures. No, I'm not talking about Doc and Ned Shimmelfinny and the folks Traveling Matt encounters in Outer Space... I'm talking about the Muppeteers, writers, and other talented people who brought Fraggle Rock to life.

The most obvious place to start this week is with the co-creators of Fraggle Rock. Alongside Jim Henson, the show was brought about due to the combined efforts of Jerry Juhl, Jocelyn Stevenson, and Michael Frith. Jerry Juhl was often credited as the soul of Fraggle Rock. As head writer for The Muppet Show and scribe of the first two Muppet movies, Jerry was the natural choice of Jim Henson's to create and write Fraggle Rock. Jerry's contributions to the show can never be understated. He was on set daily to watch the proceedings, he wrote many of the greatest episodes (including "The Secret Society of Poohbahs" and the finale episode), and he had a crucial, wonderful relationship with the Muppet performers. It was because of this relationship that Jerry and the performers were able to develop the characters so fully and so brilliantly. Jerry's insights into writing, characterization, and dedication to a project have never been more apparent than on Fraggle Rock. It was his favorite project, and it truly shows.

Jocelyn Stevenson was another of the show's co-creators and one of the most prolific writers on the staff. She worked closely with Jerry Juhl to make the show something more than regular children's fodder. If you have never seen who Jocelyn is, you need to watch some of the bonus features included on the Fraggle Rock season set DVDs. She is absolutely brilliant and if New Regency doesn't get her to at least consult on the Fraggle Rock film script, they're making a huge mistake. No one alive today knows Fraggle Rock as well as Jocelyn Stevenson. Her insight is tantamount and one need only look at her slate of episodes to understand that: "Scared Silly," "I Want to Be You," "The Minstrels," "The Honk of Honks," just to name a few. No one wrote Cantus the Minstrel like Jocelyn (and hardly anyone wrote him besides Jocelyn) and Red, Mokey, and Boober were always fantastic in Jocelyn Stevenson scripts.

When it comes to working with the Muppets, it's difficult to find someone as instrumental as Michael Frith. As head designer for many, many years, Frith was crucial in the look and feel of countless Muppet characters--including virtually every main character on Fraggle Rock. His designs also helped shape the set design for the series. Frith's drawings are always incredibly detailed but beautifully simplistic. Take a look at just one of his early concept drawings for the Fraggle Five...

Beautiful, isn't it? Of course the characters would evolve in design from there, but even on this rough notebook paper sketch, the feel of the characters is already there. (Just look at Boober!) Michael Frith also came up with the idea for the Trash Heap as an oracle to the Fraggles. Michael Frith is another person I would love to see somehow associated with the Fraggle Rock movie project--after all, he's married to Kathryn Mullen, performer of Mokey, so if she's around hopefully he will be too.

Lawrence "Larry" Mirkin was the producer extraordinaire on Fraggle Rock. He was a part of the production team from day one of conceptual work to the final day of filming. He worked as a producer on many other Henson shows as well, but Fraggle Rock was probably his favorite project. He and his production company are responsible for the incredible special features on the Fraggle Rock DVDs (special features which have never been matched by any other Henson related release). Larry Mirkin is still associated with The Jim Henson Company and will hopefully be involved in any future plans they have for Fraggle Rock stuff.

Of course I can't talk about Silly Creatures without mentioning the Muppet performers. I already discussed the incredible work of Jerry Nelson, Steve Whitmire, Dave Goelz, Karen Prell, Kathy Mullen, and Richard Hunt in a previous installment of the series--and I could talk about them for a week's worth of posts--but today I'd like to focus on some performers who never get enough credit: the body performers of the Gorgs. Gordon Robertson (Pa Gorg), Trish Leeper (Ma Gorg), and Rob Mills (Junior Gorg) started as a trio of mimes before becoming the Gorgs. It's hard to imagine the three bumbling giants without their incredible body movements. The slapstick, dancing, and dexterity of these giant suits would not have been possible without these body performers. They were just as important as the voice and face performers.

Fraggle Rock was the work of many, many Silly Creatures dedicated to bringing to life a brand new, incredible world. This post spotlights just a few of the many talents who worked on the show. Of course I missed so many people... Faz Fazakas, Susan Juhl, the other writers, the tertiary puppeteers, Don Gillis, and so many others. Watch the special features on the DVDs for more information on all of these people and more. I can't do it justice as well as they can.

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

My Favorite Things About Fraggle Rock, Part 2 - The Music

Ryan Dosier - This is the second day in a row that we're talking about Fraggle Rock here on The Muppet Mindset. Rather convenient that the news breaks on the hiring of new writers on a Fraggle Rock movie just after I start a brand new article series about Fraggle Rock on here isn't it? If I wasn't so happy about the news I'd be more perturbed... Anyway! Here we are with Part 2 of My Favorite Things About Fraggle Rock--an article series I hope the new movie writers pay attention to, since my favorite things about Fraggle Rock are basically all the things that make it so great. Last week it was the characters, and this week I'm spotlighting one of the most pervasive and magical aspects of the show: the music.

With music and lyrics primarily written by the incredible team of Phillip Balsam and Dennis Lee, each episode of Fraggle Rock featured at least one song, but usually three or four. In half an hour, finding space for three songs within a story is no small feat. (Take that, Glee!) Truly, there is no better place to start talking about the music in the show than its unbelievably perfect "Fraggle Rock Theme." Who among us can hear the words "Dance your cares away!" without clap-clapping and following with "Worries for another day!" afterwards? Balsam and Lee penned a theme song that not only showcased the wonder of the Fraggle Rock universe, but was catchy, charming, and brilliant. The fact that all five main characters are introduced and the dichotomies between the Fraggles, Doozers, and Gorgs are highlighted all in about a minute and a half of theme song is nothing short of incredible song-writing.

All of the main characters had their chance at songs--multiple songs, at that. I'll be talking about my favorite songs for each of the five main characters, the Doozers, and the Gorgs. First up is Gobo Fraggle, the stubborn leader performed by Jerry Nelson, sang all the time and his voice--which Jerry himself described as a slightly older Robin the Frog--was breathtaking. Gobo could pull of rocking, somber, country, and everything in between. I have so many, many favorite Gobo songs... I think the only way to do this is just list my favorite solos and implore you to go listen to them. You'll dance, you'll sing, you'll cry... it's amazing. My favorite Gobo songs: "Just Can't Be the Me I Wanna Be," "I Knew I Was Good," "Once Upon a Time (I Knew My Name)," "Petals of the Rose," "Shine on Me," "Get Goin'," "Only Way Home." Just amazing. I could listen to them on loop day in and day out and never grow weary.

While Gobo's music varied in type, Mokey Fraggle's songs stayed mostly constant with sweet, soothing, deep-meaning songs. Songs like "Sail Away," "Ragtime Queen," "Time to Live as One," and "Show Me" all have lyrics which contain deep and profound messages that you won't find on any other "kid's" show out there. Take, for instance, the beautiful ballad, "Why?" which Mokey sings in Season 1. In this song, Mokey questions the universe singing, "Why do caterpillars crawl?/Why is there sky?/Why is there a world at all?/And why do I ask why?" These questions not only make for beautiful music, but they make you wonder the same things Mokey wonders. The songwriters clearly found a way to express their poetic thoughts through the equally poetic Mokey.

My favorite Fraggle, Wembley, is also one of my favorite singers on the show as well. His songs can be downright silly (see "Pukka Pukka Pukka Squeetily Boink"), profound (see "Here to There"), or elated (see "A Perfect Day"). But my favorite songs with Wembley are ones in which he duets with someone else. Any of his duets with Gobo are magnificent, but "Wemblin' Fool" simply cannot be beat. The scatting, the dancing, the vocals... it's a perfect song. When Wembley duets with Cotterpin Doozer in the Duet-a-Thon, he sings the beautiful, resonating "We Are the Children of Tomorrow," which became another anthem for the show. Then there are the even more profound songs that Wembley sings such as "Just a Dream Away" with Mudwell the Mudbunny and "Heart in a Hanky (Free and High)" with the Ancient Spiderfly. If you're looking for the widest range of music on Fraggle Rock... Wembley songs are the way to go.

Boober Fraggle was gifted with the wondrous voice of Dave Goelz, who brought the morose and doomsday-shouting Fraggle to life with many fun songs ("Get Blue," "I'm Never Alone," and "Talkin' 'Bout Germs"). However, my favorite songs weren't actually sung by Boober, per se, but his alter ego, Sidebottom (the side of Boober that he keeps on the bottom). The episodes where Sidebottom emerges and Dave Goelz gets to play both depressive Boober and manic Sidebottom are amazing--and so are the songs. I adore seeing Boober try to sing "The Gypsy Song" while imitating the Old Gypsy Lady because of Sidebottom. "Party Hard (Who Knows What You See)" expresses the relationship/acceptance between Boober and Sidebottom perfectly. But for the best Sidebottom song, and one of the best Fraggle songs period, look no further than "Fun is Here to Stay." Sidebottom leads a raucous chorus of Fraggles and Junior Gorg through this incredibly catchy, awesome song.

Finally in the Fraggle camp we have Red Fraggle. Red sang an interesting mix of songs on the show. She could get excited and sing songs like "The Rules Song (I'm the Leader Now)," "There's a Lot I Want to Know," or "Chase the Wind." She could even slink out of her rough and tumble persona and grow loving and magical with her music and we got songs such as "Afraid to Be Afraid," "Dreaming of Someone," and "Bring Back the Wonder." Perhaps my favorite Red song was a duet between she and Boober in Season 1. "The Friendship Song" is a perfect song and an even more perfect duet between these two opposite characters. It is powerful and moving and heartfelt--just like Red.

Although the prided themselves on being completely different from Fraggles, the Doozers often got their chances to sing, and more often than not, Doozer music was just as great as Fraggles. "Rev," "Sing That Law Again," "Doozer March Song (Set Your Shoulder)," "Yes, We Can," "Doozer Knitting Song," and "Eye to Eye" are all fantastic songs and all sung by Doozers. Is it any wonder that the Fraggles and Doozers found so much in common once they looked for it? Music is a major part of both cultures in the show--arguably a major part of all cultures in the show, uniting them all (whether they realize it or not).

Even the mountainous Gorgs made fantastic music--especially Junior Gorg. Junior performed amazing songs both silly and sacred including "Big Boy Now," "Whoops! Feeling Better!" "Dream Girl Lover," "The Joke Isn't Funny Anymore," and the beautiful "How Wide, How Far, How Long." It was even more fun when Ma and Pa Gorg got in on the music with songs like "Goodtime Goombah Soup," "Dum of a Son of a Gun," "I'm Not Scared of Anything at All," "Gorgs in Glory," and "I Give to Thee." It's amazing to see these massive creatures be so silly when they sing... but even more amazing to see them be so powerful and moving. Just watch Ma, Pa, and Junior sing "The Gorg's Lament (O World O Time O Woe)" and tell me I'm wrong.

The Fraggles, Doozers, and Gorgs weren't the only creatures in the Rock who serenaded the show with perfect music. One cannot discuss the music of the show without mentioning Marjory the Trash Heap, whose gospel-esque tunes, like "I Seen Troubles," "Without a Hat," and "Go With the Flow," were glorious throughout the series. Cantus the Minstrel was the personification of music on the show, so he obviously has to be showcased. Jim Henson made him so "ambiguously exact" and made his musical side so powerful. The song "Let Me Be Your Song" alone is enough to show why Cantus was such a powerful musical presence. Of course there was also Convincing John (and his aptly titled song "Convincing John"), who never ceased to rock the Rock. Even the shills of the Trash Heap, Philo and Gunge, sang a few songs such as "Home" and "Blanket of Snow, Blanket of Woe." Truly music was pervasive in every aspect of Fraggle Rock.

Already in this article I've mentioned over 50 songs from Fraggle Rock that I love... and I still haven't gotten to some of my most favorites: "Dixie Wailin'" with Gobo, Red, Boober, and the Gorgs, "Follow Me" with Traveling Matt and Gobo, "Ball of Fire" with Cantus and Junior, and "Easy is the Only Way to Go" with Phillip Balsam voicing a Fraggle singer. There are so many songs from Fraggle Rock that an entire blog could be dedicated just to that (just give me some credit if you start writing that blog). I've been listening to non-stop Fraggle music while writing this... and it's just joyous. It puts a smile on your face, a spring in your step, and a song in your heart. Dance your cares away!!

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

My Favorite Thing(s) About Fraggle Rock, Part 1

 Ryan Dosier - For the past few weeks I've been partaking in one of the best things a Muppet fan can do for him or herself: watching the complete series of Fraggle Rock on DVD. This beautiful series ran for four seasons and features some of my favorite Muppet moments, perfect songs, and wonderfully rich characters. I don't think that I, personally, have ever written about how much I love Fraggle Rock here on The Muppet Mindset... and after watching every episode of the series, I knew I had to. Today is the beginning of a new article series by me about why I love Fraggle Rock so very much. Each week will focus on a different aspect of this wonderful show. Enjoy!

THE CHARACTERS
Is it any wonder that I'm starting here? On this, probably my third or fourth viewing of the entire series, I came to the realization that there is not a single prominent character on Fraggle Rock that I do not adore. From the main characters like Wembley, Boober, and Junior Gorg to secondary characters like Cotterpin Doozer, Convincing John, and Large Marvin and even tertiary characters like Felix the Fearless, Architect Doozer, and Sidebottom--all of these joyous characters are flawlessly written, hysterical, touching, and undeniably enjoyable from the start to the finish of the series. Who doesn't love Gobo, Mokey, Red, Cantus, Pa Gorg, Marjory the Trash Heap, Philo, Gunge, or any of the characters here?

Arguably the best part about Fraggle Rock is watching these characters interact. Whether it's Philo and Gunge being hilariously obnoxious, Mokey being sweet and loving with grumpy Boober, Red running amok with Cotterpin Doozer, Junior driving Pa Gorg nuts, Traveling Matt's ineptitude causing Gobo trifles, or Wembley being hysterical with absolutely anyone, the interactions of characters is what makes Fraggle Rock such a treat. I dare you to watch the entirety of Season 1's "Marooned" and not be moved by the journey of Red and Boober, who go from total opposites to more than understanding one another, but relying on each other.

One can't discuss the characters of Fraggle Rock without mentioning Doc and Sprocket. Sprocket, the pantomime dog, and Doc, the charming and bumbling inventor, bookended every episode of the show and were not charged with carrying any of the emotional weight--at least not most of it. Yet the relationship between these two is so beautiful that it becomes something more than just man and dog. Sprocket is clearly Doc's closest companion--and who wouldn't want a dog like Sprocket as their best friend? His impression of Doc's neighbor Ned Shimmelfinny is enough to sell Sprocket... but of course there's a lot more to him. He's loyal, smart, stubborn, and wonderful. Doc--brilliantly played by Gerry Parks--is forgetful and oblivious and delightful to watch and the perfect partner for Sprocket. Talk about man's best friend... and dog's.

Another thing that I discovered on this run through the series is my love for Richard Hunt on Fraggle Rock. He performed Junior Gorg's voice and face, Gunge, and a whole host of random Fraggles and creatures, including the Wizard and the Mean Genie. Yes, I love Richard on The Muppet Show and on Sesame Street, but it wasn't until watching the series this time that I realized how fantastic he was on Fraggle Rock. The personality he brought to Junior Gorg is unparalleled and might just be his greatest character. I found myself looking forward to the Junior-centric episodes more than almost any other character (except maybe Wembley) because I knew I would laugh out loud multiple times. Junior's episodes are true classics: "The Garden Plot" in Season 1 where the Fraggles convince Junior he's dead; "Bored Stiff" in Season 3 where Gobo and Junior have to save the Fraggles; "Junior Faces the Music" in Season 4 where Cantus imparts wisdom to the Gorg; and, my personal favorite: "The Battle of Leaking Roof" in Season 3 where Pa and Junior try to fix the castle roof. But Junior's crowning achievement (pun definitely intended) is Season 4's "The Gorg Who Would Be King," which follows Junior into Fraggle Rock where he learns about the inter-connectivity of the world. I love Junior Gorg... and I love Richard Hunt. Fraggle Rock wouldn't be the same without him.

One can't mention Richard Hunt's Fraggle Rock contributions without mentioning Jim Henson's as well. Jim was not a regular on the series, leaving it to his trusted team to create magic--which they clearly did. But at least twice every season, Jim would come to play and bring to life two of his greatest characters: Cantus the Minstrel and Convincing John. Nearly everyone will talk about these great Jim characters... but I want to focus on one episode in particular: "The Secret Society of Poohbahs" from Season 3. Yes, Jim loved to balance the sentimental with the silly, but there's no denying that the silly almost always took over. Nowhere is this more true than in "The Secret Society of the Poohbahs." I won't spoil the episode if you haven't seen it, but it is perhaps my favorite Fraggle Rock episode and Jim Henson makes it so. Hearing Convincing John read off the Poohbah role call will forever be hysterical to me. Present with an exclamation!

Gobo's Uncle Traveling Matt (as Wembley loves to call him) is another one of the best things about Fraggle Rock. His postcards are such a delight in every episode that I'm surprised Traveling Matt never received his own spin-off series. I could watch Matt ride a roller coaster, imitate a pig, or wrestle a lawn plant all day every day. Dave Goelz created such a brilliantly funny and idiotically charming character. One of the many things I love about Matt is his voice. I can't even explain why... because it is so difficult to talk about what makes voices so special... but when Traveling Matt gets flustered and his voice gets high and freaked out, it's pure magic. I also love the way he says, "The other daaaaaaay..." Uncle Traveling Matt is the charming idiot savant who asserts that he is a hero to Fraggle kind (and maybe he is)--and hilarious to boot.

But my favorite character on Fraggle Rock is, without a doubt, Wembley Fraggle. What Wembley does throughout the series is just amazing. Even the second episode of the show, "Wembley and the Gorgs" implies that Wembley is the smartest, most accepting of all the Fraggles. Wembley may be the most naive, the most indecisive, the most wacky... but he also proves that he is the bravest, smartest, and noblest of the Fraggles. Wembley sees the worth in the Gorgs, he sings with Cotterpin Doozer, he raises a baby tree creature, he disproves the Wizard, he fights the Mean Genie, and grapples with mortality with a Mudbunny. Steve Whitmire is the only performer who could have brought Wembley to such wonderful life. The sounds he has Wembley make, the songs he sings, the faces he creates, the complete insanity and giddiness he instilled in Wembley all prove why Steve and Wembley are inseparable. If I had to pick one Wembley episode as my favorite, I think it would have to be Season 3's "Wembley's Wonderful Whoopee Water." The spectrum of emotion that Wembley goes through in this episode is magnificent. Wembley is undeniably one of Steve Whitmire's greatest characters.

And yet, all of the prominent characters on Fraggle Rock are some of their respective performers' bests. Jerry Nelson hit the trifecta with three main characters, each as wonderful as the other, with Gobo Fraggle, Pa Gorg, and Marjory the Trash Heap; three vastly different characters that prove the always impressive variety that Jerry is capable of. Mokey Fraggle and Cotterpin Doozer show us why Kathy Mullen is such a performing force to be reckoned with. Mokey is honest and real and wonderful while Cotterpin in headstrong and stubborn and smart as a tack. The crazy talent of Karen Prell was released through Red Fraggle whose rambunctious tenacity stole the show nearly every episode. Dave Goelz had Boober Fraggle, Large Marvin, Philo, and World's Oldest Fraggle along with Traveling Matt, Steve Whitmire performed Sprocket, Wembley, and a variety of characters, and they all brought to life an entirely new world.

This world, populated with Fraggles and Doozers and Gorgs and Silly Creatures and Hairy Monsters, still holds up wonderfully today. If you haven't seen it, get out there and find yourself some Fraggle Rock as soon as possible. You are truly missing out on some of the greatest Muppet characters that Jim Henson, Jerry Juhl, and the Muppet performers ever created.

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