Jim Henson has certainly influenced a new way of looking at the art of puppetry, what started as a simple hand in a sock with eyes has evolved into complex charcters of all types that can be conveyed by certain gestures of the hand which can lead to complex emotions never seen from a puppet beforehand. His previous experiments with working on The Muppet Show proved to be a success and Henson was never short of ideas for different types of shows or mini-series. One of his later ideas would show up in 1983 about a group of small little creatures known as Fraggles in a show simply titled Fraggle Rock. Even though I personally was a 2000’s kid growing up, I was mighty surprised to come across this show that is just as much fun for kids as it is for adults.
The show starts with Gobo’s Uncle Traveling Matt who decides to venture outside the Fraggle Rock premises into Outer Space where the Silly Creatures live so he can study them. Almost every episode has Matt sending to Gobo about his adventures while Gobo and his friends Red, Mokey, Wembly, and Boober go on many adventures across Fraggle Rock and even the Gorg’s castle as they come confronted with situations both physically and emotionally while also having a lot of fun in the process. Meanwhile, a human named Doc and his Dog Sprocket have their own adventures of being inside their new home/workshop where a mysterious Fraggle hole resides as things often go wrong and lessons are learned.
The Episodes of Fraggle Rock have that same charm and style that was made popular with other Jim Henson works like The Muppets and Sesame Street, but have a wonderful sense of worldbuilding and adventurous creativity that excel where similar shows give out. The show is more than just learning life lessons and singing happy songs, it's also about dealing with emotional complexities from characters who each have their faults that they are confronted with one way or another. Sometimes it leads to interesting subject matter and sometimes there may be episodes that may be so emotionally involved that it may as well be easy to feel the feelings that the Fraggles on screen are feeling. The show for the most part is a very happy and easy-going show as there are still funny moments as well as moments of joyful enlightenment. However, its Jim Henson's brilliant vision of creativity and characterizations that makes this show stand out where similar puppet television shows for kids seem to falter
The characters are more than just silly characters who constantly make jokes to one another as they each have some very well-crafted complexities that often come from their exuberant clashing personalities. For example, Gobo is more than just a kind-hearted natural born leader, he can also be a bit stubborn and often second-guesses his situations. Red can be a self-entitled and sometimes selfish Fraggle, but deep down she does care about her friends even if she disagrees with them more times than not. Wembley is clumsy but means well in his heart, Boober is kind but also shy and even Mokey can be positive to a point of maybe taking things a little too far. Doc and his dog Sprocket both have good chemistry and often bring a bit of comedy that contrasts to the emotions and situations the Fraggles end up in. Then there is Uncle Traveling Matt who while in “Outer Space” Mistakes everyday human things for something else which can lead to some funny moments. These are well-written characters that are catered made for well-written scenarios and they are just as much fun to watch now as they were back when the show first started.
The Puppetry is, of course, outstanding, I mean Jim Henson was involved so of course the visuals are gonna look as impressive as they possibly can even if most of the characters are just hands covered in foam latex. The Fraggles themselves are colorful and they can express a wide range of expressions with just a slight twitch of the hand in ways that make them Happy, Angry, or even Sad. The puppetry on the Gorg’s are so seamless that I can’t even tell if there really is a person in that large costume or if it's just an amazing puppetry effect. The Doozers are small creatures who despite their small scale are just as capable of showing emotions as the rest of the creatures. Even Sprocket, Doc’s Dog, is a puppet as well and his reactions to his owner when he does something outlandish is comedy gold. The caves have a very colorful hue, and other locations like the Gorg’s village have a very bright and cheery atmosphere. This show was made in the 80s, but the creators did a fantastic job with using the filmmaking effects they had at the time to make something stand the test of time even almost 40 years later.
Canadian Composers and Songwriters Phillip Balsman and Dennis Lee are responsible for creating the opening and closing themes as well as the many songs you hear in the series. While the songs during any of the given episodes aren’t groundbreaking tunes, they are pretty catchy and make the Fraggle world much more lively and interesting to take part in. these are songs that are fun for kids but they may as well also bring out the little kid inside the adult accompanying their watch.
Although there are a few episodes that were either a a bit mean-spirited at times or a little underwritten. Fraggle Rock is so far a show that has a lot of creativity and great characters to observe and all. This is a show that is mainly aimed toward kids but has enough imagination to keep their older ones invested as well. I am so far impressed with how much I got into this show and am looking forward to seeing more wonderful adventures from the Fraggles who love to dance their cares away.
(Final Grade: B+)