The Fraggles

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Television series
German title The Fraggles
Original title Fraggle Rock
Country of production Canada
United Kingdom
original language English
Year (s) 1983 - 1987
length 25 minutes
Episodes 96 (German version: 85)
genre Puppet film
idea Jim Henson
music Philip Balsam
Dennis Lee
First broadcast January 10, 1983 ( USA )
German-language
first broadcast		 November 12, 1983
occupation

Puppeteer

German version

German voices

The Fraggles (English Fraggle Rock ) are the protagonists of a children's program of the same name, which was broadcast from January 10, 1983 to March 30, 1987 in five seasons on the Canadian broadcaster CBC . The inventor of the Fraggles is the American Jim Henson , who became known for his characters from Sesame Street and the Muppet Show . The theme music was written by Philip Balsam and Dennis Lee . A total of 96 episodes were filmed.

From the end of 1983 the Fraggles were also shown on German ZDF , but only 85 episodes. The German dubbed version was created by Eberhard Storeck and the "localized" parts of the German version (see below) were filmed in the FSM in Munich .

content

Fraggles are about 60 cm tall, differently colored humanoid creatures that live in the German version in a cave under the house of Doc (a human inventor, played by Hans Helmut Dickow ).

The Fraggles spend the day laughing, singing and dancing, according to their carefree motto:

Dance your cares away,
worry's for another day,
let the music play,
down at Fraggle Rock.

The German translation made it:

Sing and swing your leg
let worries be worries
join in the song
happy Fraggle way.

Uncle Matt occupies a special position (in the original Traveling Matt , an allusion to both his travel activities and the film-technical process of the Traveling Matte (German: Wandermaske )), who is so far the only Fraggle who has crossed the border of the Fraggle world to To explore “space” (the surface of the earth). From there he regularly sends postcards to his nephew Gobo , in which he informs him about the strange goings-on. Gobo has to fetch these "scientific documents" from the workshop of the human scientist Doc and beware of Sprocket , the scientist's dog.

Not only the Fraggles live in the caves, but also the Doozers . These are about 15 cm small, hardworking green creatures with yellow protective helmets and tool belts. Your only life's work seems to be to build large structures such as bridges, towers, roads etc. with the help of various small construction vehicles. Although these look like they are made of glass or plastic, the raw material is sugar or radishes . The buildings are therefore very tasty and are built so that the Fraggles like and eat them. Because of this supply function, the Doozers are welcome in Fraggle Rock , but there is usually no real communication between the two groups.

In order to get to their main food source, radishes, the Fraggles have to leave their cave daily and enter the world of the gorgs , where they steal the radishes. Gorgs are about six meters tall, brown, hairy creatures and do not speak very well with Fraggles. As a result, the daily procurement of food always results in a new adventure for the Fraggles.

When problems arise, the Fraggles often consult the omniscient garbage dump called Marjorie . She lives in the woods behind the Gorgs Castle and is a living being made from garbage. The omniscient garbage dump plays the role of an oracle in the series .

The main characters

Gobo Fraggle is the unofficial leader of the Fraggles. He is orange and has pink hair. His goal is to become an adventurer like his uncle Matt, which is why he maps the caves under Fraggle Rock.

Red Fraggle would also like to be the leader and often argues with Gobo about it. She is the sportiest of all Fraggles and proves this constantly. Red Fraggle stands out for her pompom-like hair. Your puppet is a hand-and-stick puppet played by a puppeteer. It is made of fabric, felt, foam and plastic. Karen Prell was the puppeteer, and Red Fraggle is one of the 20 Jim Henson dolls that have been on display at the National Museum of American History since 2013 .

Wembley Fraggle is constantly and overly concerned and can never decide what to do next. He lives in a kind of shared apartment with Gobo and does all the housework for his friend. Otherwise, Wembley spends the day trying to figure out which side of the bed is best to get up on.

Mokey Fraggle always cares about her friends and her environment. She seems to be more educated than the others and spends a lot of time alone thinking. Mokey is also artistically inclined: she writes poetry, paints pictures and likes to sing.

Boober Fraggle is pessimistic, superstitious, and fearful. He wears a hat and likes his unsurprising job of cooking and washing for the Fraggles.

Uncle "Traveling" Matt is Gobo's uncle and the only one of the Fraggles who has ever left Fraggle-Rock for a long time. He has gone into the “universe” (in fact he is on earth) and now regularly reports to the Fraggles with postcards about his experiences and findings.

The storyteller is the Fraggles historian. She notes everything that ever happens to the Fraggles. From all the stories she makes poems and songs that she likes to recite.

Cotterpin Doozer is a Doozer who wants to sing, dance and have fun like the Fraggles, instead of just building. That's why she befriends Red. Her behavior is, of course, against Doozer Law, and that is why many of her relatives consider her an eccentric.

Doc is a human scientist and inventor whose workshop brought the Fraggles to Earth. He has no inkling of what is happening under his workshop. (In episode 95, The Honk of Honks , which is not dubbed into German , he finally finds out.) As part of the localization of the series (see there), Doc is played by various actors, in the US version by Gerard Parkes, in the German by Hans-Helmut Dickow . He is the only human character that appears in all of the episodes. A neighbor and friend, Mr. Kümmelgroller (in the original: Ned Shimmelfenny ), is often mentioned, but is never seen. Occasionally his cat Flippinulla (in the original: Fluffinella ) appears, but you can only see her for a few seconds and indistinctly. In the US version you learn that Doc's real name is Jerome Christian , in the German version his name is never mentioned.

Sprocket ( called Sprocky in the German version , although his bowl says Sprocket) is Doc's dog. He mostly spends his days lying around in the workshop. However, he knows about the Fraggles and is constantly trying to catch Gobo while picking up the postcards. (In the episode Sprocket's Big Adventure , which is not dubbed into German , he finally visits the cave world of the Fraggles.)

The Gorgs are a family of three: King Daddy , Momma and Junior . Because the Fraggles steal their radishes, they hate them and are constantly trying to catch them. This task is mainly the 473 year old junior, but who does it rather stupidly. King Gorg describes himself as the ruler of everything that moves. In fact, he only rules over his stupid son. Momma is afraid of Fraggles, just as some people are afraid of rats and mice.

Marjorie, the dump is omniscient and wise. In fact, it is in the Gorgs' garden and is probably made of their garbage. The Fraggles visit her for advice and to seek help from her and her magical powers. Your guardians and heralds are two rats with the names Gungo (in the original Gunge ) (gray) and Philo (dark red).

music

Music plays an important role in the series episodes. Most of the episodes sang two or three songs written by Canadian Dennis Lee and Philip Balsam . Different episodes (usually with Cantus and the Minstrels ) are even mostly about music. For example, Red Fraggle tries to find “her song” for the Fraggle theme song or describes the influence of music on overcoming winter or the presence of light in the underground cave.

Song samples
  • Follow Me sung by Traveling Matt with Gobo (This track was written by a musician as an application for the series)
  • Let Me Be Your Song sung by Cantus and the Minstrels
  • The Fraggle Medley , sung by the Fraggles, with Cantus and the Minstrels
  • Dixie Wailing sung by Boober , Gobo , Red and The Gorgs
  • Gorgs In Glory , sung by Pa and Ma Gorg with Boober
  • Kick A Stone sung by Mokey
  • The Rock Goes On sung by different characters

For the last movement of the theme song, five different versions were originally shot, each intended to end different episodes with a different Fraggle as the narrator. However, only the version with Boober remained. The theme song was listed in the top 40 on the British charts.

Fraggle music is available in stores on CD and LP.

Localization of the series

In the international co-production, the subterranean world of the Fraggles and the garden of the Gorgs were always the same, but for many national versions (not all) specific, “localized” human worlds with native speakers were produced. In the original version the exterior shots were shot in Toronto, Canada, in the German version in Munich (see above). Fraggle Rock was not always in the same place either: in the British version it was under a lighthouse on a rocky island, in France under a bakery. The German version follows the US original, but Doc was played by a German actor (see above) and names of people, institutions etc. have been changed.
The series has so far been dubbed in 13 languages ​​and shown in 90 countries, but sometimes not in full (see the following section).

Unsynchronized episodes

The following 11 episodes were not dubbed into German, and no localized German parts were made for them:

  • 4th season (episodes 70-83)

Of the 14 episodes of season 4, 3 were not dubbed:

71. Sprocket's Big Adventure
78. A Brush With Jealousy
80. Red's Blue Dragon

  • 5th season (episodes 84-96)

Of the 13 episodes of season 5, 8, i.e. more than half, were not dubbed (the last episode dubbed in German is 93, Inspector Red [Inspector Red] ):

85. The Riddle Of Rhyming Rock
86. The Voice Inside
87. The Trial of Cotterpin Doozer
91. Mokey, Then And Now
92. Ring Around The Rock
94. The Gorg Who Would Be King
95. The Honk Of Honks
96. Change Of Address

Important events

  • Sprocket visits the cave world of the Fraggles (episode 71), and Doc finally learns of their existence (episode 95).
  • Cotterpin Doozer, criticized for dealing with Fraggles, has to prove in court proceedings that they are not just addicted to pleasure, but can also be noble and intelligent (episode 87).
  • Junior Gorg realizes that the universe does not need a ruler and does not want to succeed his father to the throne, but rather to abolish the Gorg monarchy (episode 94).
  • In the last episode (96) Doc gives up his inventor's workshop to accompany his neighbor and friend Ned Shimmelfinny (in the German version Mr. Kümmelgroller), who has to move for health reasons. Gobo declines Doc's offer to go with him and learn more about the outside world and people, and stays with his friends at Fraggle Rock. It is also learned that Doc's real name is Jerome Christian .

media

VHS / DVD

Series episodes have been released in the US on VHS ( NTSC ) and DVD. In Germany, the episodes were released on DVD from July 21, 2008 to December 10, 2010, followed by a DVD box with all 85 synchronized episodes and the first 12 episodes in the original English version on May 20, 2011.

cartoon

From 1987 to 1988, a cartoon series with the characters from the puppet series was also produced under the title Fraggle Rock . It only survived one season on the American television station NBC , but was also shown on German television, for the first time on ZDF.

Comic

There were also two short-lived distinct comic book series published by Star Comics (part of Marvel Comics ). The first series consisted of eight episodes, the second of six.

Children's books

There are also several children's books with stories from Fraggle Rock in the United States .

  • The Radish Day Jubilee , Sheilah B. Bruce, Lawrence DiFiori 1983
  • Red and the Pumpkins , Jocelyn Stevenson, 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 , Jocelyn Stevenson, Sue Venning 1984
  • Boober Fraggle's Celery Soufflé , Louise Gikow, Kelly Oechsli 1984
  • Danger: Boober Cooking , Louise Gikow, Kelly Oechsli 1984
  • Boober Fraggle's Giant Wish , Jocelyn Stevenson, 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, 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
  • The Cave of the Lost Fraggle , Michael Teitelbaum, Peter Elwell 1985
  • Follow That Fraggle , 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 , HB Gilmour, Barbara McClintock 1985
  • Goodnight Wembley Fraggle , HB 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

Others

  • The Fraggles also appear in the TV movie The Muppets Celebrate Christmas .
  • Brian Henson announced a Fraggle film in 2006, but its creation and release has been postponed several times. In 2011 the film rights were given to New Regency (a subsidiary of Regency Enterprises ). In March 2015 it was announced that the film would be starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as actor and producer.
  • The German punk band Normahl dedicated one of their most famous songs to the Fraggles. In the title Fraggles with the adapted music from the TV series, they sing about how beautiful life is when you party all day and have no worries. A cover version was released by the band King Kongs Deoroller .
  • A FC Carl Zeiss Jena fan club is named after the Fraggles.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Alice: 20 Jim Henson Puppets Make Their Big Museum Debut, My Modern Metropolis , September 27, 2013
  2. ↑ Muppet Central News: Brian Henson on new Dark Crystal and Fraggle Rock films (English)
  3. ↑ Muppet Central News: Fraggle Rock film in development (English)
  4. ↑ http://www.deadline.com/2011/10/new-regency-lands-fraggle-rock-feature-rights-auction/
  5. ↑ Joseph Gordon-Levitt brings the "Fraggles" onto the screen  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.swp.de

Web links