SoraRabbit Short Hop 036: A Very Fraggle Christmas

I’m honestly shocked that I’ve been doing my blog this long without covering Fraggle Rock. I know this dates me, but I watched most of these episodes first run as a very young kid. It was one of my favorite shows and still holds a special place in my heart. (I even named my cat Gobo.) This year I planned to cover some Jim Henson holiday specials for my annual Christmas posts, so I decided a bonus Short Hop of Fraggle Rock would be in order. Especially since it fits the theme, being the only Christmas-themed episode of the series.

I love this show. (Credit: Jim Henson, Henson Associates)

I always planned to write about Fraggle Rock some time, but never quite got around to it. So just in case I don’t, allow me to indulge myself with some gushing here. I may never watch the recent reboot, so bear in mind that all my Fraggle Rock knowledge is from the original series.

Jim Henson’s vision for Fraggle Rock was to produce a children’s show that could save the world. Quite the expansive dream, but that’s Henson for you. The show was meant to bring good values to children and spread a message of peace, harmony, understanding, and coexistence. The Fraggles live as a middle point between two other societies— the humans (also known as the “Silly Creatures”) and the Gorgs, the blustery self-important giants who consider themselves rulers of their own land. The Fraggles venture into both worlds, but mostly stay in their own little utopia where they exist alongside the industrious little bug-like creatures known as Doozers. The Fraggles sing, dance, play, and eat radishes, all while learning valuable lessons and imparting those onto the viewers. So that’s the basic concept.

Title card. (Credit: Jim Henson, Henson Associates)

Fraggle Rock was produced by Jim Henson and ran on HBO from 1983 to 1987 for a total of 5 seasons and 96 episodes. This post is about Episode 49, the premiere of Season 3, titled “The Bells of Fraggle Rock”.

One fascinating aspect of the series is that the wrap-around segments were different depending on the country the episodes aired in. These were filmed separately and inserted into the program so that the children watching could easily relate to the human world of the program. In America these consist of a kindly elderly inventor named Doc and his Muppet dog Spocket. In England, these segments involve a lighthouse keeper named Captain. Sprocket remains the same. (Also note that there ended up being three hosts over the course of the series.) In Germany, the concept of the inventor Doc and his workshop is the same as the American version. (Although played by a different actor.) In France, the scenes take place in a bakery with a French dog named Croquette. Strangely enough, the baker is also named Doc in this version. As you would expect, I watched the American version for this post.

Doc and Sprocket. (Credit: Jim Henson, Henson Associates)

But enough backstory, let’s run through the episode. As the show starts, the kindly old inventor Doc explains Christmas and the Winter Solstice to his excited dog Sprocket. The dog just wants to open presents, but Doc wants to explore the different holiday traditions from around the world.

Winter at the Rock. (Credit: Jim Henson, Henson Associates)

Through a hole in the wall of Doc’s workshop is Fraggle Rock. Winter has come and things are getting cold. Everyone is excited for the Festival of the Bells… everyone besides Gobo anyway. He doesn’t see the point in it.

A bunch of puppets in a puppet. (Credit: Jim Henson, Henson Associates)

Red, Mokey, Boober, and Wembley are all working on the Weeba Beast costume for the Festival. They convince Gobo to practice their song and dance and he does so, unenthusiastically.

Gobo and his map. (Credit: Jim Henson, Henson Associates)

The others leave and Wembley and Gobo talk about the Festival. Every year at this time it gets colder and the Rock starts slowing down. At the Heart of the Rock is a Great Bell and if it isn’t rung, the Rock will freeze forever. Gobo doesn’t buy it. No one’s seen the Great Bell. He found a really old map and it doesn’t show anything where the center of the Rock would be. Wembley points out that it’s shaped like a bell, which gets Gobo excited.

Preparing for the festival. (Credit: Jim Henson, Henson Associates)

The Fraggles all gather in the main Cave to wait for the Festival to start. This is kicked off by the arrival of Cantus the Minstrel.

Cantus! (Credit: Jim Henson, Henson Associates)

Cantus (voiced by Jim Henson) is a travelling Minstrel who wanders in and out of the Fraggles lives, imparting his zen-like wisdom. Gobo starts complaining about how no one has ever seen the Great Bell. Cantus explains that the Weeba Beast once guarded the Bell, but now they no longer travel there. Instead they ring smaller bells, which wakes the Great Bell and allows it to ring, warming the Rock for another year.

Gobo challenges Cantus, asking if he’s ever seen the Great Bell. Cantus says not with his eyes, but there are better ways to see. Gobo insists that he wants to travel to the Heart of the Rock and bring back the Great Bell to show everyone that it’s real. His friends don’t understand why he feels the need to do this and worries that he won’t be back in time. Gobo says that if everyone sees the Great Bell, the holiday will mean something. Wembley points out that it already does. Cantus says that the Heart may be both farther and closer than he thinks. Gobo trusts his maps and asks everyone to promise to wait for him.

Sprocket wants candy. (Credit: Jim Henson, Henson Associates)

Back in Doc’s workshop, he explains the holiday traditions of other cultures while Sprocket desperately tries to break a piñata.

Cantus forgot his mittens. (Credit: Jim Henson, Henson Associates)

Back in the Rock, it’s getting colder and Cantus heads off to find Gobo. He was in such a hurry that he forgot his mittens.

Doozers! (Credit: Jim Henson, Henson Associates)

As Gobo and Cantus continue their journey, we see the Doozers for a moment, busy building their strange structures. They do not seem to be phased by the cold.

The Doozers are always a very interesting part of the show. They’re much smaller Muppets and do more technically difficult things. They can often be seen in the background, working away. Some episodes focus on them and the impact the Fraggles have on their society.

Trying to stay warm. (Credit: Jim Henson, Henson Associates)

The Fraggles are all shivering and crowding together to stay warm. Red is impatient and wants to ring the bells, but Wembley insists they have to have faith in Gobo. He promised to be back in time.

Uncle Travelling Matt in a present. (Credit: Jim Henson, Henson Associates)

To take their mind off the cold, he reads the latest postcard from Gobo’s Uncle Travelling Matt. Matt was a device to show the Fraggle’s perception of human culture, generally misunderstanding why we do the things we do. In this segment, he explains Christmas and eats the cookies left out for Santa. I have no idea how he ended up in that family’s house and why he was hiding in a present.

Gobo finds the Heart. (Credit: Jim Henson, Henson Associates)

The Fraggles are worried that the Rock will stop and they all start to have trouble moving. Meanwhile, Gobo is still trudging onward and loses his map. He’s almost too cold to go on. Cantus appears in a bright light and tells him he should have brought his mittens. He also says to listen. They hear a bell and locate the center of the Rock. There is a type of rock door with a ring on it. Gobo tugs on it and it falls over revealing nothing. The cave is empty.

They rush back and Gobo worries about what he’ll tell everyone now that he knows the Great Bell is a lie. Cantus tells him that they’re too late. The Rock is standing still. Gobo scoffs at this, saying it’s just a story.

Uh oh. (Credit: Jim Henson, Henson Associates)

But it isn’t. All of his friends are frozen solid. Gobo realizes that the Festival actually did matter even though there’s no Great Bell.

This got dark. (Credit: Jim Henson, Henson Associates)

Cantus explains that every year there is no Great Bell but the Rock keeps moving. There may not be a Great Bell at the center of the Rock, but there is one at the Heart of the Rock. Gobo realizes what he means and rings his bell. He revives the others who ring their bells too.

Everyone’s okay now. (Credit: Jim Henson, Henson Associates)

Gobo understands the meaning of the tradition now and the Fraggles all start moving again. He sees that it’s their bells— their music— that keeps the Rock alive. They all hear the Great Bell ringing and a glow comes from everywhere, warming the Rock.

Presents for everyone! (Credit: Jim Henson, Henson Associates)

Back in Doc’s workshop, he hears the church bells and Sprocket finally breaks the piñata. It was filled with dog bones and mittens for Doc. The Fraggles sing their song as the credits roll.

Fraggles are great. (Credit: Jim Henson, Henson Associates)

Thoughts: As with all of Fraggle Rock, this was a cute episode with a good message and plenty of music. I liked the running gag of the mittens. Gobo’s struggles with trying to find meaning in a tradition that’s older than him was relatable. Some of my favorite episodes of this series involve Cantus and I was glad they brought him in for this episode. While the Fraggle portions of the episode wasn’t technically Christmas, their Festival had a lot in common with the holiday. (Everyone gathering to ward off the cold together.) Plus we had Doc and Matt to bring the Christmas spirit. I wouldn’t consider it up there with the best episodes of the series, but it was still a nice one and I’m glad they did a holiday episode.

Doc has a bell too. (Credit: Jim Henson, Henson Associates)

Fraggle Rock continues to be a fond and comforting memory from my childhood. I love revisiting it. A few years back, I rewatched all five seasons with Cocoashade and enjoyed it just as much as I did when I was a kid. Of course, now I could appreciate much more of it— the difficulty of the puppetry, the intricacy of the sets and the Doozer effects, and the scope of the messages conveyed. Also, the final three episodes are excellent, wrapping everything up in a satisfying way.

Fraggle Rock is a beacon of light in a dark time and I wish it got more love than it does. Of course it has its fans, but it should be required watching in my opinion. It’s a nice, laid-back, chill show filled with empathy and wholesomeness. I’m very grateful it exists and its messages of appreciating each other for our differences and similarities, trying to understand the world we live in and the varied people around us. I think we should all strive to be more like the Fraggles.

Everyone’s always so happy. (Credit: Jim Henson, Henson Associates)

Thank you so much for joining me on this quick visit to Fraggle Rock over the holidays. I hope you enjoyed it. As mentioned before, I’m going to bring more Muppet content soon for the holiday. Until then, keep singing and playing!

Bye everyone! (Credit: Jim Henson, Henson Associates)